Let’s face it: manual work is nasty. eCommerce managers are extremely busy people, and once you factor in all the product research, listing tasks, financial data and inventory tracking involved -- not to mention daily orders and angry emails -- multi-channel ecommerce can be a nightmare to manage.

In this day and age, ecommerce automation is key to beating competition. With all the tools available that are either free or affordable, why waste time doing manual tasks when you can spend your time making more money or investing that time in things that matter?

In this two-part blog series, we offer a range of growth and productivity hacks, related to everyday tasks sellers face: listing research, product management, inventory control, and financial management.

1. Use Product Research Tools like Unicorn Smasher or Jungle Scout

Selling on Amazon is highly competitive. To win the ranking game, you’ll need the best Amazon tools when it comes to Amazon SEO, product analysis, competitive intelligence, and reports on pricing and reviews. Unicorn Smasher is a free tool and Chrome extension for sellers, built by the same developers of AMZ Tracker.

Unicorn Smasher gives you valuable insight on your niche categories, analyzing the top listings on Amazon, and offers a dashboard for an easy overview. Jungle Scout is another Amazon application that simplifies product research and gives you powerful data.

Jungle Scout can track products, see what’s selling, analyze their estimated monthly sales, and more. Other keyword research and price tracking tools you may want to consider include Keepa, CamelCamelCamel and SellerMetrics.

2. Digitize Receipts and Paperwork Through Shoeboxed

Even though we live in a digital age, we still have to deal with countless documents, receipts and business cards that anyone could easily lose or forget. When it comes to the tax season, the last thing you want is to fuss over faded documents and scraps of paper.

Services like Shoeboxed will enable you to digitize, categorize and archive all this paperwork, either by mailing all your paperwork to be scanned, or taking pictures of the documents using their mobile app. Shoeboxed will then turn all this into accounting data and expense reports, allowing you to view, manage and export them as needed.

3. Master the Art of Bundling with Self-Sealing Poly Bags

One way to keep slow inventory moving is to bundle them with best sellers. Bundling helps keep your inventory moving, while also expanding your product assortment. Bundling is done best when you add value to customers, especially when you offer discounted multi-pack bundles and  gift bundles.

Self-sealing poly bags are excellent time-savers when it comes to multi-packs and bundles. Simply add the items to the appropriate-sized bag, pull the strip, and fold over to close. Shrink wrap films and open-ended poly bags take more time to close and could get damaged in a warehouse.

4. Designate Zones for Specific Inventory

Here’s a tip on warehouse planning and inventory management: don’t mix SKUs in the same bin location. According to supply chain consultant Marc Wulfraat, “Mixing multiple SKUs in the same bin location reduces picking productivity. We have done time and motion studies that prove that there is a definite time penalty associated to mixing multiple SKUs into the same bin location."

As a rule of thumb, categorize your SKUs by product demand and place your best sellers in close, easy-to-reach locations. As you get ready for the holidays, make sure peak season and on-sale items are arranged in accessible zones, so orders can roll out faster and without error.

5. Use a Product Content Platform Like Salsify

Managing product content can be an arduous task without proper automation. Certain categories often require detailed product information coming directly from brands and manufacturers. This is especially true for health and food products, which require nutrition facts, or computer hardware that require technical specs.

Salsify is a product content management platform that enables content to be shared and distributed amongst brands, manufacturers, agencies, and retailers, allowing for an instant exchange of product information and catalogs. Since product content is vital for 88% of shoppers, sellers must invest in product content automation.

Jazva is a Salsify technology partner, allowing you to take advantage of their powerful product content management while streamlining your inventory and listing management tasks through Jazva. Our integration allows you to pull data from Salsify’s network while keeping your product content updated and in sync across Amazon, Walmart, Shopify, and other sales channels.

Want more growth hacks for your business? Download these free resources for more ecommerce strategies!