Time and again, statistics continue to show the tremendously rapid pace of ecommerce growth. According to the Pew Research Center, 72% of Americans now purchase products online, and that percentage grows with each day. Not surprisingly, 78% of all internet users say that online shopping is more convenient than traditional shopping. The reasons are clear: the customer can shop from the comfort of their own home, at any time they like. They can compare and contrast two stores simultaneously, bookmark what they like for later and have their purchases delivered directly to them. Definitely beats a day on the town spent shopping (especially with today’s gas prices!)
It’s Fairly Simple
Setting up an eCommerce site is simpler than ever. All the necessary tools (along with many bonus features) have already been developed and fine-tuned for the easiest, most user-friendly experience. For example, Shopify let’s you set up an entire online store from scratch in just minutes. A plethora of others, like MainDashboard and BigCommerce do the same. With so many options available, it’s guaranteed that there’s an ideal choice for your particular business.
You’ll Save Money!
The aforementioned tools cost pennies, and some are even free. Online commerce means you don’t need a physical location (with rent, taxes, maintenance and the rest), or many employees. If you already own a traditional commercial business, you can scale it back as you grow in the online sector, greatly multiplying the return on your investments. In fact, this has been the natural trend in the last decade.
And You’ll Also Save Time
Today, all of the tools and resources you need to run your online business can be accessed from one convenient dashboard – a content management system. You can update products and prices in seconds, all at the click of a button.
With an online store, tracking inventory is a breeze, as is analyzing your business growth and marketing success. Shipping is almost entirely automated, with tools provided by shipping companies to automatically calculate costs. You need only to print the labels.
All of this adds up to huge savings in time and effort.
Your Customers Will Thank You
Online business drastically simplifies customer service. Whether it’s online chat, e-mail and contact forms, or FAQs, tips and automated assistance, eCommerce makes it more convenient for both you and your clients. It’s also easier to promote, especially with today’s phenomenal rise of social media and networking.
In a nutshell: eCommere has become wonderfully easy, convenient, time and cost-effective. Capitalize on this opportunity – start an online business, or take an existing enterprise to a whole new level. As stated by Jeff Bezos, owner and founder of Amazon.com, the largest eCommerce site on the Web: “What’s dangerous is not to evolve.”