Using Tools to Automate and Grow your Online

Business Will Bowes – Linnworks

Introduction

Will BowesMarketing Manager at Linnworks

An online tool used by over 4,000 online sellers everyday to manage and streamline their

businesses.

“I'm too busy to grow my business” “I would love to

expand to that market, but I don’t

have time”“That is only for bigger

companies”

Who works more than 40 hours a week?

 “Workplace research on productivity started back in the early 1900’s. Five decades of results proved, beyond a doubt, that 

maximum productivity occurs atno more than 40 hours a week and eight hours a day.”

Today: • What is a tool?• Setting goals • Researching tools • Key takeaways

• An online piece of software or application that benefits your business by allowing you to run your processes in a more effective way

• Helps you solve a challenge or fix an opportunity

• Saves you time and/or money

What is a tool?

Tools for online sellers include…• Listing & Repricing • Inventory and Order Management • Trend Prediction • Business Analytics • Accounting & Finance • Staff & Payroll • Social Media • Customer service • And pretty much anything else you can think of…

Opportunities vs Challenges

Most people use tools to fix problems, butwhat about using tools to maximise

opportunities?

Most common answers • Need to save time • Increase sales/marketing • Reduce expensive mistakes • Selling overseas • Managing inefficient processes • Dealing with disappointed customers

What is the biggest challenge/opportunity that your

business faces right now?

Finding the right tool for you

What do you want the tool to achieve?Create a requirements checklist• What do you need to achieve?• What sort of business do you want to work with?• Out-of-the-box vs Custom?

Set yourself a budget• How much can you afford?• Contract terms• Investigate ROI

Researching tools

Ask the online selling community

Review Sites

Online Forums

Online Selling Directories

Free Trials

Researching tools

Ask the online selling community

Review Sites

Online Forums

Online Selling Directories

Free Trials

Creating your own tool

• Built to specification • Suited to your

needs• Complete control• Competitive

advantage

• Lack of support• High cost• Distraction • Unreliable

developers • Changes in the

industry (API changes, listing requirements)

Pros Cons

Picking the right tool • Does it fulfil your criteria?

• Is it scalable with your business?

• Does it fit with your future plans?

Key Takeaways • Define your requirements

• Do your research

• Test the solution

• Is it future-proof?

Useful Links • Tamebay Guide – www.tamebay.com/tamebayguide

• Web Retailer – www.webretailer.com

• Trustpilot – www.trustpilot.com

• eCommerce Stack – www.ecommerce-stack.com

Thank you for listening For more information:• www.linnworks.com• Blog.Linnworks.com• @Marketing_Will