eCommerce

The biggest giants in the ecommerce industry have changed the way traditional commerce operates.

• According to Shopify, the global ecommerce market is expected to total $4.89 trillion in 2021. Today, that number is expected to reach 19.5% in 2021, a 45.8% increase in ecommerce market share over two years. Growth is expected to continue, reaching 21.8% by 2024, which translates to an 8.2 percentage point increase in just five years.
• eMarketer says that US ecommerce sales are projected to continue to grow by double digits, up 17.9% in 2021 to $933.30 billion. Ecommerce penetration will continue to increase, more than doubling from 2019 to 23.6% in 2025.
• Statista reports that the average ecommerce spending per online shopper per visit is US$3.39 and “Free Delivery” is the leading reason for purchasing a product online.

Here’s why small businesses need a website or online ecommerce store to promote and sell their products:

1. To have customers around the clock
2. To have multiple sales channels
3. There’s little reluctance to buy
4. To create your own unique brand identity
5. Get new customers via search engines
6. Provide more options to customers
7. To promote your offline store
8. Better customer support
9. Customers love offers
10. Increase your conversion rate (CRO)

1. To have customers around the clock

Holidays are the best time to sell your products, but it’s also the worst time to be active in your retail store. Your online business is open day and night, around the clock. There’s no need to avoid important festivals or holidays since the website can be automated to do all sorts of things. Having an ecommerce company helps you run your business 24/7. With just a few clicks, you are accessible to millions of customers worldwide. This is the biggest reason why any business needs a website.

2. To have multiple sales channels

Adding an ecommerce store to your existing presence will help you gain a wider audience. Your website will help create awareness about your business. It becomes easier to share your company details. Further, you can have international customers at your doorstep. The online market is exploding and there’s no end in sight.

3. There’s little reluctance to buy

Today, more than 50% of customers have already purchased online, so it’s not a novelty anymore. They don’t waste their time like they do when they go “shopping.” These days, people shop online because they’re busy and their time is limited, or they want to avoid the hassle of parking and jostling with other people. Start your online store to sell products. This allows your customers to get your latest offer, new product or monthly newsletter as their time and schedule allow.

4. To create your own unique brand identity

Having an ecommerce website will help you differentiate from other retailers. A well managed store will get much more attention than trying to stand out from the crowd of other retailers. You can send promotional offers and discounts to your visitors, which was previously not possible on older ecommerce platforms. A simple ecommerce website can help you build a brand — something most retailers look for.

5. Get new customers via search engines

Business location is the main factor in any business. Your business revenue depends on the location or visibility of your business. Apart from this, if you prefer an e-ecommerce store for your business, then you can forget the limitation of your business location which affects your sales and revenue. With the help of digital marketing, getting a good ranking or awareness of your brand in search engines, your target customers can easily find you online. Every day, your potential customers search for relevant products and an ecommerce website allows your products to sell directly through the web.

6. Provide more options to customers

Most ecommerce websites are unable to display their complete range of products on their ecommerce platform. With your ecommerce site, you can create a beautiful gallery and display whatever products you have. You can divert your traffic from other ecommerce platforms to your website and cut out the middleman. The convenience of having an ecommerce website cannot be compared to anything else. With an online store, you can have endless varieties of unique designs.

7. Promote your offline store

Having an omnichannel presence helps you to get your customers from all possible channels. With some experience, you can gradually divert your online traffic to your offline store. Most people will prefer a place that has more customers. Having customers in your offline store will help you get even better results through word of mouth.

8. Better customer support

Most professionals take their work very seriously. Having a customer-centric approach lies in their very basic service. Most ecommerce businesses provide the option of round the clock support for their customers. Without such a seamless service, it is very difficult for online businesses to survive.

9. Customers love offers

One of the best things about ecommerce is the lucrative deals they can provide. Who doesn’t want exciting deals? Offers also make the entire experience fascinating. You can easily design campaigns that are targeted specifically by customer type or only one region. These things are difficult to do with a brick and mortar retail store.

10. Increase your conversion rate (CRO)

First, what is the conversion rate? In today’s market, your business success is dependent on your conversion rate. It’s the percentage of visitors who become sales prospects or who purchase products from your store.

An ecommerce website helps you to increase your conversion rate. Customers who are confident about your product because of your good service they can immediately buy your product from your online store rather than wait to visit your retail shop. This means that businesses without online websites have a decreased Return on Investment (ROI).