Do I Need a Website to Conduct eCommerce?

You might have asked yourself exactly “What is eCommerce?”  Still further, you may have also asked; “Do I need a Website?”  The long and short of it is that there are many forms of eCommerce websites. People have grown used to using sites such as eBay or other auction sites to conduct transactions. This was the aggressor that really got the eCommerce sector moving. Below, we’ll explore whether or not you need a store online.

If you’ve asked; “What is eCommerce?” Quite simply, an eCommerce Website is just what it sounds like, an electric, or internet based method of conducting commerce via some form of a website (eCommerce Website).

Now, we’ll tackle the next one if you are still asking yourself; “Do I Need a Website?”

 

Who Are Your Customers?

One of the most important things in any business is the ability to understand who it is you serve, and what they require to easily work within your environment to get your services, or in this case, products.

 

Is There Something You Can Provide That Will Make Customers More Likely to Want to Deal With You?

• Online Tools
• Real World Communications
• Easier Way to Do the Same Thing Over a Competitor
• Faster Delivery
• Lower Pricing Based on Your Volume Equation

I’m sure you can think of many other things that might make you somebody to deal with vs. dealing with someone else. Pretty simple logic.

 

Should I Sell Entirely Online or Both Direct and Online?

Often times, it can actually be beneficial to do both. In other scenarios, the sales equation or available retail space can make this decision for you. You might find that you make contact with a customer in person and can utilize the website for customer retention.

People’s Issues

• Move Away
• Distance to Get to Store
• Have Free Time When at Home
• Prefer to Deal Online

 

The Advancing Environment

Times are changing, as are the ways that people access information and products to purchase. With the rapid growth of mobile website development, the ability for people to compare products has also run like wildfire.

Still further, in the Social Networking environment, sharing has become easier and easier, which allows people to share specific products over to others they know who might be interested in the same or a similar purchase.

 

What About eBay?

Specifically eBay, but also many other websites, have been as active as ever (unofficial stat)…but many Internet Sellers find the environment, having to repost ads and continual maintenance (coupled with sales fees) to be a good reason towards putting the same (or even more) effort into a store of their own.

 

Why Would They Want to Expend More Effort in Order to Have Their Own Online Store?

This is a great question. The answer, in short, is that even when having to spend extra effort on the front end of an online store, once the dirty work is done, the shift goes to maintaining the store and offering products. This being the case, taking the time to setup a store (even if it is a very large store) makes sense and ultimately leads to the same excitement factor as running a traditional store, where the focus becomes offering, selling and delivering products…as well as offering new products and changing with whatever the product environment is.

 

How Important is Inventory?

There seem to be three general approaches to inventory…

• Focus on One Product That is Totally Unique
• Focus on a Small Group of Products
• Offer a Large Group of Products

OK…So again, this sounds sort of like another simple, sort of dumb list of the obvious…there are plenty of variations of the above, but they typically root back to one of these three…although with some variance.

 

The Overall Benefits

• Increase Sales
• Maximize Profits
• Add to Your Company Image
• Reduce Costs
• Enhanced customer Service
• Offer Products to Larger Market
• Compete Better in Your Marketplace
• Low Costs Compared to Profits