The Role of IoT in Enhancing Magento E-commerce Platforms

In an economy that is becoming dominated by online storefronts, having a good ally is very important. Magento offers many features that connect to the “Internet of Things” to make running an e-commerce store much easier in many ways. We’ll explore a few of the ways that e-commerce platforms like Magento ensure that your online business runs smoothly.

Inventory Assistance

One of the biggest challenges of running an e-commerce store is knowing what to stock and when. This is especially true if your warehouse has any perishable items or even merchandise that become obsolete or simply out of style quickly, Software platforms like Magento keep an eye on that for you using some simple rules. 

In the opposite direction, you don’t want to run out of popular products that you can sell quickly – and for good money. Magento can help keep those in stock with your permission.

Your software knows when your products are decreasing in value or increasing in popularity and can either decide to move on quickly or wait for your consultation. Either way, you are ahead of the game. Instead of going into the warehouse and making notes on a clipboard about your observations, sensors and data can make things happen.

Updating Software

Software like Magento receives updates all the time. Some of these updates add new enhancements for decision-making and ease of use, while others might be for account security. We do know that the “Internet of Things” makes getting and installing an update much easier than it was in previous years. Instead of holding your computer or tablet’s hand throughout the process of getting your software up to date, you can just let it go and save time. This isn’t quite like Windows update anymore, with the software bugging you over and over again and reducing your productivity – just go!

Warehouse Logistics

Got Magento and a warehouse with people or robots moving about? A warehouse is where the process of logistics starts by saving you minutes or seconds and reducing the amount of movement required to get to popular items. Using the IoT, you can make the best of an indoor positioning system which takes data about the location of your products and helps decide where to move it to increase warehouse productivity.

Remember, when customers want products delivered quickly, every second counts!

Enhancing Personalization

As an e-commerce platform, Magento is good at targeting customers based on their lifestyles and demographics. If they’ve noticed you buying things for a baby, you’ll start seeing products for toddlers and kindergarteners over time. Of course, from an e-commerce manager perspective, the best part of this is that you don’t have to do much about it, though it’s definitely good to know what’s happening so you can take some control and make the most of it.

With that said, the platform has the right connections between secure user data and the customer devices to deliver the right kinds of ads and products at the right time. At a time when companies like Amazon are properly dialled in and offer convenient subscriptions to customers, personalisation is essential.

Website Changes

Do you know how to code? It’s ok if you don’t as not many people do. Magento-based websites that are well-connected can make changes on the fly to enhance the overall customer experience. Using data and analytics gathered from your website and about products around the web, Magento can adjust your shopping cart and the way your products are presented to ensure the best possible experience customers search for things and get closer to the finish line when ordering.

The “Internet of Things” makes this possible by knowing how customers interact with your website across multiple devices from their laptop to a smartphone or large screen. 

Shipping

The “Internet of Things” can help with shipping too – and can go well beyond getting products out of your warehouse quickly. Today’s customers would like to know when their packages are arriving, as timelines can be sensitive, and in some rather annoying scenarios, porch pirates exist! Knowing an arrival time is part of the interconnected e-commerce platform that can let your customers know a window or arrival. 

Many customers love this data as they can have an expectation, within hours, of when an activity for the next day is supposed to arrive. Shipping data is something customers didn’t know they wanted until they realized they can have it!

Conclusion

The “Internet of Things” is an incredibly powerful tool that can make running your ecommerce much easier. While some warehouses rely on manual processes, you can waste less and ship more, for more money, when you take complete advantage of the data available from sensors and knowledge of what’s happening on the Internet.