Outsourcing supports multi-channel sales

The development of technology and changing purchasing needs of consumers cause companies, wishing to effectively reach their target group with their offer, to increasingly use various sales channels to do so. Outsourcing solutions available on market allow to diversify commercial activities in a short time and without incurring large investment outlays.

The growing popularity of e-shopping makes an increasing number of companies and chain stores that sell at stationary outlets decide to launch an online sales channel. Such actions are being taken even by entities not previously associated with commerce, such as energy suppliers, museums or airlines. At the same time, we are also hearing more and more about the opening of traditional points of sale by major brands previously present only on the Internet. Among those who have already decided to take such a step are Amazon, Google, and recently also Zalando, which launched its pop-up store in November for 5 days in Warsaw.

Multichannel selling is the search for optimal ways to reach the customer, it often allows to increase profits and avoid losses, which can be caused, for example, by the ROPO effect, i.e. searching for information about a product on the Internet, while finalizing the purchase in a stationary store. Today's consumers efficiently navigate between different channels and use increasingly sophisticated tools to do so. Meeting these demands is now a business necessity for a growing number of companies.

How easy is it to enter the e-commerce market?

The development of a new channel to reach customers requires not only investment in its creation, but also in subsequent operational and marketing support. Companies entering the e-commerce market face the challenge of building such a site that will not only be attractive from the visual side, but above all useful. The next step is to attract users and convince them to make a transaction. Already acquired customers should be provided with the right standard of service - an easy way to contact them, a convenient purchase, and then fast and inexpensive delivery.

The range of business services available on the market allows to delegate all these processes to outsourcers. In such a model, the outsourcer can build a website, take care of selection, description and display of products, and provide activities from the areas of e-marketing, logistics and customer service. The company contracting the service gains access to knowledge, resources and technologies necessary to realize online sales with appropriate quality standards. It also benefits from economies of scale, i.e. lower prices for warehouse space, courier shipments or individual operations, e.g. parcel picking or hotline service.

From the internet to the real world

Completely different challenges are associated with extending sales activities previously conducted exclusively on the Internet to traditional retail outlets. E-shops deciding to offer their products also in ground-based outlets must take care of proper display of goods on shelves, production and distribution of POS materials or organization of promotional campaigns. Depending on the specifics of the product, it is also worth thinking about sales consultants who on the spot provide customers with information and help them make a choice. Handling all these processes around sales is for a company debuting in stationary sales channel not only a cost, but also the time necessary to learn the specifics of this market segment, hire people and purchase appropriate infrastructure, e.g. cars.

All this can be obtained from services offered by outsourcing companies specializing in sales support services from . Such entities have teams of field employees who perform services from merchandising, promotions, audits or distribution of promotional materials in every corner of Poland. The use of new technologies allows detailed reporting of activities, even in real time. Thanks to the shared model, one person can work for several clients, which allows to optimize the cost of such service.

All in one place

An outsourcer company can simultaneously support the handling of all B2C and B2B sales channels, not only in traditional stores and on the intranet, but also over the phone or in a direct model (door to door). In each of these cases, the added value of working with an outsourcer is the flexibility to adapt resources to the volume of sales in a given period of time. This eliminates the need for the company to hire additional staff or rent more warehouse space, such as during the holiday season or at the time of promotional campaigns.

Creating new sales channels and integrating them is not only a way to meet customers' expectations, but also an opportunity to obtain valuable data on their buying habits. An external company can not only help analyze this information, but also based on it can advise on what marketing activities are worth taking to reach the target group even more effectively. The organization and handling of promotions, contests, events or loyalty programs can be done in -house, but this again requires knowledge, time and adequate resources. Wanting to compete effectively in an increasingly demanding market, it is worth thinking about optimizing all activities that affect the effectiveness of the business. In particular, those that can easily be delegated to outside.

Artur Wojtaszek, CEO of Cursor