Running an online shop is a full-time job. However, taking the time to streamline your store management and develop systems can help you make more time, reduce stress and increase your revenue. Amazingly, all this without endless to-do lists or sticky note reminders on your desk.

These are some simple store management hacks and tools that will increase your efficiency and work for the best.

Before they ask, answer questions

It is important not to leave potential customers hanging. Instead of monitoring live chat and checking emails constantly, try being proactive by answering frequently asked questions.

A FAQ Page is your first line of defense against unwanted phone calls and emails. It also creates a more user-friendly environment. For more complicated topics, informational blog posts can be a great idea. These could include product and service descriptions as well as software tutorials, return policies, and any other information that customers may be interested in. When appropriate, you can link FAQ topics to your blog content.

This helps to keep buyers away from any questions. Customers are more likely to purchase if they can find the answers to their questions easily.

Your store dashboard allows you to manage payments and refunds

WooCommerce payments are an excellent time-saver because you can manage refunds and payments right from your WordPress dashboard. Instead of logging in and out of multiple accounts you can manage your business finances from the same place you handle products, analytics, posts, and other things.

It’s also a great tool to improve your checkout experience. Instead of having to redirect customers to a third-party payment gateway, customers can pay directly from your website. You can also accept multiple currencies.

Streamline your inventory management

Inventory management is a time-consuming task that can make running a business difficult. Automating the inventory update process is better than manually updating your warehouse or physical location inventory.

Scanventory or Square can help you organize your inventory management. It is possible to generate labels and print reports or to update inventory in bulk, rather than one item at a given time.

Inventory management is the most important thing that can stop a store from growing. You can forget about those worries if you have the right tools.

One-click to print shipping labels

Ever wonder how certain stores can charge such low shipping costs? They’re likely not paying full price.

WooCommerce Shipping allows you to print labels right from your dashboard, saving you tons of time and money. You can save up to 67% when you order domestic or international shipping at specially-negotiated rates with USPS and DHL.

Drop off your prepaid packages quickly without waiting in line at the post office. Or have them delivered right to your home by USPS.

Automate emails

Transactional emails can be used to notify customers that their order has been received, shipped, or delayed. WooCommerce offers a set of default orders which automatically go to each customer. You can also include tracking information with an extension.

You can take things one step further and create additional automated emails. WooCommerce Order Status Manager allows you to create new orders and then send emails as each step is completed. If you make wooden furniture by hand, you might add steps for “assembling” or “staining.” This will keep customers informed and allows them to send emails when each step is completed.

To customize transactional email messages to your brand specifications, you can use tools such as MailPoet and send marketing messages such as newsletters and abandoned cart emails.

Batch social media and blog content

It is amazing how your mind can go blank when you are asked to post on social networks. You can either quit posting or settle with a less-than-stellar plan.

Scheduling posts ahead of time helps you maintain a work-life balance, and lets you take advantage of the creative times. It’s OK if you have multiple ideas for the same thing, such as a customer review that uses a similar image. You can create as many as possible and then spread them over time.

Keep in mind that each post will only be seen by a small portion of your social media followers. If enough time has passed between posts, you can reshare them.

Repurposing content from different marketing channels might be an option. For example, let’s say you have a blog about a product or service you are promoting. You can modify something you have already written about the topic to suit your different channels. Your clever tweet was a hit with your followers. It can be shared on Facebook and turned into an Instagram image. You don’t have to create new content if you already have great content.

Comment spam must be eliminated

While enabling comments on your site can be a great way of building community engagement, it is likely to encourage spam. However, this doesn’t mean that you have to manually manage spam. With tools such as JetpackAnti-spam, you can stay two steps ahead.

It’s not only time-consuming, but it can also be risky. Spammers can be sneaky and you might not be able to identify a fake. Jetpack Antispam is a program that learns from millions and recognizes the signs of spam. It can eliminate comment spam before you have even seen it.

This will save you time and improve your customer experience. 

Your online business should work for you, not in the other direction

The future looks bright when you can manage your online store and your entire business from one place. Automated solutions can take over the work and make you more productive. We are looking forward to seamless integrations and more sales.