Today, it is already difficult to surprise anyone with a story about the emergence of another unicorn — a billion-dollar startup. In the US alone, eCommerce unicorns made up an impressive separate group in 2021, with a share of $114 billion. Unicorns were replaced by “animals with ten horns,” which got the name decacorns — the new name to call startups with a $10 billion or more capitalization. In the context of our article, it is necessary to mention that these incredible beasts graze exclusively in the fields of eCommerce.
The leader of this multi-horned pack is called Xiaohongshu, which is the name of the Chinese social eCommerce platform.
Obviously, a successful startup is based not only on a good idea but also on a carefully thought-out business model that minimizes cost and maximizes profit. That is why it is vital to comprehensively explore QA outsourcing opportunities in the IT industry in general and in the field of eCommerce in particular. A thorough analysis of ways to distribute responsibilities, particularly software development, web application testing, accounting services, etc., allows you to develop management decisions that will let you save thousands or even millions of dollars without the slightest loss in quality.
Outsourcing experts vs full-time employees. What is the benefit?
An unequivocal answer to the question: which model is better, of course, does not exist since it is impossible to say which organizational approaches will be optimal for your company’s eCommerce department or your eCommerce startup.
We can speak with confidence about the positive experience of well-known companies, such as TestFort, by analyzing their management decisions. And you, having weighed all the pros and cons that we will introduce you to in this article, will get the reasons for developing your own model that is best suited for your particular eCommerce startup.
It was no coincidence that we started our article with a mention of transcontinental startups and emphasized that the most rapid rise in successful eCommerce startups for several years in a row has been observed in the Asia-Pacific region (APAC).
On the one hand, this success is due to the increasing solvency of the population and the avalanche growth in the number of mobile devices and operators providing a stable and affordable Internet. On the other hand, highly qualified workers are much cheaper here than in the US or Western Europe.
Anyway, you should carefully consider whether you are ready to ensure all consequences as an employer, including the need to ensure all social guarantees provided for by labor legislation of your country. Or, probably, it makes sense to contact companies that are ready to provide you with outsourcing services. In any case, you should keep in mind that the most prominent APAC eCommerce startups prefer either an outsourcing or a combined model.
However, the geographic location of your eCommerce startup headquarters, as well as which country or continent the majority of your customers live in, is not a major factor in deciding where your employees will be physically located. With the current level of development of communications, remote work has already become the de facto standard.
It is much more critical for you to determine which areas of work you are ready to outsource and what you intend to focus on personally or with a team of trusted employees.
In this case, we strongly recommend that you evaluate the Quality Assurance performed by well-known companies with a compelling portfolio and decide who you are willing to entrust testing and debugging software for your eCommerce startup.
What can be outsourced?
In fact, you can outsource any functions and activities of your eCommerce startup. By hiring qualified experts, you win in speed and get guarantees of quality and deadlines within the framework of a signed contract. On the other hand, if employees’ personal commitment and high confidentiality are essential to you, you should consider creating your own team and all the costs associated with maintaining it.
In any case, the most common things to outsource among successful eCommerce are the following services:
- mobile app testing;
- accounting;
- QA, including UX audit of your eCommerce platform or online store.
Depending on the size of your business, you may find it worthwhile to outsource regional purchasing and sales managers who, through better local knowledge, can enhance the performance of some areas of your trade.
At the same time, the legal aspects of your business and strategic planning and control should definitely be left to or delegated to the most trusted and dedicated employees.
Summing Up
Summarizing the above, it is worth emphasizing once again. Regardless of where you live and the region your eCommerce startup is primarily focused on, you should separate the main areas of your activity and carefully study the offers in the outsourcing services market. A skillful combination of specific financial opportunities and a long-term business strategy will allow you to develop an ideal model for your company.