Ecommerce

What Is E-commerce and Why Does My Business Need It?

E-commerce is the common term for any kind of commercial transaction that takes place purely through the internet. This transaction may be between a consumer and an online-only store, on the website of a big-box store chain, or even a business to business transaction. No matter what your business model is, you should take a closer look at e-commerce as a way to build your business.

What Is E-commerce?

E-commerce gives your customers the ability to buy from you without having any limitations imposed by time or distance. Think about that for a moment. A sale that you normally would not have made because the customer was unable to visit during business hours or lived too far away suddenly becomes not only possible, but likely. This shows why there has been such a rapid expansion of e-commerce over the last 10 years and why it shows no signs of slowing down. Businesses worldwide are racing to conquer the e-commerce landscape, but with virtually limitless potential for sales there is plenty of room for everybody.

What about B2B sales?

Conventional wisdom states that consumer sales and B2B sales are light-years apart, but in the case of e-commerce your B2B sales can benefit just as much from an online presence as any retail outlet. Since B2B sales is such a complex arena, with companies dealing with hundreds if not thousands of other customers and suppliers, e-commerce gives these businesses a competitive advantage when they are able to automate and simplify the sales and shipping process. It is often a faster and more affordable way to run a B2B sales company.

So does my business need e-commerce?

Setting up an online store can be difficult, especially if you are not an expert web designer. If you don't have an advanced knowledge of online sales you may be daunted by the prospect of moving a significant portion of your operation online. You may be worried that your online endeavor may fall well short of your expectations and put the success of your business in serious jeopardy. The truth of it is that if you choose not to take the plunge there are a hundred businesses waiting right behind you that will. There is no doubt that e-commerce is here to stay.

When implemented correctly, e-commerce:

• Connects you to a customer base you otherwise never would have access to
• Lower your costs and raise your margins on sales
• Create an automated flow of repeat business and perpetual ordering cycles
• Save you a great deal of money in loss prevention costs
• Increase your brand recognition and make your business a leader in your industry

If any of this sounds good to you, and it should, you should take the time to look into building an e-commerce platform for your business. It may not be as hard as you think it is, and it could have a huge positive impact on your business for years to come.

Reasons to have an ecommerce website for your business

With advancements in technology and with the popularity of the internet, more and more people are turning to the web for a variety of purposes. The internet is no longer limited to searching information or connecting with people but is a platform where you can also buy and sell products. An ecommerce website is a website which allows your business to sell products and services to their online audience. These days, an increasing number of consumers prefer making most of their purchases online and in such a scenario, having an ecommerce website for your business is the need of the hour. The following is a list of the top 6 reasons to have an ecommerce platform:

• Wider customer reach-when you sell a product or service through a national or global platform of an ecommerce website, then you tend to reach out to a much wider audience as compared to traditional commerce methods. This gives you a broader audience and hence possibility of better overall sales.
• Ability to be open 24/7-with an ecommerce website, you will give your audiences to purchase from you not just during regular store hours but throughout the day. Whether it is Sunday or a national holiday, your estore is always open. This too helps you to make more sales, hence boosting sales.
• Better conversion rates-no matter how popular your brand is, if conversion rate is low, then profits will be low. Having an ecommerce platform helps you to increase your conversion rate since people get a chance to immediately buy from you rather than wait to visit the store.
• Easier to set up-an ecommerce platform is definitely much easier to set up and run than an actual physical store. There are many good website development and management platforms which can easily do this task for you at reasonable rates. It is not just easier but also a lot cheaper.
• Reduced risk, increased profitability-to manage and run an online store, you need a smaller workforce, thus increasing margin between profits and spending. Also, there is also the advantage of reduced risk which adds to the list of the benefits of having an ecommerce store.

Having an ecommerce website gives you a certain competitive edge over those who may still not have gone online. Customers these days are looking for the easiest and cheapest way to make their purchasing and thus search online for their desired products and services. In such a case, the presence of an online store not only helps you to retain existing customers but also attract new ones. If you are someone who wants to get a good ecommerce website developed and managed for your business, then you can visit us at: Tortilla We are one of the most popular and reasonable website management service providers which offer several web solutions including user-friendly shopping and commerce platforms.