A customer’s choice to purchase a product has changed over the years. Why? The internet has given consumers the ability to research, seek reviews, and price check what they want to buy before they make the final purchase. Additionally, more and more consumers are purchasing products online and from their smartphone, even without walking into a traditional brick and mortar location.

Consider these options: Go to a crowded mall or store, take time to browse through tons of merchandise, and have to travel to and from the store location.

- OR -

Shop at your convenience with no pressure. That could mean within the comforts of your own home with no crowd, at a local coffee shop, in the park, or even on the beach!

Which sounds more appealing to you??

The on-demand world that we live in today makes selling online even more necessary for any business. Buyers want instant gratification. That doesn’t mean that the product must instantly appear in the customer’s hands (unless it is an e-book or download). It means that while the customer has the idea in their head about purchasing something, there is a greater chance to make the sale if the convenience of shopping online is available to them. When the thought is fresh. Before there’s the chance to second guess or change their mind.

The good news for small businesses is you don’t have to compete with Amazon or other retail giants. The internet enables even small companies to sell online and compete with the retail giants via cloud-based platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, Amazon Webstore as well as other solutions like Magento or using WordPress plugins.

Compared to setting up a brick and mortar store, getting started with selling products online is very manageable and affordable. Vendors and distributors are making it even easier by including services like drop shipping, saving the business money on stocking and holding inventory at a location.

Why Sell Online?

Selling online increases your reach! An online store allows for your products to be available 24/7/365. Businesses can sell their product across states and countries...virtually anywhere in the world. The advantage to always being open allows customers to shop when it is convenient for them. The night owl can shop by night, and the early bird when they wake. This helps to garner more sales outside of the hours a traditional brick and mortar location is open. Online shopping can save time for both the buyer and retailer, reducing phone calls about availability, hours of operation or other information that can be researched and found on a website’s product page.

Selling online with an e-commerce system provides a business with real time metrics and analytics about their products. Businesses can learn about what customers are looking at and what is being placed into shopping carts. The data can also tell if carts have been abandoned, allowing for follow up and potentially making a sale that might have been forgotten.

An e-commerce presence will help buyers discover more about your business. Having products posted online in an e-commerce system also improve a business’s chances of appearing in search engine results. The time a customer spends researching a product online also has the benefit of getting local buyers into a brick and mortar location or entice them to call...increasing the chances to make a sale.

Best of all, the e-commerce website is always selling for you! So, what are you waiting for? Get started selling online. Webgreenit specializes in helping small to medium size business succeed. Give us a shout! We look forward to getting your products online today!

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