You may have heard the term ‘Operating Partner’ and seen various examples of the work they do, but it might seem like one operating partner is doing one thing whilst another is doing something entirely different.
The truth is, a great operating partner in an ecommerce brand should actually do it all, they should play a strategic, hands-on role in driving growth and operational excellence across the full business.
In this article, we breakdown exactly what you can expect from an ecommerce operating partner, and in particular, an operating partner that will drive real-time, commercial success.
Breaking down an Operating Partner’s responsibilities:
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Strategic Planning and Execution
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Identifies new growth opportunities.
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Prioritises initiatives based on ROI, scalability and long-term business goals.
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Works collaboratively with business leaders and management team to refine long-term strategy.
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Operational Improvement
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Optimises logistics, supply chain, customer service and warehouse operations.
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Provides best-in-class practice in inventory management, fulfilment and delivery.
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Implements operational KPI’s and dashboards for real-time performance tracking.
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Commercial & Marketing Oversight
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Supports marketing channel optimisation and day-to-day running, as well brand positioning and activation efforts.
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Advises on acquisition costs, conversion optimisation and retention strategies.
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Works with channel leads e.g. Amazon, DTC, retail to enhance performance.
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Team Building & Coaching
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Helps to evolve the company’s leadership team through mentorship and hires.
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Provides guidance to department leaders and interim talent resource if required.
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Data Insight, Digital Transformation and Tech Stack
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Assesses and upgrades technology infrastructure from ecommerce platforms to ERPs.
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Improves data analytics capabilities and reporting.
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Drives automation and AI integration.
What value would an operating partner add to your ecommerce business?
Put simply, an operating partner is there to work hand in hand with you to accelerate scale and help your business reach its potential.
A great operating partner should integrate seamlessly with your business, working with key decision makers and developing internal teams. All with the aim of scaling your business profitably, especially in fast paced environments.
They should help to translate investor expectation into reality, with actionable strategy and business plans, using their expert knowledge to bring any gaps and meet your goals.
Don’t be led to believe that an operating partner is all strategy and no actual work, you should expect your partner to be putting those plans into practice too. At eComplete, we’re all about implementing actionable change, integrating seamlessly with your team and delivering results, you can be guaranteed with eComplete you won’t just be provided with expertise, strategy and insight, you’ll be provided with the people that can make it happen too.
What makes a specialist ecommerce operating partner different to other operating partners?
We’re a group of specialists and exec’s who have real experience in scaling 7, 8 and 9 figure ecommerce brands, with teams who can put in place strategies and execute them too.
As an eCommerce operating partner, we look at ecommerce specific metrics and areas, such as:
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Improving conversion rates, LTV and CAC.
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Identifying opportunities for international expansion and streamlining roll outs via DTC or marketplace.
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Enhancing customer experience with better UX, fulfilment and customer support.
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Helping your business navigate economic change, such as ad cost or supply chain disruption.
Ultimately, a truly great operating partner that is the right fit for your business will provide you with the tools needed to scale quickly, sustainably and profitably. Providing insight, strategy and people to deliver commercial excellence.
Looking for an operating partner to help you on the next stage of your business journey?
eComplete work with ecommerce businesses every day to help deliver profitable growth.
Get in touch to find out how eComplete can work with you.
