Some people take the stance of, “It’s one of those things that sounds like big corporations are focused on, so it’s probably over my head. And whatever it is, I surely won’t be able to afford it.” In all reality, eCommerce can be utilized as an essential part to any business plan. And no, it’s not super expensive. In fact, you can find several really inexpensive DIY setups online today. If you've ever asked yourself is eCommerce a good fit for my business, we'll do our best to asnwer that in this post.
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So what is it? Sometimes the “experts” get rolling on their technical jargon about SEO, and ranking, and backlinks, and white hat, and black hat, and content development, and yadda yadda. Sure, that information is probably really quality stuff, but what they seem to forget is that small business owners, when it comes down to it, don’t care about that crap. They need to know in easy-to-follow terms what exactly something is, and whether or not it’s something they need.
To put it simply, an eCommerce website is a site that sells products online. Woah. Life changer. Eye opening. I know… big deal. Pick up your jaw, and read on.
The term is derived from the phrase, “Electronic Commerce.” Businesses who utilize eCommerce strategies typically build a virtual storefront with an online catalog of products. For our clients, we build unique and clever product placement pages, utilizing various techniques that are constantly evolving with internet technology. Then we put into place a marketing plan that focuses on keyword targeting and landing pages to capture that specific audience that is specifically looking for what you offer. In all reality, the concept can be a major game changer for small businesses who see how eCommerce can enhance their company’s nature of business.
By using the internet to sell products or services, you expand your reach to not only a local influence, but also a global one. Now your Main Street Storefront in Smalltown, USA that has a daily reach of about 50 people, is accessible to the masses by just a few keystrokes. Not only that, but you’re giving people the power to shop any time of day, and even in their undies if they feel like it. You just made your daily reach in the possibilities of thousands, on your customers terms – not your terms. How cool would it be for someone 10 states away who has no preconceived notion of your business, to easily find you online when searching for solutions to their roadblocks?
Well absolutely! Yes! This one’s kind of a dumb question. It’s well into the new millennium now. If you don’t have access to change things on your site by now, you’re doing something really, really wrong.
Further, the tools and systems that exist to update and maintain eCommerce sites have gotten much friendlier and easier to work with.
I can tell you I have never seen a company invest in eCommerce solutions and not at least tripled what they put into in profit. When you tackle online selling and market your business to the right people online, your world of business development just keeps growing and growing!
Photo credit goes to Flickr user Travis Isaacs