Digital commerce consultant benefits

Why Hiring a Consultant is Worth Every Dollar

A good consultant can be an invaluable asset to any company. Yet, 80% of companies avoid getting the outside expert advice that they need because of the cost. In this article, we discuss the reasons why you should consider an ecommerce consultant for your project and how they can contribute to significant savings in the long run. 

What makes an ecommerce software consultant worth the investment? Well, similar to many other kinds of consultants, ecomm software consultants offer value in many ways: 

An outsider’s point of view

In many organizations, existing teams have been in place for a long time. They have worked together day in day out and have a certain cohesiveness which is fantastic. But, in a significant number of cases that we have seen, that team longevity can also have some drawbacks. 

Often decision fatigue and tunnel vision are two major hurdles small internal teams face. Being down in the trenches day to day can make it hard to see the big picture and get decisions made about the route a project will take. An independent eye can bring you an unbiased second opinion, help point out any stumbling blocks before you hit them and give you solutions ahead of time.

Extra manpower without permanent hires

Most companies operate with teams that are lean; with 5 or 6 people focusing on the day-to-day running of the business. They are bogged down with their own jobs, and getting them to invest time in a new project can be a hard sell. An ecommerce consultant can bring more firepower to the table for your company through specific technical teams without having to make permanent hires for a single project.

Specialized help

An ecomm software consultant has access to specialists in hyper-specific areas that your in-house teams may not cover. Areas that require experience like technical research, data modelling and programmers versed in building digital architecture. Getting the right technical advice on content management systems, ERP software or offering a personalized experience to your customers may also be areas of concern. An ecommerce software consultant can get you that technical help in a timely and efficient manner.

Unbiased advice

Outsider advice and perspective can contribute to getting your internal stakeholders on board and improving the final outcome of a project. Ecommerce software consultants are not involved in your organization’s politics. They provide knowledge and experience-based input based on your project goals. 

The reality is that your in-house teams want what is best for their goals. They have KPIs to meet, they have resources they need to keep to themselves, and whether you know it or not, there are internal biases that could be working against you and your end goal. A consultant can bring previously dismissed ideas back to the table based on the value of the concept, not its internal popularity. 

Overall cost savings

While the upfront cost of extensive consulting and planning can seem like a big obstacle, the truth is that it can cut development costs and produce time savings in the end. Having a clear plan and detailed analysis of your existing infrastructure sets your organization up for a successful, on-budget, on-time deployment. 

If done well, an ecommerce software consultant will build a plan that anticipates issues, outlines all functionality & integration requirements, and provides a clear direction for the tech team. This will ensure that your project stays on track, makes it easier to scale your future operations and saves you from making mistakes that can result in costly rebuilds. 

Why ecommerce software consultants?

Having a consultant who has worked on and built a wide range of projects that has solved different and nuanced problems can bring a crazy amount of value to your project. 

They have access to a depth of knowledge and expertise in highly technical areas of digital business that other consultants do not have. They can walk you through all the options in technology to pinpoint your exact needs. For instance: think about the number of options available for payment gateways. Now add to that number of options for CRM, inventory management, Logistics, Help desk and Returns, Subscriptions, CMS, and ecommerce platforms. Now, you get all that expertise in one place.

Why should I hire Acro Commerce?

The truth is that a number of the clients Acro Commerce now works with initially turned us down. But, in the end, those same clients came back to us. In the end. The other consultants who got the job ultimately couldn’t deliver on the promised timelines and budget. Haste, insufficient resources and lack of planning resulted in either an incomplete project or a solution that did not solve all the client’s problems (and, in some cases, created new ones). 

In short, are consultants worth it? The good ones definitely are. 

How do you know if an ecommerce consultant is a good one? The only way to know is to ask the right question.

• Ask for examples of clients; find out who they have worked with and the scope of the work
• Get references and reviews; if you can, reach out to the consultant's previous clients
• Read the consultant's case studies

Finally, have a real conversation with potential consultants. Are you comfortable talking with them? Is communication open and easy to navigate? Do you feel that they are really the experts that you need? If something feels off, don’t ever discredit that gut feeling and keep looking for the perfect fit.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on August 18, 2023. The content has been updated for freshness and accuracy.