5 Ways an Online Calendar Helps Build eCommerce E-commerce businesses are thriving in 2021 and are gearing up for even more success in the years to come. Being able to browse products and have purchases delivered straight to...

E-commerce businesses are thriving in 2021 and are gearing up for even more success in the years to come. Being able to browse products and have purchases delivered straight to your door is just an offer no one can refuse. eCommerce is also one of the more accessible entries for new entrepreneurs. In addition, an eCommerce business can be operated from your own home with much lower overhead and start-up costs.

Whether you're just starting an e-commerce business or are a seasoned pro looking to scale your brand, an online calendar is a valuable tool you should be using. Below are just some of the niche benefits that will help e-commerce businesses become more efficient than ever:

1. Plan Out Your Content

Since e-commerce businesses run almost exclusively online, they rely on digital marketing to attract new customers. One of the easiest and most effective ways to advertise is through social media. Not only are platforms free to use, but consumers spend hours each day scrolling through news feeds and discovering new products.

To stay relevant on social media, you need a good content strategy. While your Calendar won't come up with many creative ideas for you, it will help you develop a content schedule that promotes consistency. By posting regularly, you increase your brand exposure and have a greater chance of reaching new customers than by putting all of your money into one viral video.

2. Schedule Product Releases

Innovation is what will keep your eCommerce business moving forward. While some products will stand the test of time, many consumers will anxiously await new releases to reel them back in. Of course, a new product release requires careful planning and scheduling, which makes an online calendar the perfect tool for nailing your next product launch.

Using your Calendar, you can plot every stage of an upcoming product release. For example, let's say you've got a new item ready to be released by the holidays — one of the busiest times of the year for consumers. It's Mid-October — you've followed the three-month-ahead rule, have your product done, sourced and you've set the target date for the launch. You'll likely launch the week of Thanksgiving if you're in the U.S.

The point is — have everything on your Calendar and have everyone on your team on the same Calendar page. Though something always goes wrong, if everyone is on the same page there will be fewer screwups.

3. Make Sure You're Stocked Up

Few things will slow down your business as quickly as a stoppage in production. Running low on materials or products when demand is high puts you in quite the pickle. Using an online calendar, you can better coordinate with suppliers to ensure you're always stocked up.

You can also use your Calendar for a different kind of e-commerce business model that has worked for many entrepreneurs and their small businesses. Instead of posting on a website and filling orders as they come, they host a "drop" or dropship with a limited supply of products.

Dropshipping is a common approach for many online businesses. For example, Amazon is a drop-shipper, the fashion industry has a dropping shipping business. You can keep track of all drop shipping information on your Calendar, including where to control the supply and your projections to anticipate the demand.

If you want a more consistent source of income, create a schedule to work with suppliers. Anticipate your needs and schedule shipments accordingly. When dealing with products without expiration dates, consider getting more than what you need to hedge your bets against a massive influx of interest.

4. Run Successful Promotions

Consumers are suckers for a good promotion. You've probably made a purchase recently after seeing an offer you couldn't refuse. Scheduling the occasional promotion with your online Calendar is a great way to boost sales, generate interest, and increase your brand recognition.

Think about when you want to hold a promotion and how long you want it to last. Black Friday is an exciting example. Before, this deal was exclusive to the day after Thanksgiving. Today, companies run Black Friday sales all week and allow them to coincide with Cyber Monday sales. So think about how relevant your sale will be on a specific timetable and schedule it into your Calendar accordingly.

Another potential promotion you can run is a partnership with another brand. Sync up Calendars with each other to synchronize promotions and help each other knock your sales goals out of the park. In addition, intentional syncing makes it easier to coordinate content Calendars to maximize viewership to your combined ventures.

5. Outsource Tasks

There might be some aspects of running an e-commerce business that you're just not an expert in. A great example is web development. You can have a great product and great salesmanship, but you need to have the right digital tools to get your gear out to the public. Outsourcing work to an actual web developer is a step many entrepreneurs take to get started.

One trouble with outsourcing work is making sure the person you enlist to help is getting their tasks done, and your Calendar can help you with this. By sharing your Calendar with your freelance laborers, you can set clear expectations on deadlines. These deadlines ensure that work gets done on time, even when it's out of your control.

If you're ready to grow your eCommerce business, get signed up for Calendar today. Along with tools for helping you manage your business, you'll also have features such as time analytics to help you unlock your full potential as an entrepreneur.

Image Credit: andrea piacquadio; pexels; thank you!

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