E-Commerce websites have seen a huge surge in popularity as it provides a way for people to buy and sell products and services online. With computers and devices being integrated into daily lives, there is huge potential for online stores to grow and attract new customers. E-commerce is a very attractive option for new and existing businesses as it provides another source of revenue that can be very cost-effective in the long term.
The demand for online purchases have greatly increased which means that businesses can take advantage of this. Businesses can benefit from developing an online store in numerous ways. Here are some of the main benefits of e-commerce development:
Convenience & Availability
E-Commerce is a very popular way for customers to shop around. The convenience, simplicity, and accessibility of E-Commerce websites allow users to use and transact through online stores.
Here are a few main ways an online store is convenient:
Available 24/7 – One of the main benefits that merchants can take advantage of is the 24/7 store timings. Customers are able to access your website at any time of the day which gives them more flexibility for when they decide to buy products on your website. This increases the number of orders that you can receive when compared to a traditional storefront. From a customer’s perspective, having an e-commerce store can be more convenient.
Easily Accessible – As e-commerce takes place online, your customers do not need to travel to a storefront to access your products or services. With the widespread adoption of mobile devices and tablets, customers are turning more towards mobile e-commerce for shopping as it can be very convenient. Not only will a website be available 24/7, but your customers can also access your website from anywhere and any device.
Accessibility to Information – E-Commerce websites offer merchants to provide more information about the product or services, whereas this may not be possible in a physical store. Depending on your type of products/service, it may be an in-efficient use of time, if you were to train your employees to respond to customers that are looking for more information about all of your different products.
Cost-Effective Option
Having an e-commerce website allows you to reduce your costs and effectively save money in the long term. E-Commerce websites give you the advantage to remain competitive whilst saving costs.
Here are a few cost benefits of E-Commerce:
Reduced Supplier Fee – With an e-commerce store, the suppliers are able to reduce the cost of managing the inventory as the inventory management can be automated using a web-based system. This may also save operational costs.
No Geographic Restrictions – For start-up businesses, an e-commerce website means that you won’t have to invest in getting a physical location for the business and this also means that you are not geographically restricted. If you have an e-commerce site, you can target different towns and countries, without needing to open new stores in different locations.
Less Employees Needed – Depending on your type of e-commerce website, you may find that having an online store can reduce your operational costs. As the checkout process and inventory management can be automated, this means that less employees are required to run the business.
Attract & Retain Customers
When you have an e-commerce website, you are able to tap into the various online marketing channels to increase your outreach and awareness. Search engines are essential to online activity and with an online store, you can optimise your website to attract more monthly traffic that can be converted into a flow of sales.
Here are a few ways E-Commerce websites can attract and retain customers:
New Channels for Marketing – With physical storefronts, your customers are driven by your branding, reputation, and your relationships with the customers. Whereas, with an e-commerce website, you can drive traffic to your website through various channels. These channels may be organic search traffic, referral search traffic, or even social media. You can gauge your marketing efforts with analytics tracking, such as Google, Facebook and Bing.
Email Communication – When a customer visits your storefront, it’s unlikely that you will be able to ask them for their contact details, such as their email address. With an online store, you will need their email address to send order confirmations. If you also provide an opt-in box for email marketing, you can even maintain regular communication with your customers to showcase your latest products and offers.
Product/Service Reviews – Having a way for customers to leave a review about your product or service can be a fantastic way of attracting new customers and retaining customers. If a customer is happy with your product, they are likely to return to your online store and they may even leave a positive review which then entices new customers. It’s very easy to take advantage of customer reviews to build your brand reputation and credibility.
Contact Develo Design for E-Commerce Development
If your business needs an e-commerce website and you would like to speak to certified e-commerce developers, then please feel free to get in touch with us. Our e-commerce developers take the time to understand your business and your needs in order to deliver a truly bespoke e-commerce website.
Call us on 0121 663 0817 or email us at info@develodesign.co.uk.
