eCommerce Trends and Strategies for the Apparel Decorating Industry

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating on the sales and revenue for many companies, and those in the apparel decorating industry are no exception. In an effort to combat business disruption amidst government-enforced lockdowns and continued social distancing measures, eCommerce has gained popularity for print shops looking to drive sales and lessen the overall financial impact.

Companies moving in this direction are learning how to tackle the world of eCommerce, manage multiple orders methods effectively, develop appropriate strategies and leverage technology – all with the hope of optimizing their online presence to increase profitability.

eCommerce Advantages for Apparel Decorators

For brick and mortar storefronts or print shops that traditionally take orders over the phone, offering customers the ability to place, approve and track orders online allows companies the opportunity to position their products in a way they have not done previously. Whether businesses decide to create their own online platform or utilize existing sites like Shopify, accepting online orders requires decision-making regarding marketing, best practices and managing workflow processes. As sales pick up in volume and businesses become more profitable, it is difficult to manage new and repeat orders without leveraging a back-end business management system that supports an e-commerce direction – requiring the implementation of printing software to ensure success.

By leveraging technology, integrating shopping carts and digital storefronts with print shop management software automates and streamlines the transmission of quotes, orders and purchase orders between suppliers and the software with real-time prices and inventory information. Seamlessly transmitting orders into the system, along with product and artwork details, and other order information makes manual interaction and dual data entry unnecessary – simplifying the order-entry process.

The ability to accommodate multiple customer stores, shopping-cart sites and platforms with a universal adaptor is essential – as additional integrations mean more exposure to a company’s products and potentially more online orders. Communication between the ERP solution and e-commerce stores provides real-time visibility of inventory information to eliminate possible order delays. This is especially important for DTG products with a quick turnaround time, as customers expect the immediate printing and shipping of their items.  

Benefits of Integrated ERP Software for eCommerce

Print shop software that integrates with online shopping carts and digital storefronts provides an essential function for print shops to remain competitive and garner new business as the economy reopens and consumer’s buying habits adjust.

There are several benefits to an integrated ERP software solution for eCommerce including decreased labor costs, increased order accuracy and faster order fulfillment. Without manual entry, labor costs are significantly less as well as a lessening of the potential for human error. An integrated solution allows rapid and accurate order processing that occurs throughout the day. 

As consumers have become increasingly comfortable shopping online, it is important for businesses to take note of e-commerce trends and strategies that help to facilitate sales and marketing objectives to drive more business. Our print shop management solution, Aptean Impress ERP, can help meet your e-commerce integration goals – contact us for a personalized demonstration today.