Digital sales: the channel is not the problem, the model is

The opportunity is there

The Colombian E-commerce Chamber reported online sales of COP 105.4 trillion in 2024, growth of 26.7% and more than 511 million transactions (Forbes Colombia). Globally, McKinsey has documented that most consumers expect personalized interactions, but that few feel companies deliver them well (McKinsey).

The digital market is growing and consumers are demanding more. For the mid-sized company, the risk is not being left out of the channel, but entering it without a model that makes it profitable.

Presence is not sales

In our work with consumer companies and independent professionals, we observe a recurring pattern. The company opens an online store, creates social media profiles and starts investing in advertising. Activity indicators grow: followers, visits, interactions. Sales don’t.

The cause usually lies upstream of the channel. The value proposition isn’t designed for the digital buyer, who compares in seconds. The funnel isn’t defined: nobody knows where prospects are being lost. Operations (inventory, shipping, service) aren’t ready for online sales. And the team doesn’t have clear roles for managing it.

The six pillars of a digital sales model

To assess our clients’ digital sales we use a six-pillar framework. The first is technology, AI and automation: the architecture of digital properties and its ability to scale. The second is data, analytics and trends: sales forecasting, value proposition by product and data-driven pipeline management. The third is customer behavior and experience: retention and acquisition indicators. The fourth is people and organization: the team’s structure and capabilities. The fifth is processes and resources: the process by channel (onsite, offsite, direct) and the automation of creative production. The sixth is value impact: measurable levers organized in a plan of initiatives.

In the diagnosis of a consumer e-commerce company, the weakest pillars were data and people. There was no data-driven decision mechanism, which produced unpredictable decisions and risks; and the team worked without leadership or coordination. The technology pillars mattered, but they were not the main brake.

The digital pipeline is managed too

A lesson we carry over from traditional B2B selling is that the digital pipeline is managed with the same discipline. Each stage of the funnel has a conversion rate, an owner and a target. Deviations are analyzed at a fixed frequency. Experiments (a new message, a new offer, a new channel) are designed with hypotheses and evaluated with data.

This requires basic tools: a system that records each prospect and their journey, a dashboard that shows the funnel and a review routine. For most mid-sized companies, existing tools are sufficient; what is missing is disciplined use.

Creators and independent professionals

One segment we are exploring is that of independent professionals and creators with recognized talent, such as photographers, educators or professionals with a personal brand. Their problem is different from the mid-sized company’s: they have valuable work, but no business model or sales channel of their own. They sell informally, through referrals, and compare the price of advice with that of a freelancer.

For them, the answer we are validating is a short, fixed-price package that combines a business model, a brand and a sales channel of their own. An early lesson is that curation matters more than volume: a small, well-selected portfolio sells better than a huge, disorganized archive. It is a bet we are still validating, and we say so with that caution.

Operations: the promise that is kept or not

Digital sales end in operations. An order that arrives late, a product that doesn’t match or slow customer service destroy the trust that marketing built. That is why, in our diagnoses, the processes pillar includes not just the commercial process, but the operational ability to keep the promise: available inventory, reliable shipping and after-sales service.

The digital sales team

Digital sales need a team with defined roles, even if it is small. At a minimum, someone accountable for the channel’s commercial result, someone who manages traffic acquisition and advertising spend, someone who manages content and creative, and someone who looks at the data. In the mid-sized company, several roles can fall to the same person, but they must be explicit.

In the diagnosis of the consumer e-commerce company, one of the findings was the absence of clear leadership of the channel and the disconnect between roles. Each person worked on their own piece without a view of the full funnel. The recommendation was to strengthen the functional structure and the capabilities required to execute the digital strategy, starting with someone accountable for the result.

Automate the repetitive

Once the model is defined, automation frees up the team’s capacity. The natural candidates are producing content variations for different channels, performance reports, answering customers’ frequently asked questions and following up on abandoned carts. The tools to do this are available and affordable; what is needed is a defined process to automate. Automating a disorganized process only produces disorder faster.