Anna Maria Richards
The shift to eCommerce can stagger many brick-and-mortar businesses. While they may have once found success with a traditional model, shifts in the way people shop have made the transition to online mandatory for many. While you may no longer find profits through products flying off shelves, you might be able to capture a new audience and grow your business further online. It can be overwhelming at first, especially if you’ve never considered running your store virtually. A strong digital presence may take some time to develop, but once it’s there, you can leverage it to your advantage. For companies looking to modernize their business and evolve as a brand, this is the best way to get started.
Learn About Different Selling Platforms
People may be able to place an order directly through your website, but are they more likely to trust a platform? Yes. While many people do sell through their own sites, working through a vendor is better for several reasons. For starters, all the heavy lifting is carried out on their end. You don’t have to worry about invoicing, just shipping orders. Payments are taken at the time of purchase, so you can trust that you’ll always have your hard-earned revenue without having to chase down clients or track payments. The best way to choose a new platform is to consider your audience and business size. For small businesses, Etsy is a great choice. The straight forward interface makes posting product listings a breeze, and you can easily target your audience through search engine optimization in order to expand sales. For more detailed advice, you can review a guide on the best Etsy SEO tips for success in 2021.
Choose an Advertising Model
Will you be using social media to drive traffic to your store, running Google ads or opting for a hybrid strategy? There are pros and cons to each, primarily in terms of reach and budget restrictions. With Google ads, you can pay to have your site shown to people searching relevant keywords related to your products. If you’re going the social media route, promotion is free, but it requires an ongoing commitment to creating catchy, engaging content. Social media marketing is not traditional advertising. If you only have experience with the latter, it’s a good idea to start studying as much as you can now. Regardless of whether you intend to have a major social presence, every modern business needs a presentable brand image online. Many consumers research companies before they buy from them. You don’t want them to come up empty-handed and question whether you’re the right choice for their next purchase.
Revamp Your Inventory
Maybe the products you used to sell no longer hit the mark, and that’s okay. One of the best things about running an eCommerce store is that you can change up your offerings without too much hassle. In most cases, all you have to do is delete old listings, upload new ones and start marketing them. For many businesses, it’s resistance to change that ultimately prevents them from growing online. If you want to expand your audience, you may have to expand your business model as well. There’s nothing wrong with this fact, and embracing chance could be exactly what you need to modernize your company online.
