Over the years, a lot has changed in the way, businesses reach out to their customers. Just a few decades back, the trend was mostly limited to print medium, be it newspapers, hoarding or pamphlets. The audio-visual medium was a more expensive option and thus not many brands could market their products on the big screen.
Thanks to internet, today the marketplace has expended drastically, from the physical store, products have now found a new virtual home, where customers can see, understand and ever order through the online e-commerce medium. This option is cost-effective, and businesses can calculate their ROI based on the purchase habits of the customers. Undoubtedly, e-commerce is the next big thing and irrespective of the size of business, this option is the best.
- Reduce the cost of inventory management
By using an e-commerce platform, suppliers can directly reduce their operational cost that involves man-power and manufacturing inventory management. Here, they can regulate the inventory and manage it themselves by using the web-based management system.
- Monitor customer buying behaviour
What are your customers looking for? How long are they taking to decide on a purchase? These are few most important questions that e-commerce can logically answer for you. Here, you can track the buyer’s requirement and customise the offerings accordingly. In short, every penny invested on these online platform is accountable.
- Cost-effective
This is the most compelling factor for marketing managers who struggle to make the most out of the limited marketing budget. The e-commerce platform is easy to set and cost-effective to manage.
- The world becomes your market
Imagine sitting in one corner of the world and selling your products to the entire world, that is the power of online selling. Your products will find a global marketplace through the e-commerce platform. This will help you analyse the strength and weakness of your products and observe how they are accepted in different countries.
- Sell any time, any where
No matter what the time, the customer will always be able to order your products online. This is the most amazing benefit of setting your online store. There is no opening time, it’s business 24*7.
Well, we just saw the benefits of setting up an online store, it is easy, cost-effective and very lucrative. But here’s the catch, there is no point setting up an online store, if people on the internet do not know about it. It is like building a beautiful 5-star restaurant, but not promoting it. Products need ample visibility to be on top of the buyers purchase list. The mantra is common for all B2C businesses ‘What you see, is what you buy’.
So, now let’s look at how you can stand out and make yourself visible in the online world.
- Advertise
With the help of social media ads and display ads, you can create an awareness for your product. Buyers can directly click on these ads and land on the e-commerce buying platform.
- On-Page optimization is a must
SEO is still king. Ask yourself, does your image have an alt text? Are you present on popular blogs? These are few things that you need to get in place to ensure that your products appear on the first page and is available to customers when they search for it.
- Go Social
Research says that today on an average, people spend more than 4 hours a day on social networking sites. Most companies use these mediums to influence their customers and generate sales. If you can promote your products, rightly on social media, then you can surely attract more customers.
Conclusion:
Online store is the future of your product and business, make sure you choose the right platform to showcase your products and make them available to your target consumers.
