Ana Weaver
E-commerce, otherwise referred to as electronic commerce, is the occupation of buying and selling goods on online platforms or over the Internet. While starting an eCommerce business, you must know that the customers want a wide variety of choices while buying from online stores. You need the right products in the industry.
Even as successful business owners, you opt for products from low-cost regions of the world. This is the part where sourcing agents come in. They act as your representatives in these low-cost regions and look out for products of your interest. Sourcing agents help find trusted suppliers, negotiate the best price, look after the production process, take care of documentation, and make sure the products are shipped to you at the proper time.
JustChinaIt is a flourishing Chinese sourcing agent, which has a skilled team. Here we will be discussing how sourcing agents help improve and boost your eCommerce business.
.
-
Finding reliable suppliers
A sourcing agent reaches out to suppliers to source the products you need for your eCommerce business. This saves you from the extra work you would have to do without a sourcing agent. Good sourcing agents know just the right and best suppliers, hence getting the best products suppliers for your business. With the help of a sourcing agent, both you and the suppliers are benefited. A sourcing agent is also well acquainted with the market, thus saving you cost and time on sourcing.
-
Get you the best price products and save other expenditures
Good sourcing agents already have a list of the best suppliers you can approach. They negotiate the prices of products with suppliers to get you the best price than when you deal with it yourself. The sourcing agent negotiates prices with suppliers, does control and quality assessment, does market research without you going there, custom clearance, and inspects the products before shipping.
This saves the cost you would otherwise spend on travel and accommodation without a sourcing agent.
-
Quality Control Of The Product
Poor quality assurance has the potential to destroy your whole eCommerce business. When your customers feel that your creations are not up to ideal criteria, there is a chance that they will immediately shift to another company, which may provide higher quality products.
Also, since customers are often willing to spend on decent quality products, they fetch reasonable prices in the market. Many eCommerce businesses do not have the aids to hoist a quality check control. Thus, it is known that they hire experienced sourcing agents to do this task for them. Hiring sourcing agents for product quality control saves you money and time.
-
Bridge the communication gap between the buyer and supplier
The buyer and the supplier must understand each other clearly, especially if having cultural and language differences. For this, a sourcing agent helps a great deal. They note down everything and leave no room for misunderstandings or assumptions so that the suppliers know exactly what your needs are and there is no mismatch.
-
Assists in designing and manufacturing, even prototyping for tiny businesses
Your idea can be converted to the final product with the help of a sourcing agent. Tiny companies that don’t have a lot of resources to do this themselves have to search for a responsible sourcing agent to support them. Your product’s niche type does not matter, and sourcing agents can help you find the proper manufacturing firm and supply business.
Employing a reliable sourcing agent can play to your strengths and therefore improve your eCommerce business. They can gather all the data and records of many manufacturers and choose the skilled ones experienced in creating products similar to yours. Sourcing agents get you a markdown with the manufacturing, designing, and supplying companies by keeping in mind various criteria: product quality, security, certification, and trustworthiness.
-
Make your product a masterpiece, thus attracting more customers
The sourcing agent knows how the market works. It is no wonder that they understand everything, which helps them pick the right suppliers as per your requirements. Sourcing agents choose the best supplier to ensure you get final quality products as per your interest.
For example, sourcing agents will assign a manufacturing firm to create and prototype the creation and they will reach out to them from time to time to check the product development and ensure that everything is going in the right direction. In addition to that, in case of any language obstacle between you and your reliable supplier, the sourcing agent can interfere and make the communication smoother.
-
Reduce the risk that you would have to take without one
Good sourcing agents save you the headache and cost of hiring and training new employees in the overseas market. Sourcing agents make regular trips to the factories to monitor production, saving you the expense and time of traveling. They help in reducing the time taken to pinpoint the right supplier. They ensure that you submit the correct design documents to enable the supplier to start production.
They have the proper knowledge about the legalities of importing and exporting, thus ensuring that your licenses, documentation, and other paperwork are appropriately organized. Sourcing agents help with communicating your needs to the manufacturer, ensure that your product reaches you within the desired lead time, and monitor quality control.
They look out for mistakes that can lead to delays. For example, something as simple as printing an incorrect HS code on your products can slow down or delay your consignment at customs hence delaying delivery. A highly experienced sourcing agent ensures that does not happen and reduces risk at every step of your eCommerce business.
Wrapping Up
Noting the facts mentioned above, we can conclude that a sourcing agent is of high importance and value if you plan to start your own eCommerce business. If you already own an eCommerce business, you must have a sourcing agent to improve and boost your business.