Ecommerce helps small business owners reach new markets in at least two ways: it expands your reach to include those who could never shop at your physical store location, and it allows people a way to check out your products before coming into your store. There are many ways to market your ecommerce site online, including blogs (your own and other people's), newsletters, social media, Google ads, and more. So the question becomes, what is the importance of utilizing ecommerce in your retail strategy and where do you need to focus your efforts?
Convenience And Quality
It's easier and more convenient to check out a business online than it is to do so in person or even over the phone. People like the anonymity of the web - no one is going to ask them to buy something directly. It's easier to say, "I'm just looking," or "no thanks" on a website than it is in person. Make sure your website looks good and is easy to navigate. To achieve long-term success, specialty retailers have to utilize innovation and creativity when encouraging customers to purchase from their stores over the “big box” retailers. It takes a targeted and successful marketing campaign to convey your brand message and create a loyal customer base. You want people to think of your company first as providing the best quality and service for the product that they seek. It is easy for vendors who sell a wide array of different types of merchandise to attract customers with the allure of convenience. However, it is not easy to specialize when you have too many product lines. Customers do recognize this difference and will often times pay a higher price to visit a specialty store since they have a better chance of finding exactly what they are looking for.
Mobile And Social
Mobile is the biggest growing sector of ecommerce, growing at more than twice the rate of ecommerce as a whole. Social media sites are getting into the ecommerce market, with many adding shopping buttons to their ads and pages. Social media is an effective marketing tool for ecommerce, but may increasingly attempt to cut out the middleman and serve as ecommerce itself. If your business doesn't have a mobile-optimized website, it's worthwhile to spend some money to get one up and running as soon as you can. For those who do have a website, setting up social media accounts with advertising and linking them to your website may help maximize your profits by driving more traffic to your site while promoting sales across platforms. Google Analytics and other programs make it easy to get lots of information about your customers and their buying habits, which helps with marketing and sales projections.
Increased Availability
Not many small stores stay open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week due to labor costs, but your website can take orders just as well at 2 a.m. as it does 2 p.m. 24/7 availability helps you make sales from insomniacs, shift workers, and others whose off-hour shopping options are usually limited to certain grocery stores and Walmart. No longer do your customers have to make time to get ready, possibly get kids ready, and drive to your store to shop. Ecommerce works especially well for parents of little ones, the chronically ill, and those with extremely busy schedules, but even for the average consumer, it's easier to shop online than at a store.
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