While times are truly tough with disheartening news coming from every direction, we can only follow instructions from the government and hope for the best. Apart from supporting our local economy when we can, here’s how you can make your brand more accessible to the community. By integrating eCommerce into your business, you can reach consumers right where they sit, provide convenience and safety of not going out AND YET allowing them to shop to their heart’s content. Who doesn’t want that? eCommerce transactions have shot up as well as eCommerce stocks and making this jump also prepares your business for the long run, and not just this pandemic. The Coronavirus crisis has revealed that chains who haven’t embraced eCommerce will face a tough time.
Taking the leap is scary but would you want to be a retail group with a bad eCommerce business and pay the price?
Without further ado, let’s find out why you should enter the eCommerce market even with a pandemic.
Fewer people walking about
I’m sure you must’ve noticed fewer people on the streets? Think about how that equates in footfall for many brick and mortar businesses. I‘ll leave you to connect the dots. Point is, having an eCommerce site prepares you for occasions that people can’t leave their homes to go about their normal lives. eCommerce can help to carry the retail industry as transactions before COVID-19 were already steadily growing and with this crisis, people at home need an outlet to vent so what better way than online retail therapy?
Lazy folks
We are all inherently lazy, and we know that for a fact because our parents make it a point to communicate that point across quite a few times in our lives. If you haven’t heard that before, then well done you chief, time to stop flexing. If we all could select same-day shipping for all our purchases, the world would. Consumers value time and are more likely to return to a brand that provides fast shipping. The importance of on-time order delivery for eCommerce businesses reinforces confidence in the brand and ultimately has a higher chance of retaining customers.
Looking beyond just a pandemic
With the economy badly affected, things are looking grim for the foreseeable future. However, taking the time to reassess your business strategy and make proactive moves can help to better position your business as recession-proof. Having an eCommerce website that keeps selling even when you sleep does sound like a sound business idea, no? The transition applies to eCommerce startups as well so if you’re looking for a sign, THIS IS IT. Taking proactive actions day could mean that you’re-bound faster than other businesses and who knows, you could even think about expansion when others are thinking about recovery.
What are the costs?
If you’re getting your own site, you can forget commission fees to third party apps… like the fees the green and pink companies charge the merchants/hawkers. There will also be no waiting time for technical help on the app because with your own eCommerce website, you can check and settle everything on your own. In addition, if you’re feeling generous, you can add discounts, give promo codes and you can run digital marketing ads to direct traffic to your website.
With the world moving to a more digitised landscape, having an eCommerce site may be more common than you think. If you want to stay ahead of the rest, drop us a message to see how we can make things work for you.
