An Ecommerce agency can help businesses navigate the complex market and channel energy and budget into the right areas.
Once upon a time, we would have started this article by saying that ecommerce is on the rise, and requires not just time but also experience, enthusiasm, and the insight of the customers who you want to attract. But this is no longer true.
Ecommerce isn’t just on the rise – it has now become one of the main focus areas of businesses across a whole variety of different sectors and industries, using online platforms to both market and sell products and services. But with so many platforms claiming to reach so many different audiences, how do you first decide which platforms are right for you, and secondly manage an effective presence across each of them?
It’s here that the need for professional ecommerce experts comes in – whether you outsource them and work with an agency or look to build your own ecommerce team in-house.
To help you decide whether to outsource this work to an agency or hire a new team, here’s a quick guide to both options.
Differences Between Inhouse and Agency
Before we dive into the pros and cons of both hiring a new team and outsourcing your marketing and ecommerce growth to an agency, we first need to understand the differences.
An in-house ecommerce team is a part of your business. They are driven by the success of the brand and are committed solely to your business growth, with access to all teams and complete familiarity with the brand and its messages.
An agency will work with multiple businesses and companies, bringing external expertise to an internal project. Businesses who outsource work to an agency will benefit from access to a pool of professionals with different skills and will see tangible results on the contracted project.
Both options have their benefits – but which is right for you?
An Inhouse Team is Right For You IF…
… you want to keep your online activity, marketing, and growth within your business.
Creating and growing your own ecommerce team will breed a pool of experts who are committed to the business, and who are surrounded by complete brand familiarity. By working solely within the business, everything they do reflects the brand’s tone of voice and messages, with full access to the rest of the company and its goals.
Building an in-house team can also prove more budget-friendly in the long run, as you bring in and upskill/train the team to work in the way you want and can nurture them to stay with the business. On the contrary, paying for an external service means that once the job is complete, the business loses its access to the skills and experience of agency staff.
Finally, an in-house ecommerce team will always be available to work on quick turnarounds and tight timescales, with no obstructions – whereas an agency will be juggling your work with other commitments.
In short, an in-house ecommerce team is the right option for a business which is growing and wants to become completely self-sustainable with its own team to manage all corners of the business.
But what about smaller companies with fewer people but just as many needs and demands?
When to Hire an External Agency
An external agency isn’t just available as soon as you agree to a contract, but they also bring a wealth of skill into your business and ecommerce strategy from day one.
With no need for training and upskilling, the beauty of working with an agency is that you get untapped access to the skills and experience of that agency team as part of your contract. From tapping into successful marketing strategies to identifying roadblocks for businesses of different sizes, a professional agency will become an extension of your business and will represent you with the right tone of voice and messaging, while bringing in the expertise of a team who work with ecommerce platforms all day, every day.
Access to the best software in the industry, and with an unrivalled approach to trends and staying ahead of market changes, means that external agencies don’t get left behind. What’s more, projects are scalable, costs and budgets are agreed in advance, and clients can tap into areas of growth that they didn’t expect to expand into with the help and support of an external professional agency.
Sure, there are things to consider. While not as expensive long term as a new recruit or a new ecommerce team, the expense of an agency needs to be considered – as does the time it will take to integrate them into your business strategy and tone of voice.
However, for most businesses the benefits of an agency outweigh the cons – making this the most time and cost effective method of facilitating tangible, sustainable ecommerce growth and success for the business.
For more information on external agency support, how to embrace the opportunities of ecommerce, and which services fall under the ecommerce banner, get in touch with the Mitchell & Stones team today.
