5 REASONS TO HAVE AN ECOMMERCE WEBSITE

Like it or not, shopping habits are continuing to shift away from the high street and into the digital world. The convenience of purchasing from the comfort of your home, at any time of day, is driving both businesses and consumers to drastically alter the way goods are bought and sold. With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, this inevitable change will have undoubtedly accelerated, with some people currently buying online to avoid mingling in crowded places, or out of necessity in situations where shops must temporarily close.

This doesn’t have to mean that physical stores are finished for good. Some people will still wish to see and touch actual goods before they decide to make a purchase, and the ritual of going shopping will likely remain a leisure and social activity to be enjoyed once things begin to slowly get back to normal. However, the trend away from bricks and mortar shops and toward ecommerce cannot be ignored, and having the two options running side by side is a compromise that most businesses will have to make going forward.

For many businesses the decision to go digital is no longer a luxury, or even and option. If you’re still undecided about whether to launch an ecommerce store, here’s 5 reasons why you should give it serious consideration.

1. CONSUMER CONVENIENCE

Modern lifestyles mean that the time consumers have available to visit physical shops is often very limited, and they need flexibility. Making your products available all day, every day, is a great way to give busy people the opportunity to purchase at their convenience. This means you are likely to make sales that you otherwise would not have made.

2. GLOBAL REACH

A physical business will often be limited by its geographical location; its customers are likely to consist of people who live within a certain radius, as well as those who happen to pass by. An online shop has the potential to reach out to many more people. This is a big opportunity to make more sales and to potentially expand your business.

3. GIVE AN EDGE OVER COMPETITORS

A website is a fantastic marketing tool. SEO can help people find your business online and create more opportunity to make sales to people who otherwise might have brought your products elsewhere, possibly from your competitors. Having an ecommerce website will give you an advantage over competitors who do not have one, or at least bring you onto a more level playing field with those who do.

4. HELP BUSINESS GROWTH

If you want your business to grow you will need to increase your sales, and tweak the way you do business to meet increased customer demand. An ecommerce site makes it possible for you to scale your business to meet changes in demand; you can add more products, offer different ways to pay for them, and ship products to new places. All this can be done without physically moving your centre of operations, or building new ones, and incurring all the costs that go along with such changes.

5. INCREASE YOUR BRAND AWARENESS

An ecommerce site is a perfect way to take the leap from a bricks and mortar business to an online customer service. Your products can be offered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and you could increase your product range without having to physically expand your business, and incur all the investment cost and risks associated with such a move.

Ecommerce opens up a new world of business opportunities. Even if you do not wish to offer the option of buying products from your website, simply displaying them online for potential customers to search for and find is an advantage. If you’re looking to get your business online, speak to Spire Designs and we can offer free, no obligation advice.