Last Updated on July 1, 2024
If you own an eCommerce store or want to start your own, a virtual assistant for eCommerce businesses is necessary for steady eCommerce growth.
Once established, many owners of marketplace stores on Amazon, Shopify stores, and independent eCommerce stores are making six-figure revenues. Much of this success is linked to scaling the eCommerce business with the help of eCommerce virtual assistants. However, more than just scaling and making more money, many eCommerce business owners aim to become independent and work less.
How can you earn more and work less?
The secret is to delegate the workload to a team of skilled workers. However, hiring qualified employees onsite is not cost-effective; how can you make money and grow your business?
Using virtual assistant services for e-commerce businesses is a game-changer. Delegating the work to an eCommerce virtual assistant means the business owner will have more time to accomplish core work, resulting in more free time.
As the business grows, the owner will delegate more tasks to additional virtual assistants. Eventually, all the jobs can be outsourced to remote assistants, thus freeing up the business owner’s time to spend in whatever way.
This means the business owner can focus on opening an additional venture or have a more relaxed life with family, loved ones, and friends, which is essential to getting your work-life balance right.
What are the three core functions of an eCommerce virtual assistant?
To understand the three primary responsibilities of a virtual assistant for eCommerce businesses, it is essential to note that there are different types of virtual assistants, each with another skill. However, a remote assistant can generally assist with research-based tasks, such as product listings, managing the inventory and pricing, optimizing the product lists, processing returns and exchanges, fulfilling orders, keeping the bookkeeping up to date, and assisting with customer support.
Other tasks undertaken by a virtual assistant for an eCommerce store include conducting competitive analysis and market research. In addition, there are email management and admin-related tasks such as managing the database and scheduling appointments. Other tasks can be social media management or even website upkeep.
How to hire a virtual assistant for e-commerce to gain ecommerce growth
The first step is to identify the tasks you want to delegate. Such will include time-consuming and mundane tasks. This will often consist of non-core tasks such as social media management.
The best idea is to list your tasks, such as work relating to social media management, before deciding which of these you want to offload. If you are new to outsourcing, this can feel daunting.
Therefore, we suggest a consultation session with one of our outsourcing experts at Aristo Sourcing. You can then easily discuss your needs and what you see as your goal and future. You can also identify at which stage of upscaling you are with your business. This will determine the type and number of virtual assistants you might require for the scaling.
Which virtual assistants for e-commerce businesses are available?
As mentioned before, there are many types of virtual assistants. Finding the best remote assistant depends on the business and the business needs.
For instance, if the business is an Amazon business, its needs would differ somewhat from those of a Shopify business. Popular virtual assistants assisting eCommerce stores include:
- Personal virtual assistant
- A virtual HR assistant
- Virtual data entry assistant
- A virtual bookkeeping assistant
- Marketing remote assistant
- A virtual research assistant
- Virtual project management assistant
- A virtual customer service assistant
- Virtual SEO assistant
- A virtual content writing assistant
- Virtual social media assistant.
However, this list is not inclusive – to see more, visit our service page. Each virtual assistant has a skill set that can add value to your business. For instance, with SEO talents, you can add organic traffic to your website or online store.
Final thoughts
You are thinking strategically by hiring people who can do the work for less than you can help you earn six or even seven figures annually.
Hiring an essential eCommerce virtual assistant to boost your growth is the first step in delegating tasks to others to free up your time and save money. As the business scales, the next step is to hire more specialized talent, such as a virtual graphic designer assistant, or to onboard a virtual HR assistant to deal with staffing issues, including payrolls.
The staffing solution of outsourcing the eCommerce tasks to a remote assistant is economical. It is cost-effective in that business overheads are reduced.
Contact a reputable, experienced outsourcing company when ready to scale your business. Aristo Sourcing is here to support you, grow, and increase your full potential. Please book your free consultation with our outsourcing expert today!
What are the benefits of hiring a virtual assistant for eCommerce growth?
There are many benefits to hiring a virtual assistant for eCommerce growth, including:
- Increased productivity and efficiency: Virtual assistants can free up your time so you can focus on more strategic tasks, such as developing new products, marketing your business, and expanding into new markets.
- Reduced costs: Virtual assistants are typically less expensive than hiring full-time employees.
- Access to a broader range of skills and experience: Virtual assistants come from various backgrounds and have a wide range of skills and knowledge. This can be especially valuable for eCommerce businesses, which often need help with multiple tasks, such as product photography, social media marketing, and customer service.
- Increased flexibility: Virtual assistants can work remotely and are available to work on various schedules. This can be helpful for eCommerce businesses that need 24/7 support or have seasonal fluctuations.
What are the different types of eCommerce virtual assistants?
There are many different eCommerce virtual assistants, each with unique skills and experience. Some common types of eCommerce virtual assistants include:
- Product management VA: These VAs can help you with product listings, product descriptions, and inventory management tasks.
- Marketing VA: These VAs can help you with social media marketing, email marketing, and paid advertising.
- Customer service VA: These VAs can help you respond to customer inquiries, process orders, and resolve customer issues.
- Administrative VA: These VAs can help you with general administrative tasks, such as managing your calendar, scheduling appointments, and preparing reports.
How to find the right eCommerce virtual assistant for my needs?
There are a few things you can do to find the right eCommerce virtual assistant for your needs:
- Identify your specific needs. What tasks and responsibilities do you need help with?
- Set a budget. How much can you afford to pay for a virtual assistant?
- Book your free discovery call with our outsourcing expert.
How to manage an eCommerce virtual assistant effectively?
Here are a few tips for managing an eCommerce virtual assistant effectively:
- Set clear expectations. Be specific about what you need your virtual assistant to do and when you need it done.
- Provide regular feedback. This will help your virtual assistant to improve their performance and meet your expectations.
- Be available to answer questions and provide support.
- Build a relationship with your virtual assistant. Please get to know them and their strengths and weaknesses.
What are some common ways that eCommerce businesses use virtual assistants to grow their businesses?
Here are some common ways that eCommerce businesses use virtual assistants to grow their businesses:
- Increase product listings: Virtual assistants can help you create new product listings and optimize your existing listings for search engines.
- Improve customer service: Virtual assistants can help you to respond to customer inquiries, process orders, and resolve customer issues.
- Manage social media accounts: Virtual assistants can help you create and post content on your social media accounts, engage with followers, and run social media contests.
- Manage email marketing campaigns: Virtual assistants can help you create and send email newsletters, manage your email list, and track the results of your email marketing campaigns.
- Run paid advertising campaigns: Virtual assistants can help you create and manage paid advertising campaigns on platforms such as Google Ads and Facebook Ads.