Make your business run smoothly
Imagine a business that just works.
Automated workflows, seamless inventory management, no time wasted on repetitive tasks — that’s the dream, right? The reality for many businesses is a lot more chaotic:
- Inefficiencies drive up costs
- Manual processes waste time
- Customers get frustrated by delays
Streamlining your business operations is the key to freeing up time to focus on growth.
The problem:
Managing a business is hard.
From inventory to customer support to order processing, there are a million moving parts that all need to be coordinated.
The bad news is that unless you have the right tools, it’s just endless spinning of your wheels
Fortunately, Shopify has a range of integrated tools to help you create seamless business operations.
What you’ll discover:
- Why business operations are more important than ever
- Why Shopify is the best solution for managing your business
- 6 Shopify tools that will streamline every area of your business
- How to put it all together into a well-oiled machine
Why business operations are more important than ever
Let’s start with why business operations are worth optimizing in the first place.
If you’re still thinking of business operations as just the back-office processes that you have to get done to keep the lights on — it’s time to update your thinking.
Running a business is becoming a fast-paced game. You need to move quickly to keep up with competitors. That means efficient, agile operations.
Businesses have realized that automation is a productivity game-changer. 66% of businesses have automated at least one business process as of 2024. Manual processes are a productivity killer and a drain on profit margins.
Consider:
If your team is manually entering data, manually processing orders, and manually responding to customer inquiries — that’s time that could be spent growing the business.
On the flip side, look at what Shopify’s business operations platform can give you…
- More time to focus on growth and strategy
- Higher accuracy through automation and fewer human errors
- Improved customer experience with faster service
- Reduced costs through operational efficiencies
Businesses that optimize their operations early have a huge advantage.
Why Shopify is the best solution for managing your business
Shopify = ecommerce, right?
You may think of Shopify as just an ecommerce platform for selling products. But Envisage Digital understands that Shopify services and solutions are so much more.
Shopify has evolved into a complete business operations powerhouse.
Here’s why Shopify tools are so different:
Shopify tools are built to work together. It’s one integrated ecosystem that includes inventory management, payments, customer data, marketing tools, analytics, and more. No more hopping between 15 different apps to run your business.
Businesses are voting with their wallets on Shopify as the best solution for modern business management.
Shopify’s GMV hit $67.2 billion in the second quarter of 2024. (That’s up 22% year over year, by the way.)
6 Shopify tools that will streamline every area of your business
Now let’s dig into the specific tools Shopify offers to help you run your business more smoothly…
Shopify POS: Bridging Online & Offline
Say goodbye to separate systems for online and in-store sales.
Shopify POS brings everything together in one place. Inventory, customer data, sales analytics syncs automatically between your ecommerce store and physical locations.
Benefits include:
- No manual inventory updates
- Allows online customers to buy online and pick up in-store
- Unified customer purchase history
- Complete reporting across all sales channels
Shopify Flow: Automate, Baby, Automate
Automation is where it’s at.
Shopify Flow allows you to create fully automated workflows that take care of repetitive tasks. It’s like having your own digital assistant.
Example flows you can automate:
- Tag new high-value customers automatically
- Send low-inventory alerts to restock
- Mark orders as fraudulent for manual review
- Update customer segments based on purchases
Set the rules, and Flow will do the rest. You’ll never have to do them again.
Shopify Analytics: Actionable Insights, Finally
Most analytics platforms bombard you with data but no useful insights.
Shopify Analytics focuses on providing the key metrics you actually need for business operations.
Useful dashboards include:
- Top-selling products driving your profit
- Customer lifetime value trends
- Inventory turnover ratios
- Forecasting peak sales periods
Analytics that your non-data-scientist brain can understand.
Shopify Markets: Effortless International Expansion
Time to go global.
Shopify Markets automates all the complicated calculations you used to need separate tools for. Sell to international customers with no manual setup.
Shopify handles:
- Currency conversion and local payment methods
- Local taxes and duties
- Shipping rates and duties
- Domain and language localization
Shopify Capital: Funding The Easy Way
Cash flow is a business growth killer.
Shopify Capital offers business funding that’s tied to your actual sales. The platform already has visibility into your business performance, so no applications or credit checks required.
Key differences from traditional lenders:
- Uses Shopify sales data to approve funds
- Repayments automatically deducted from future sales
- Flexible repayment that matches your cash flow
- Instant approval and no hard credit inquiries
Shopify Plus: Enterprise-Grade Shopify
What do you do when your business outgrows standard Shopify features?
Shopify Plus is the answer. Enterprise-grade features for businesses that need advanced automation and customization.
Advanced tools include:
- Custom checkout experiences
- Advanced B2B features
- Extensive API for custom integrations
- Dedicated support team
Making It All Work Together
Tools are only as good as how you use them together.
How might a well-oiled Shopify operations system look in action? Let’s walk through a day in the life…
Morning: Check Shopify Analytics dashboard to review overnight sales and inventory status. Shopify Flow has already tagged new high-value customers and alerted you to low inventory items.
Afternoon: Process sales from both ecommerce and Shopify POS for in-store purchases. Shopify automatically applies taxes and shipping calculations for international orders.
Evening: Look at cash flow and see Shopify Capital has approved new funding thanks to recent sales growth.
Boom. That’s what operational efficiency looks like.
Connecting all these tools cuts out the manual, time-wasting processes that slow you down. Your team can focus on growth-driving activities rather than admin.
Setting up your streamlined operations
It all sounds great, but how do you start?
If you take on too much at once, it will be overwhelming. The key is to be methodical:
- Start with the basics. Implement Shopify Analytics and Flow first for quick wins.
- Add tools to solve specific pain points. Markets for international expansion? POS for multi-location inventory. Shopify Capital for funding.
- Integration is the key. Ensure each new tool connects with your existing setup.
- Don’t try to do it all at once. Solve the biggest operational bottleneck, then move on to the next.
Wrapping it up
Optimized business operations are no longer optional. Streamlined workflows and processes are critical for survival in today’s competitive business landscape.
Shopify’s integrated tools can give your business a major boost by automating workflows, simplifying operations, and speeding up processes.
If you optimize early, you’ll leapfrog your competition who are still drowning in admin.
To recap the main points:
- Start by implementing the most impactful tools (Analytics, Flow) first.
- Add additional Shopify tools to solve specific business needs
- Make sure tools are connected, not siloed
- Take a step-by-step approach and go deep
It’s time to join the automation revolution. The tools are ready and waiting for you. Are you?