Ecommerce has never seen better days. Online shops are booming, and people are getting used to scanning virtual isles and receiving their products in the comfort of their own homes.
But with trends comes competition. And ecommerce businesses are fighting for their competitive edge. So is there a way to ensure that your online store lives to tell the tale?
Two words: big data.
Big data is not magical, but it is a vital tool for success.
In this article, we will go over what big data is, its advantages for your ecommerce business performance, analytics, and its challenges.
What is Big Data?
Big data consists of extremely large and complex data collections containing information from several different sources. The data is gathered in distinct formats and includes structured data from databases or unorganized information from sources such as images and videos.
Because big data, as the name shows, gathers so much information from many different sources and distinct formats, it cannot be analyzed using traditional processing methods. Instead, you need specialized tools to go through the information in this type of dataset.
How Big Data is Transforming the E-commerce Industry
Big data is transforming the ecommerce industry by providing online business owners with valuable and actionable insights about their customers and business operations, such as sales and website performance.
Online retailers rely on large amounts of customer and sales data to improve their business. The more information you get from customer behavior and preferences and marketing and sales performance, the better it is to develop strategies that enhance the customer experience, satisfaction, and, thus, conversion.
That being said, ecommerce big data allows you to get a wealth of important information that you can use to evaluate your business operation and make data-driven decisions that are more than likely to successfully improve your customer experience, website performance, and sales.
Here are some ways in which big data is transforming the e-commerce industry
Improved Personalization
Ecommerce big data comprises a lot of information about customers’ demographics, behavior, patterns, and preferences. And you can use this information to adapt your offer to different customer segments by presenting personalized product recommendations, and building targeted marketing campaigns.
Personalized experiences are commonly effective in acquiring and retaining customers. By leveraging big data to get detailed information about what the customers might need or want, they are more likely to find value in your online business.
Enhanced Decision Making
The best decisions are the ones that gain you, loyal customers. And big data is at the base of the best ecommerce decisions.
When you analyze vast amounts of data generated by your online shop, you get all sorts of important information about your customers’ behaviors, demographics, preferences, sales trends, marketing performance, website operation, inventory management, and more. The valuable and actionable insights you collect give you the power to evaluate your business in-depth and make informed decisions about the best ways to drive business growth and success while staying competitive in the rapid-growing ecommerce landscape.
Improved Customer Service
Excellent customer service is a big part of a successful and satisfying online shop. Customers appreciate adequate solutions – fast – when they buy online. It is not uncommon for businesses to lose customers due to poor customer service, even if they have competitive prices and products.
Ecommerce big data can help overturn client loss and improve customer retention by providing exceptional customer support. By tracking the customer journey, that is, the customer experience by interacting with your website, big data allows you to get valuable information on customer satisfaction, perception, and feedback.
Additionally, you can pinpoint common areas where customers show a difficulty, allowing you to provide not only faster and more efficient support but also proactivity in solving problems.
And customer support can even play a part in acquiring more customers thanks to good referrals.
Improved Supply Chain Management
Many online retailers spend a lot of money on this type of process because they lack information that can help optimize the service.
Big data can also improve supply chain management as it allows you to get a real-time overview of the operations and, in turn, detect potential bottlenecks. Once you pinpoint the issues, ecommerce big data is also helpful in providing critical data to find suited solutions that lead to cost-effectiveness and efficiency.
Inventory Management
Big data also helps you make better, informed decisions about your inventory thanks to the information it contains about your customers’ habits and product demands.
You can use big data to forecast product demand by tracking purchase history and other influential factors, such as seasonality. That helps you in two ways: you invest more in high-demand products and avoid stockouts and lost sales.
Furthermore, as big data allows you to track in real-time your inventory, you are always up-to-date on product availability.
Overall, by optimizing your inventory management, you can reduce spending and increase customer satisfaction and sales.
Fraud Detection
Big data can both boost your sales and protect your online store.
Analyzing such a wealth of data related to customer behavior and purchase history helps detect fraudulent activity patterns. Analytical tools allow you to track unusual activity in real-time and act on it quickly.
Moreover, the software can keep track of individuals involved in fraudulent behavior and monitor fraudulent activity over time to identify and register patterns.
Challenges of Big Data in E-commerce
As we have seen, the analysis of big data generated by ecommerce platforms can positively impact your business. But analyzing big data does not come without challenges.
Data Collection and Storage
One of the biggest challenges with ecommerce big data is that it comes in vast amounts. That means you must have adequate infrastructure to collect and store the data. Moreover, because data is generated at high speed, it needs to be processed and analyzed quickly to provide relevant insights.
But other factors make big data even more complicated: because it is collected from varied sources, it comes in severely different formats and lacks structure. That makes it harder to process and analyze.
Privacy and Security Issues
Big data comprises a lot of personal information about visitors and customers, which is why privacy and security are essential. However, privacy processes and regulations can be overwhelming.
As an online shop owner, you must ensure that your website is secure. Lack of protection can result in data breaches, and you may lose sensitive customer details, such as credit card information and addresses. As you can imagine, that takes a toll on your business reputation – not to mention the customer’s safety.
You must also be sure that you abide by privacy laws in place and comply with the various regulations related to customer privacy and security, including customer anonymity and authorization to use customer data.
Recap
Big data refers to vast amounts of data regarding e-commerce platforms. It includes information from varied sources about customers, marking strategies, sales trends, and business operations.
Ecommerce big data benefits your online store performance by improving service personalization, decision-making, customer supply chain, inventory management, and even fraud detection.
Its advantages are undeniable, and it has the power to drive business growth and boost sales. Nonetheless, it is important to note that handling big data comes with a few challenges, such as the complexity of processing, analyzing, and storing vast amounts of data and abiding by every law and regulation related to customer data privacy.