Introduction
In this era, where digital shopping carts have replaced physical trolleys and swipes have substituted aisle strolls, staying ahead is a challenge every e-commerce business faces.
E-commerce businesses dominate shopping, with different platforms solving customers’ problems and filling a unique market need. Business-to-business models like Shopify and Alibaba can set up online stores and sell their products. Amazon operates in a marketplace model, allowing other sellers to list and sell their products. eBay is an e-commerce leader, connecting buyers and sellers in over 190 markets worldwide.
Regardless of the e-commerce platform or model utilized, goal-setting and tracking are vital to unlocking your business’s potential. OKRs can efficiently help you set ambitious goals and measure the outcomes with actionable metrics. Tracking organizational elements such as
marketing, product, vendor management, seller management, delivery, customer
on-time delivery, and more can help you understand and analyze how to improve your business.
Let’s dive into actionable OKR examples to help your e-commerce business thrive.
1. Customer Service
For an e-commerce business to succeed, customer service must remain high-level, which can be challenging when all interactions are not face-to-face. This OKR example will help you bridge the gap between customers and your business to provide excellent customer support service.
Objective : Provide an amazing customer support service
KR 1: Decrease lead time to resolve customer queries from 2 hours to 30 mins
KR 2: Decrease refund processing time from 48 hours to 24 hours
KR 3: Implement a new complaint management portal
KR 4: Increase CSAT score from 4.0 to 4.5
KR 5: Reduce no. of billing issues from 5% to 2%
Objective
Provide an amazing customer support service
Target Date: Q2-2023
Visibility: All Employees
Key Results
Decrease lead time to resolve customer queries from 2 hours to 30 mins
Decrease refund processing time from 48 hours to 24 hours
Implement a new complaint management portal
Increase CSAT score from 4.0 to 4.5
Reduce no. of billing issues from 5% to 2%
2. Customer Satisfaction
Building a customer base requires boosting customer satisfaction, which this OKR example assists e-commerce businesses. Happy customers correlate to high profits, so implementing an OKR focusing on customer satisfaction will benefit your business.
Objective : Delight our customers
KR 1: Increase CSAT score from 4.0 to 4.5
KR 2: Increase NPS score from 8.5 to 9.0
KR 3: Increase OTIF rate from 95% to 98%
KR 4: Reduce product return and refund time from 48 hrs to 12 hrs
Objective
Delight our customers
Target Date: Q2-2023
Visibility: All Employees
Key Results
Increase CSAT score from 4.0 to 4.5
Increase NPS score from 8.5 to 9.0
Increase OTIF rate from 95% to 98%
Reduce product return and refund time from 48 hrs to 12 hrs
3. Marketing (Customer-related marketing/seller-related marketing)
Every day, the e-commerce landscape grows denser with new entrants. Thus, carving a distinct niche for your business becomes crucial. By deploying well-crafted OKRs centered around marketing, you can propel your brand visibility and effectively amplify your market share.
Objective : Grow our market share through marketing services
KR 1: Increase our market share from 10% to 15%
KR 2: Increase no. of buyers from 100K to 150K
KR 3: Increase no. of deals and flash sales on the top 50 most purchased product from 5 to 10
KR 4: Increase customer retention rate from 75% to 90%
KR 5: Increase NPS score from 8.5 to 9.0
Objective
Grow our market share through marketing services
Target Date: Q2-2023
Visibility: All Employees
Key Results
Increase our market share from 10% to 15%
Increase no. of buyers from 100K to 150K
Increase no. of deals and flash sales on the top 50 most purchased product from 5 to 10
Increase customer retention rate from 75% to 90%
Increase NPS score from 8.5 to 9.0
4. Order Management
Navigating the intricacies of digital order management calls for accurate tracking. Improve your order management process by integrating cutting-edge OKRs, transforming operational efficiency, and cultivating unparalleled customer delight.
Objective : Delight customers through amazing order management
KR 1: Increase on-time, in full (OTIF) rate from 95% to 98%
KR 2: Decrease shipping time from 2 days to 1 day
KR 3: Increase order accuracy rate from 90% to 98%
KR 4: Increase perfect order rate from 95% to 99%
Objective
Delight customers through amazing order management
Target Date: Q2-2023
Visibility: All Employees
Key Results
Increase on-time, in full (OTIF) rate from 95% to 98%
Decrease shipping time from 2 days to 1 day
Increase order accuracy rate from 90% to 98%
Increase perfect order rate from 95% to 99%
5. Sales
Boosting sales is a guaranteed way to grow your business. E-commerce businesses need to maintain high sales to remain competitive, and implementing an OKR focusing on sales growth is an excellent strategy to remain agile in the marketplace.
Objective : Grow our sales
KR 1: Increase revenue through sales from $500K to $550K
KR 2: Decrease cart abandonment rate from 40% to 30%
KR 3: Increase repeat purchase rate from 40% to 50%
KR 4: Improve average order value from $200 to $500
Objective
Grow our sales
Target Date: Q2-2023
Visibility: All Employees
Key Results
Increase revenue through sales from $500K to $550K
Decrease cart abandonment rate from 40% to 30%
Increase repeat purchase rate from 40% to 50%
Improve average order value from $200 to $500
6. Revenue
Without revenue, a business can sustain itself, and grow. Implementing an OKR to focus on increasing revenue will allow your e-commerce business to thrive and succeed.
Objective : Increase our profitability
KR 1: Increase net profit margin from 30% to 40%
KR 2: Decrease customer acquisition cost/customer from $20 to $10
KR 3: Decrease operational cost by 10%
KR 4: Decrease cost of goods by 10%
Objective
Increase our profitability
Target Date: Q2-2023
Visibility: All Employees
Key Results
Increase net profit margin from 30% to 40%
Decrease customer acquisition cost/customer from $20 to $10
Decrease operational cost by 10%
Decrease cost of goods by 10%
7. Supplier Management
By effectively managing suppliers, organizations can enhance their operational efficiency, reduce risks, and gain a competitive edge in the market. An OKR dedicated to establishing successful supplier management gives your e-commerce business an advantage.
Objective : Establish a successful supplier management
KR 1: Decrease supplies defect rate from 40PPM To 20 PPM (parts per million)
KR 2: Achieve 95% contract compliance rate within the fiscal year
KR 3: Mitigate high-risk suppliers by 50% within the next quarter
KR 4: Decrease average lead time for order fulfillment from 20 days to 15 days
Objective
Establish a successful supplier management
Target Date: Q2-2023
Visibility: All Employees
Key Results
Decrease supplies defect rate from 40PPM To 20 PPM (parts per million)
Achieve 95% contract compliance rate within the fiscal year
Mitigate high-risk suppliers by 50% within the next quarter
Decrease average lead time for order fulfillment from 20 days to 15 days
8. HR
By increasing your employees’ skill sets, you are boosting the quality of your e-commerce business. Implementing an OKR to upskill the talent level will increase talent competencies and encourage continuous learning.
Objective : Upskill people’s competencies
KR 1: Increase talent competency score from 80 to 95
KR 2: Improve employees skills by providing shadow learning with 3 top ranking experienced managers
KR 3: Ensure 50 employees to get certified on “How to get a business online” course
KR 4: Launch at least 2 e-commerce CBT programs
Objective
Upskill people’s competencies
Target Date: Q2-2023
Visibility:
All Employees
Key Results
Increase talent competency score from 80 to 95
Improve employees skills by providing shadow learning with 3 top ranking experienced managers
Ensure 50 employees to get certified on “How to get a business online” course
Launch at least 2 e-commerce CBT programs
9. User Experience
Perhaps the most significant asset that sets an e-commerce company apart is having an incredible user experience. If customers have a positive experience, they will likely return, so implementing practices to encourage this is important.
Objective : Provide an exceptional user experience
KR 1: Increase user experience score from 90% to 95%
KR 2: Reduce user error rate from 20% to 5%
KR 3: Increase task success rate from 70% to 90%
KR 4: Increase CSAT score 4.0 to 4.5
Objective
Provide an exceptional user experience
Target Date: Q2-2023
Visibility:
All Employees
Key Results
Increase user experience score from 90% to 95%
Reduce user error rate from 20% to 5%
Increase task success rate from 70% to 90%
Increase CSAT score 4.0 to 4.5
10. Digital Marketing
As the world becomes increasingly interconnected through the internet, digital marketing becomes vital for e-commerce success. Focusing on strategies to build and strengthen your brand awareness is essential.
Objective : Improve our brand awareness
KR 1: Improve website traffic from 200K to 250K visitors
KR 2: Increase click through rate (CTR) for brand promotions from 50% to 60%
KR 3: Increase no. of social media followers from 2M to 2.2M
KR 4: Increase share of voice from 20% to 30%
Objective
Improve our brand awareness
Target Date: Q2-2023
Visibility: All Employees
Key Results
Improve website traffic from 200K to 250K visitors
Increase click through rate (CTR) for brand promotions from 50% to 60%
Increase no. of social media followers from 2M to 2.2M
Increase share of voice from 20% to 30%
Conclusion
In the fast-paced digital market, setting clear objectives is not just a strategy; it’s a necessity. Objectives and Key Results provide the lens to focus on tangible outcomes, keeping you on track. From enhancing customer experience to optimizing supplier management, OKRs provide the much-needed structure and purpose for your e-commerce business to succeed.
As an e-commerce entrepreneur or a seasoned professional, embracing OKRs means setting your sights on the future and ensuring every team member has the tools to execute your shared vision. It is about creating a culture of agility, accountability, and continuous improvement.
With Profit.co’s intuitive OKR management software, you can engage employees to help them track, monitor and handle issues and inquiries on the expected timeline and manage their important initiatives without losing focus. Build your e-commerce business with OKRs and achieve results.