eCommerce: What You Gain From Taking Your Business Online
It’s no secret that the Internet has changed the way we do just about everything. Whether it’s research, communication or shopping, few of the affected areas even resemble their former selves, so why should your business be any different? The answer, of course, is that it isn’t. More people than ever are buying things online, but visibility isn’t the only reason to make the transition to e-Commerce. Here are the top benefits you’ll bring to your company and your brand by going digital.
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Widen Your Reach
In the time it takes you to make and publish a website, you can take your company from a hole in the wall to an international enterprise. For the most part anyone, anywhere in the world, can access your website and buy products from your company. Suddenly, serving a stranger in the middle of Tibet becomes as simple as if they wandered into your brick and mortar store. There are no more regional or geographic boundaries.
Boost Your Bottom Line
An IPSOS survey commissioned by PayPal revealed that 64% of small businesses report an increase in sales resulting from Internet operations, and 73% said they saved money by decreasing administrative costs. Whether you’re pulling in more revenue or reducing costs, your numbers are improving. If you can do both, you’ll be adding a significant boost to your bottom line. Even though building and maintaining a website carries a certain cost, the balance is certainly still in your favor. Don’t view it as an extra expense, look at it as spending money to make money.
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Level the Field
In the days of olde, small business couldn’t compete with corporations without expanding to new locations. Going online doesn’t just let you cast a wider net, it also allows you to run with the big boys without the need for physical real estate. Amazon is certainly a dominant force in the ecommerce world, but consumers are always looking for deals and alternatives. You can offer them a choice. Nasty Gal, a fashion line for young women, used social media to grow over 11,000% in three years If you’re boutique feeling, then let your online presence reflect that. If you offer a more personal touch, then sell that. It’s all about setting yourself apart in a world where appearances, not physical locations, are everything.
Easy Money
The online marketplace simplifies the entire transaction process. It’s all handled automatically through whatever system you’ve installed on your site. There is no cashier required. This can free you up to focus on other more important aspects of your business such as organizing inventory or solving any of the daily problems that a business owner must face. There are even hybrid options available through Shopify that connect your online inventory and transaction to an in-store hardware/software setup, giving you the ease of online purchasing inside the store.
Stay Open Longer
24 hours a day, in fact. The Internet is always on and so is your website. Time zones and operating hours are quickly becoming a thing of the past. People can place order through your online store in the middle of the night and it will be waiting for you when you start your day in the morning. Since many a purchase has been stalled by the inability for the customer to make a purchase, you’re also avoiding the loss of a sale to a competitor who was still open.
Project Professionalism
Rise above the mom and pop brand and show yourself as somehow who keeps up with tech trends, improving your reliability and reputation among potential customers. You can also shape your image regardless of your product. Just look at Dyson, the people who make vacuums. They portray heir household cleaning products with a luxury that is on par with high end car websites or other luxury items. You can shape the way people see you in a way that you would not be able to with a small, single store next to the railroad tracks.
eCommerce not only broadens your reach, but it saves you money while making more sales with less cost and effort. It puts you squarely in charge of your public image while taking your entire business to the places where customers are already shopping. It’s a no brainer.
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