Automating processes of a food Ecommerce

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Automatizando procesos de un Ecommerce de comida

Automating processes of a food Ecommerce

This article will explore the “El asador en tu casa” project, led by Roger Hostalot, a successful eCommerce specializing in low-temperature barbecues.

The main challenge for Roger and his team is to make the company profitable, which implies reducing logistics costs, improving customer acquisition, and, above all, achieving the loyalty of current ones.

In this search for efficiency and excellence, they have implemented various actions, among which stand out the standardization and automation of processes.

Technological stack to use

Before we dive into automated processes, it’s essential to learn about the tools and services that support these innovations:

  • WooCommerce is the world’s most popular open-source e-commerce solution.
  • Connectif, is a Marketing Automation tool that allows you to create hyper-personalized shopping experiences in eCommerce and effectively.
  • WhatsApp Business Cloud is the platform that allows us to send messages via WhatsApp.
  • Distribudiet, comprehensive logistics service for special products.
  • Qapla, is a service that simplifies shipping, tracking, and post-shipment marketing management of e-commerce.
  • Google Contact, the online address book, integrated with Gmail, Calendar, Drive, and other Google products.

Welcome to the world of automation!

Below I will present some different automated processes that have been put together to meet the objectives of the e-commerce “El asador en tu casa”.

Case 1: Notice by WhatsApp of the change of the telephone number for customer service
The automation of this case arises due to an error made when using the current customer service phone number in the WhatsApp API programming. This caused the phone to be locked for WhatsApp Business, leaving the team without customer support.

To solve it, an automated message was implemented that informs customers of the number change and redirects messages to the newly enabled phone.

The objective then is to create an automated message so that all customers who communicate with the old Customer Service phone receive an automated message indicating the change of number and send that message to the new phone, where WhatsApp could already be answered and managed.

Case 2: Delivery of discount coupon by WhatsApp
With the opening of a physical location, Roger’s team devised a mechanism to attract the surrounding public. Through a QR code located on the front, visitors are redirected to a form where, upon completing it, they receive a discount code.

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This automation is simple, by detecting a person’s data, the phone number is validated, a message is sent via WhatsApp with the promotional code, and the Google spreadsheet is updated, indicating the date and time the message was sent.

Case 3: Stock Control
Stock control is essential in eCommerce to guarantee customer satisfaction and optimize order management. Maintaining an up-to-date inventory ensures that products are available for purchase, avoiding disappointment and improving the customer experience.

In this case, “El asador en tu casa” has implemented simple but effective automation. Every day, at 9:00 p.m., a Google spreadsheet is updated with the available stock, considering both physical inventory and sales reserves. This information is extracted from the logistics operator Distribudiet.

Case 4: Recover lost sales by WhatsApp.
As we well know, not all users check and open emails at the right time. Instead, WhatsApp has become the preferred channel for users, with a high opening rate and deliverability.

The objective of this automation is to increase the percentage of recovery of abandoned carts through direct communication with the customer service team.
Using #Connectif, a #automation marketing tool, abandoned carts are detected in the online store and certain user data is sent by email to an address created in Make, through a Mailhook.

Once the automation is activated in Make, the data sent by Connectif is extracted and the customer service team is notified through a WhatsApp message.


Case 5: Create a request to prepare the order for the external warehouse
When working with an external warehouse, in this case Distribudiet, you have to inform them about the orders that are produced in the WooCommerce online store.

In addition, as the customer can select the day they want to receive the order, they must be told the day they must prepare it to be ready when the transport company SEUR frio picks it up.

This automation starts when a purchase is detected in the store, obtains the order information, collects the delivery date indicated by the customer, as well as the products and their quantities.
Then, it transforms the references of the store’s products to the references that the store has to then create an XML structure and make a SOAP call (WebServices) provided by Distribudiet. Finally, if you are a new customer, create a contact on the customer service phone to be able to send WhatsApp.

At the end of the process, the following automation is activated thanks to an HTTP query to a webhoook created in Make and finally, a new contact is created in the Google contact list, thus allowing the centralization of all customer data.

Case 6: Confirmation of purchase via WhatsApp
Sending a WhatsApp message with relevant information about purchases, such as order status, shipping, and any relevant updates, provides clear visibility and helps customers stay on top of their purchase details.

In this case, the automation seeks to complement the information that WooCommerce sends by email at the time of purchase.

Taking advantage of the use of WhatsApp, the thank-you message for the purchase is automated, information is provided on the delivery date, and the logistics operator and explanatory videos are included.

The automation is triggered by a webhook that is called from the previous automation and contains the purchase order number. With this information, the details of the products and the buyer are obtained.

A differentiated message is then sent via WhatsApp, depending on whether the customer is new or returning, along with a second message containing links to YouTube videos explaining how to prepare the products.

Case 7: Update QAPLA on the monitoring and communication system with clients.
To communicate the status of the order to the customer, the SaaS system (Qapla) is used to send SMS, e-mail, and a tracking page.

But the preparation of the order, communication with the logistics operator, and printing of the label is carried out by the external warehouse, Distribudiet.
This automation collects from a Google spreadsheet the order numbers that the external warehouse has prepared and consults through its WebServices the tracking number assigned by SEUR cold in the Distribudiet system.

The tracking number and other order data extracted from WooCommerce are entered into the QAPLA system for tracking and communicating the order to the customer.

Thanks to the integration, we have automated the entire process, so the client is informed at all times of the order status, eliminating the need to manually enter the data.

These are some automations implemented by the “El asador en tu casa” team to make your eCommerce more profitable!

Each of these automated actions contributes to reducing logistics costs, improving customer acquisition, and retaining current ones.

The standardization and automation of processes become key allies to achieve an efficient and profitable operation in the world of electronic commerce.

If you own an online store, I invite you to consider automating your daily tasks and explore the options that Make offers to do so.

:robot: Lee este artículo en español :es: en LinkedIn:
Automatizando procesos de un Ecommerce de comida

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