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There are many reasons as to why a business might choose to hire an eCommerce consultant. Regardless of the reason, it is a viable and beneficial solution for many. eCommerce consultants have the skills needed to help get your projects up and running with little to no effort on your part.

However, you might be asking yourself: is it really necessary to use a consultant? Well, the answer entirely depends on you and your business. Not every business needs a consultant, but many can see drastic improvements from using one. So, we’ve compiled all the information you need to know about eCommerce consultants. Therefore, you can make an educated decision that’s right for you.

Keep reading to learn more about what an eCommerce consultant can do for you, and if they’re really worth your while, and most importantly, your money!

What do eCommerce Consultants do?

An eCommerce consultant is a business professional that is an expert in all things eCommerce. From eCommerce SEO to user experience and eCommerce personalization, there is nothing they don’t know. Their job is to analyze your business performance and make recommendations and enhancements in order to help your business reach its goals.

If you decide to hire a consultant, you can use their services via a contract and have them do the optimization for you. Whereas, hiring them solely as a consultant means that they’ll provide you with the strategies, but you’re responsible for implementing them. There are various projects out there that a consultant can be hired to work on. Here are some of the most common jobs they’ll get hired for:

1. Conversion Rate Projects

Every online business has an eCommerce conversion rate. A conversion rate is the percentage of users, or visitors, coming to your website that complete a desired goal out of the total number of visitors to your site. For example, if your website were to receive 100 visitors in a month's time period and out of that 100, you received 50 sales, then you would divide 50 by 100 and get a 50% conversion rate. However, the conversion rate doesn’t just have to apply to your sales. You can apply it to any action that you want your users to take while on your website.

An eCommerce consultant can provide some assistance if you are struggling in the conversions department. They’ll take an in-depth look at your current website and see what’s working and what isn't. From there, they’ll come up with a strategy to help improve it. Sometimes the fix isn’t so simple and straightforward. Most of the time it can be related to something you can’t see, like a backend development issue. Either way, your consultant will pinpoint the issue for you and provide you with the best way to fix it.

2. Advertising campaign maintenance

An eCommerce consultant can also help you launch your business. DTC advertising is another pivotal aspect of any business. They get your business name in front of shoppers' faces so they know you’re offering a service or product they're looking for. So, a consultant can launch your ads for you and maintain their performance. They will continuously monitor the success of the ads and make adjustments when necessary. Additionally, your consultant will be able to help you develop an eCommerce funnel that’ll help you target what stage your users are in.

3. Negotiation

When needed, an eCommerce consultant can help you negotiate pricing, deals, and even better products with suppliers. They can also help you determine the kind of payment processing systems you'll need, like ACH payment. More than this, a good consultant will also be able to help streamline delivery times too. While negotiating with suppliers isn't at the top of every businesses list, it’s an added benefit that can’t be beat.

4. Navigate business direction

Finally, an eCommerce consultant can help you design your eCommerce business plan. By taking all aspects of your business into consideration, they’ll be able to see your potential areas of growth and regression. From there, they’ll draw up a business plan that will guide you to success.

Benefits of using an eCommerce Consultant

As you can see, there are many useful benefits that come from utilizing an eCommerce consultant. In general, there are more benefits than not when it comes to hiring one. But if you’re not sold just yet, we’ve come up with a list of the many benefits that a consultant can provide you with below.

• Unbiased Feedback: If you were to ask someone in your company for feedback, oftentimes they’ll sugarcoat because they work there. This isn't always good for your business. Unbiased feedback allows you to see a clear picture of what's wrong and what's not, ensuring you’re going to begin to put the right foot forward in the future.
• Focus on your needs: Once you hire an eCommerce consultant, they handle all of the behind the scenes work for you. Meaning you can get back to worrying about providing your customers with a great shopping experience. Leave the rest to the experts!
• Saves time and money: Finally, another benefit that comes from hiring a consultant is that the costs are significantly less than hiring a full time employee to do the same job. Moreover, your consultant can complete multiple projects in a much smaller time frame than a long-term employee. And you never have to worry about watching over them either!

What to consider before choosing to hire an eCommerce consultant

While choosing to hire a consultant can certainly be exciting for your business, there are still a few ducks you need to get in line before you jump in head first. You may find that your business doesn't need a consultant at all, or maybe it’s simply not the right time. So, explore the following areas of concern before making a final decision on that consultant–they’ll help lead you in the right direction.

Things to consider before hiring a consultant:

• Your business goals

Before hiring anyone for your business, you need to understand your goals as a business. This way, you know exactly what you’re bringing them in to achieve. When you don't have any goals, you don't have anything to work towards. In a way you’re just floating about waiting for something to happen. So know your business goals before bringing on that consultant.

• Culture Fit

When choosing a consultant, just like any other member of the team, they need to be a good fit. Not just by technical qualifications, but culturally as well. Ask yourself if they’ll blend in and work well with your team members. Moreover, you should hire a consultant that wants to get to know your business specifically and what makes it unique.

• Budget

Every business has a budget, so what’s yours? Figure that out and stick with it. You’ll need a maximum and a minimum amount that you’re willing to pay for services. If the consultant isn't within your budget, we’re more than positive you can find another one that is.

• Previous Work

Next, scale the consultants' work portfolio to see the type of work they do. See if it matches your business model and what you’re looking for. There are many types of consultants out there, so make sure you choose one that is an exact fit for you.

• Consultant Workload

Lastly, you’ll need to consider the exact workload your consultant will be doing. In most cases they are an entirely separate work entity. Ensure they aren't taking away from a role that’s already in place. If they are, consider whether or not you need the consultant. Then modify the current role that can be used to fill this business gap.

Consult with us!

As you can see, there are so many ways that an eCommerce consultant can help make your business a success. Before you send that offer letter, just make sure you thoroughly evaluate your business needs and goals. Work on improving your current eCommerce marketing strategy–whatever that looks like for you–and then create an outline of tasks for your consultant to handle.

Finally, review your price range with theirs, and if they seem like a good fit, take the leap! Equipping your team with a qualified eCommerce consultant is one of the best decisions you can make.