Benefits of E-commerce

In the modern era of retail and trade, shopping online has increasingly become the norm. Nowadays, people resort to making purchases online. This is down to a multitude of factors that make it more feasible than a visit to the shops. Having an e-commerce platform built for your business ensures that your product or service is accessible – at all times of the day, for anyone with a device. Therefore, not excluding any group of people from your target audience. So, what are the benefits of having an e-commerce website?

Looking to expand your business into the online world? This article answers any questions that you may have about e-commerce. What is it? Why do you need it? What will it bring to your business? Keep reading to find out more.

The benefits of e-commerce

The term ‘e-commerce’ describes the activity of trading goods online. It can pretty much be boiled down to buying and selling things on the internet. There are many different ways it can be done, all of which have their appropriate use cases.

Main benefits of e-commerce include:

• Location stops mattering as much – if you can ship your product, you can reach your customers anywhere in the world.
• SEO allows you to gain new customers – once you have an online store, you can optimise it for SEO and reach a wider audience.
• Decrease operating costs – digital marketing advertising can be very effective, tactics such as Google PPC are perfect for e-commerce. Also, as an online seller you will require fewer employees, due to automation, and most of the time there will be no need for a physical location.
• Creating a more pleasant buyer’s journey – by having an e-commerce site you remove the need of traveling to a shop, locating the product within the store, and making it overall cheaper for buyers.
• More available options for digital marketing – there are numerous ways of increasing your revenue. Such as email marketing, remarketing, referral marketing, etc.
• Gain more data – having a digital business allows you to collect a whole load of data about your customers. Which can allow you to make more informed decisions around your business.
• 24/7/365 operating time – there’s no need to close down at 5 pm. You can operate online all the time, allowing your customers to make purchases whenever they want.

The most common method of implementing e-commerce is to have an online storefront. Either as its own website or integrated into an existing site. Most companies who trade online have a web page or website which contains all of the products and services that are available to purchase. Along with the means to buy them – using their credit/debit card or other payment services (e.g. PayPal). 

There are other forms of e-commerce, including subscription services and the sale of digital goods. Finding what is suitable for your business depends on what you are selling. If you are looking for an e-commerce website to be developed for your business, feel free to give us a call or drop us an email and we’ll discuss your options!

Is it right for you?

Let’s say you run a shop that sells clothes. And you have a shop window to decorate with your best products, to entice customers to come inside. Imagine that everyone on the internet can see this shop window without having to leave their house. On top of that, they can also see all of your stock and make purchases without stepping a foot in your shop. This is essentially what an e-commerce site provides for you and your customers.

If your business is one which makes things per order, having an e-commerce website in place means less paperwork, less human interaction, and a smoother workflow. With a system tailored to produce products per user request, your business will know what needs to be produced automatically. As all orders are made online – they’ll be visible immediately, for you to start working on.

Many people now rely on online shopping to purchase goods, both essential and non-essential. Most businesses trading goods would benefit from having an online storefront, as it would open up their goods to a wider audience. Having an online storefront is something to consider if you wish to reach a bigger geographical area.

Things to consider

The main drawback is that setting up an e-commerce system on your website requires technical knowledge. And there are potential costs that need to be factored into implementing such a system. However, the long-term benefits of using it, far outweigh these costs.

Implementing an e-commerce system also means there’re many security measures that must be taken into account. To ensure that your customers’ details are safe. A risk of hackers exploiting your system and getting access to customer payment data means it’s very important that a professional with e-commerce expertise sets the system up. Especially one with expertise in cyber-security.

If you need a robust, attractive storefront for your website which gives you everything you need to manage it. You’re best leaving it to professionals with experience in this area.

Conclusion

Despite there being many considerations to make when implementing an e-commerce system, the long-term benefits are clear and beneficial for any shops or businesses that trade goods. Benefits are also present for customers who can’t leave their homes or are of limited mobility, as your products are easily accessible to them. 

Having an e-commerce website for your business means that a larger target audience can access your products. Also, it ensures that those who would not normally be able to purchase products from you – now can. To discuss options regarding getting your business online, feel free to contact us. We will be in touch to discuss your needs!