Online store business has completely different characteristics than traditional businesses. Some of the recipes you have used in your store may not work on your website.
Virtual assistants are a great way to enhance your experience. Your help increases purchases (especially amongst the younger generation).
Online stores: Disadvantages
It is not easy to create a profitable online store. Online marketing is a vast subject. It means that there are a lot of factors that must be considered and a lot of things to which you need to pay attention. Even if you’ve been running your offline business for years.
You should consider concepts such as SEO (search engine optimization), SEM (search engine marketing), SMO, and others.
- Dependence on third parties: The success of your shop will be often linked to the quality and reliability of your host. Choose a quality provider
- Online advertising is a good investment. You can have the most amazing product, but without advertising, you will be selling water in the middle of a desert.
- E-commerce is highly competitive.
- The competition is only a few clicks away. People are used to shopping (and surfing) online. Design, usability, and accessibility are key to creating an impression of professionalism.
- External payment method – unless you can sell cash on arrival, all payment methods depend on an outside manager.
- People browse and compare many websites before making a decision. The best option is to be there at the right time, so they will choose you and not your neighbor.
- Shipping times. Shipping times are a major disadvantage for customers.
Online stores: Advantages
The disadvantages are well known, but we want to leave you with a positive impression.
- Low financial cost. Digital commerce is less expensive than physical stores.
- Online stores are open 24 hours per day, 365 of a year. You can sell at any time.
- You can sell non-physical items. You can even sell digital products (music, books, apps, etc.).
- Advertising can be segmented much better and its results are completely measurable.
- Your market is the entire world. Your online store has no boundaries. Your website can be optimized to sell anywhere in the world.
- You can adapt your product to the latent demand you identify.
- A system for an online store can record the purchasing and selling activities of a company. It’s easy to get feedback and keep statistics.
- Reduced logistics costs and adapted stock to demand.
- Generating loyalty actions: If you support your store correctly with valuable content on your social network profiles, you can create a community of ambassadors who will promote your brand online and act as prescribers.
- Eagle chances: this is perhaps the biggest advantage. You can compete on an equal basis with a multi-national if you follow the right steps. You will be on equal terms with your competitors if you can make the screen of the device where clients interact with your business the same as that of a multinational.
Your opinions on the pros and cons of online shopping and selling are welcome. Also, you can contact us if you want to know how can you maximize the performance of your online store.
