In the article " Mark-up Tool Helps You Set Prices for E-Products " that I published yesterday, I showed you the mathematical process of pricing the products that will be sold in your online store, which is good for avoiding mistakes, but not enough to promote the growth of your business.
To truly grow, in addition to knowing how to price your products, you need to reduce expenses without sacrificing quality and eliminate waste without compromising product availability for end consumers—in other words, sell more with lower costs. This, in turn, leads us to optimizing the value chain of your e-commerce website and your company as a whole. But how do you do this optimization? Read these tips I've prepared for you:
• Raw material, production and packaging
If you manufacture the products you sell, use tools such as Banco de Ideias and 5S, among others, that make it possible to recognize and reduce waste of time, space and money in industrial processes.
• Logistics
If you have your own warehouse, try to use more modern and practical storage technologies, which include versatile pallet trucks, WMS software and automation.
Employ techniques such as Just-in-time, for example, which makes it possible to work with a stock in the exact measure of demand. By doing this, you can save the money you would spend on an overstocked inventory, take it to a bank, and invest in assets that will give you more profit in the long run.
Carefully analyze the operational aspects of your Business Plan and see if outsourcing product storage and delivery services wouldn't be a good idea.
• Deliveries
For local deliveries, use a low-cost strategy such as the one that employs bike, for example. For longer deliveries, use the post office or the services of startups such as Mandae, 99motos, etc.
• Departments
Shrink departments as much as possible. Install an awareness and waste reduction policy. Make sure all resources are used to the fullest before they are discarded.
Rethink your entire e-commerce business. Use the Business Model Canvas if necessary. Develop an organizational culture focused on innovation and continuous improvement of products, people, and processes. The more aligned these three dimensions are, the less waste and the more profit you will have.
