The growth of eCommerce is evident now more than ever. Physical stores are not enough: customers prefer to shop online.

In 2021, there were 2.14 billion digital buyers. That makes up 27.6% of the world’s population. The online shopping experience is now a key player in attracting and retaining customers.

There are over 26 million eCommerce sites in the world, with more and more being created every day. An intensely competitive industry like this can be challenging to take head-on.

Outsourcing to an offshore eCommerce team is needed if you want to compete… You gain access to experts, as well as the volume of talent, so your business stays one step ahead of the competition.

Here are the top reasons why you should have an offshore eCommerce team.

Fewer costs, more savings

• Offshore outsourcing rates are lower than local rates
• Cost reduction equals more profitability

Offshore experts tend to be less costly than local professionals. Outsourcing to countries like the Philippines with a lower cost of living lets you pay less than what onshore teams demand.

Local rates for eCommerce services are much higher than offshore rates. In the United States, it might cost you about $101,630 per year for one IT specialist, while it costs you only $33, 696 per year when you outsource to the Philippines, one-third of the total cost.

Fewer costs, more profit, more money for your business. You can ramp up your spending to release new products, create more content, do more targeted advertising, and increase product offerings.

Upscale and downscale easily

• No ramp-up time for onboarding and upskilling
• Hire staff only when needed
• Maintain business agility
• Choose from a larger talent pool or hire more workers for the same cost

When market conditions change, your eCommerce business is expected to adapt. You may need to hire seasonal staff and then lay them off once the market changes again. The time and money spent on hiring and onboarding are costly.

You avoid this friction with offshore eCommerce teams and hires. Project-based contracts are the norm and are smoothly done, especially if you’ve established a relationship with an outsourcing services company.

Round-the-clock customer support

• Time difference is perfect for 24/7 customer support services
• No additional payment is needed for night shifts

Leverage the time zones with offshore teams who work when you sleep. Customer support is vital in eCommerce, and having your onshore team take night shifts requires night differentials and additional incentives.

With offshore teams, expect 24/7 customer support. Time zones are an advantage– they manage customers’ queries while your onshore team is off duty.

Security and confidentiality

• Offshore teams have more strict rules on business confidentiality
• Less risk of exposing your business strategies to local competitors

You may think working with external teams is riskier than working internally or with locals, but it can be the opposite.

When you work with an onshore team, you can leak confidential business details more, especially if you all work in the same office.

Working with an offshore team makes your business details more secure, as they are separate entities and are not directly part of your assets and liabilities. There are also certain laws about customer privacy and merchant credibility when you outsource to other countries.

Access to fresh insights

• Offshore teams know trends outside your local business landscape
• They see your business from a newer perspective

Onshore teams are directly exposed to your local environment and trends, and their ideas might be tied down to the same ideas you have. They may find it hard to get a new perspective as they are in the same location and culture as you.

Offshore teams see your business as a different entity, and they see the bigger picture. They have different cultures and are also familiarizing themselves with your culture, thus, they generate newer insights with more value and originality.

eCommerce as the catalyst for business growth

Easier to reach more people

Unlike a brick-and-mortar shop, your online eCommerce business crosses geographical boundaries. With your website up and online, you’re no anymore limited to local customers– your business becomes accessible to all people around the world.
You don’t need to open store branches anymore, your eCommerce accommodates both local and global customers anywhere, anytime. Language is not a barrier anymore– leverage localized translations.

Acts as a marketing tool itself

Your eCommerce presence builds brand awareness and trust. Your product display, website layout, content, and shopping experience serve as marketing themselves– they attract customers to buy, and they promote your business to both potentials and repeat customers.

With an eCommerce site, more marketing opportunities are made. You can use marketing tools such as SEO, SEM, email marketing, and social media marketing to boost your store’s performance.

Gain insight from customer behavior

Perhaps one of the most attractive aspects of eCommerce is the ability to track customers’ actions online. Every step is digitized – leaving a digital footprint- and thanks to web analytics, you gain customer insights easier than calling every customer in your phone book.

Web analytics track customers’ behavior in your online store– what they usually buy, what hinders their purchase, and what content led them to the site. This data-driven approach helps you create more accurate buyer personas, optimize your site accordingly, and make smarter decisions for your business.

Receive customer feedback quickly

You want to know what customers think of your products/services, but you wouldn’t want to annoy them with persistent phone calls.

With eCommerce, you are allowed to do just that, but a little differently. You create a feedback section on your website where they voluntarily drop their comments, star ratings, or reviews. This way, you can see their thoughts and reactions in real time, and you improve your business based on that.