We’re considering outsourcing part of our online business model – which are the safest or least risky components?

The question you really need to ask is not, ‘what is the safest component to outsource’ but what is the smartest, says Michael Ross, director at eCommera.

Ecommerce as an industry is becoming increasingly competitive with many new retailers entering the market all the time. Ross says: “To compete, retailers need to focus on activities that allow them to differentiate themselves.”

He says anything else can be considered for outsourcing. To ensure that much-needed differentiation on your website, Ross recommends focusing your own resources on areas such as analytics, marketing, site design and product range.

“This covers what you sell and how your customers engage with you through the online store,” he says.

Other functions that enable ecommerce, such as the technology behind the site, fulfilment and order processing, are all good candidates for outsourcing.

Ross says one of eCommera’s studies found that the majority of online retailers were planning to outsource technology within two years. He says such a strategy is often effective because it would “enable retailers to benefit from external expertise, speed of deployment and, more importantly, to free up internal resources to focus on the core business”.