Top 3 Reasons Your Retail Business Needs a Website

13 Reasons to give your offline retail business a voice through a website.

It is booming to do retail business online. Having reached an all-time high of $100 billion in online sales last year, small retailers are no longer asking why, but simply when to launch an e-commerce site. The majority of small businesses still view e-commerce as an optional addition rather than a necessity for their operations. Among retailers who contacted Software Advice in the last year, only nine percent specifically requested e-commerce functionality.

 Small businesses mistakenly view e-commerce as something that will take time away from their physical store, instead of investing resources and time in it.

As a small retailer, you have several distinct advantages:

Small businesses have several distinct advantages over large chains, which often have deeper pockets and larger marketing budgets.

• The ability to be more agile

  As a small retailer, you have the advantage of being more responsive to how and what changes you implement on your website. You can easily and quickly make business decisions to achieve your desired results, whether it is changing the price of products or testing promotional pop-ups. While large companies are often hampered by bureaucracy, smaller retailers are often more efficient and efficient.

• Your ability to build strong relationships

  The chances are that you know the names and likes of your customers. Their day might even be described to you! Small business owners are building relationships every time they speak to a customer. A big-box chain cannot compete with your proximity and direct customer interaction.

In this article, we define a “traditional company” as one that operates in person, via phone, or by mail; a “bricks-and-mortar” business. A walk-in customer might or might not be there. Businesses that do not exclusively sell physical goods online, such as e-commerce companies. There are some things that make an online presence for bricks-and-mortar businesses different from those for starting an online business. In most cases, the steps for setting up an online presence are very similar to those for starting an online business. 

Online business and putting your business online are often discussed. This may sound too risky or complicated to many. Adding online selling (and online business management) is a great choice for many good reasons.

These are the top 13 reasons why your offline business needs an online presence:

Enhancing your company’s image

Simply starting a website and selling online should be enough of a reason. The fact that you have a website, blog, or online presence is very important given that potential customers may question your commitment to your business without it. A successful online presence is a must-have for companies of all sizes and sectors today. Online presence (or lack thereof) is what prospects look for when evaluating a business and it will cause you to lose business to your competitors. Customers and prospects expect you to have an online presence, so maintaining one is vital.

Choosing to hire a web designer rather than a graphic designer is heavily influenced by the importance of user experience in web design. Working with only template-experienced designers is equally challenging. There is often a Creative Director in charge of everything at the best web design agencies. Often you will find that the best companies have 7-15 years of experience with web design.

Availability from 24 hours a day, 7 days a week:

Even fast-food chains, grocery stores, and gas stations are unable to provide 24-hour service. There would be no internet access. An e-commerce website has the benefit of allowing your clients and prospects to browse your products and place orders any time of day – regardless of the time of day.

Every day of the week or on holidays. You can imagine how much better; your business would be if you were open three to four times longer. You can still generate leads and inquiries, even if you have a traditional offline business with services. Once you open the next day, you can follow up with those prospects and customers. Your website can work after hours, and your 2/47 salesperson can answer questions and generate leads (or sales) during late evenings and weekends.

Improved customer service:

Answering questions, giving sales webinars, and resolving customer problems are all made possible with the internet. When you create a video, a product spec sheet, or an FAQ (frequently asked questions) section, you can send clients that information for years to come. It does not just save you time, but it will also result in better customer service.
You want to provide specific information to your clients and prospects, such as:

1. In the lead-up to their purchase.
2. A purchase issue needs to be solved.
3. Prior to purchasing, conducting research.

If you have a website, you can give your customers just the information that they are looking for, at the time that they are looking for it. Consequently, fewer technical questions will be asked over the phone and more sales will be made. You can spend less time on common customer service issues and more time on revenue-generating activities in your business.

Low startup costs:

The low startup costs of online businesses are one of the advantages. It requires no construction or purchase of buildings, and you only hire a few (if any) staff. After building your site, you can start selling right away. Those who have already been selling offline can make the transition much easier. You should continue to focus on selling what you know and do well. Online marketing makes your business more accessible to customers. Many technical tasks can be outsourced, as well as social media marketing.

Many of your competitors will be developing the best website and e-commerce solution on a shoestring budget. It is very easy and inexpensive to design a good website. You can build a professional site on your own with a free platform like a self-hosted WordPress blog and a professional theme ($70 – $200). Some web hosts offer free website-building tools.

The WordPress theme allows you to make a website without (almost) any coding. To get started on a shoestring budget, plan to spend between a few hundred and a few thousand dollars. The basic expenses are web hosting, themes for WordPress, domain names, and autoresponders for email marketing. The program runs on virtual autopilot once it is fully set up. Updates can be made yourself regularly or you can hire someone to do so.

Internet is made for business:

Your prospective customer(s) can visit your online store by just clicking on it. It is now possible to educate, instruct, and solve problems for clients via the Internet. Your inbox will be flooded with orders and payments when you accept them online. Learn how to increase traffic to your website to get more leads and sales. Finding the most cost-effective tactics is important when it comes to increasing your website’s traffic. Today, using a credit card on the internet is as common as using one at a physical store.

Working remotely:

When you move your business to the Internet, you are no longer tied to one physical location. You can live and work from wherever you want. While conducting your online business, you can virtually live anywhere as long as you have reliable internet access. A lot of people have their hosting on one continent, their warehouse on another, and their homes on the third. Taking advantage of the small world has become possible. It would be possible to do retail business online from the Caribbean or South America, where the cost of living is low.

Most of the time, the internet eliminates your need to physically be somewhere. Adapt your lifestyle to your business instead of the other way around, and live where you want. Landscapers, surgeons, and home painters require that they work in a specific location.

Reduce operational costs:

Savings can be achieved with just one task. When orders are received online, for example, less customer service is needed. Online product and sales information means you will easily receive purchase orders and payments via email. It is possible to reduce staff numbers, thus reducing office space and associated expenses. You can replace a full-time salesperson with an excellent sales video, sales letter, or online webinar.

Now that many online service providers exist, you can do everything online, such as order fulfillment, billing, and shipping. Besides pre-emptive customer service, other functions can include customer forums or FAQ sections that answer client questions.

Globalise your business:

Your brick-and-mortar business has limited reach, and you cannot be located at any given time. Your online store can attract tens of thousands (or even millions) of visitors simultaneously if you have a good website. Consider the impact your company could have if you were able to expose your products and services to a vast audience.

There is a huge difference between having thousands of visitors and having a large number. Marketing is as essential to the success of online businesses, as it is to offline ones. You can increase your blog’s traffic by following these tips. Traffic to your online store or website will increase when you use content marketing. It is possible to use social media in a way that is both powerful (free) and inexpensive. A failure to mention copy writing’s ability to increase profits greatly would be a grave oversight.

Increasing responsiveness:

Using the internet, you can deliver proposals, purchase orders, and order confirmations to your clients within minutes, if not instantly. Clients will receive confirmation of their orders from online stores. The old-fashioned way of ordering something was to telephone, mail, or drop off a purchase order. The order could have been processed within hours or even days, depending on the workload of the sales staff. You can automatically track stock levels, sales numbers, and pending orders if you use a competent online store application. You will have fewer administrative tasks to do and your clients will be happier.

• Now that we have covered the importance of a website for your offline business, it is also necessary to understand that having a website or an online presence is not enough. The design of your website speaks a lot about your brand.
• Let us quickly go through the importance of a good web design for the enhancement of your retail business.
• Consumers frequently turn to the Internet to make their purchasing decisions in the ever-changing technology world. Many people research products online even before they go shopping offline. Today’s retail businesses must prioritise UI and UX in order to stand out from the crowd, especially if they wish to differentiate themselves from their competition.
• An easy navigational system, relevant content, and an easy-to-use interface will give you the edge over your competitors. When developing a website, things like content placement and advertisements, as well as overall search engine optimisation, must be taken into consideration. You can increase sales and profits by utilizing these elements. The reasons below will give you an idea why hiring a web design company makes sense.

Your website is your online shop

Websites are like storefronts. You can communicate with your audience and provide them with relevant information and quality products and services if your site is well designed. To summarise, it is much like running your own physical store, so you have to put in a lot of effort to attract the right customers. You go a step further to provide your target audience with something unique when you hire a website designing firm.

Your brand is represented by your website:

Customers can learn about what your brand stands for through your website. Your website is where people learn about the products and services you offer. Brand differentiation sets you apart from your competitors. You should therefore pay close attention and care to your website.

Building customer loyalty with your website:

Providing your customers with relevant content, design, and products will help improve their trust in you. Providing an interactive interface, addressing complaints and queries of users, would help build credibility. Your brand appears accountable if you listen to your customers and stay connected to them. Users, however, trust companies that accept ownership.

An effective website is imperative today

Today, people of all ages can acquire digital skills thanks to digitisation. You can trust me when I say that everyone today does everything online. Everything we do is found online today, from studying to shopping. You have to have a website that is well designed to achieve your goals. It is imperative that your website has an appealing interface in order to spread awareness of your brand. Having a following of customers and providing them with what they want are crucial. The world of business today cannot function without it.

Mentioned above were some of the most compelling reasons to go online with your retail business and expand your offline business. People enjoy the flexibility, time, and financial freedom they receive from an online business over traditional ones.

No matter whether you are a service provider or retail business owner who operates an e-commerce website, the internet can help you reach more prospects and convert them into qualified leads and customers.

For your retail business, you can find more e-commerce development insights at CrackleCode. For more useful resources you can contact us or browse our blog and keep an eye on our Medium page (coming soon).