There has been much talk focused on moving businesses online over the last few months. And with good reason. Recent world events have pushed business owners to seriously consider this option, even those who may have been reluctant before. Although the fact is that, pandemic aside, making the move to ‘online’ is a solid idea for most businesses anyway, no matter how you look at it. Below, we explore five good reasons to consider moving your business online, if you haven’t yet done so.
1. The world is moving online, including your potential customers
Having a professional online presence shows customers that you are serious about your business. These days, most people search for services and products online and so having a solid, comprehensive online offering can only improve your business’ image, as well as potentially increase leads and sales. Now, more than ever, customers are preferring the convenience of online engagement. It would be astute for a business to make sure that goods and services are available online.
2. Comparatively low start-up costs
If you compare the costs of building a decent website and setting up an online store, they are actually quite low compared with setting up a bricks and mortar business. Of course, that’s not to say there are no costs, but really when you consider the online platforms that are available these days, building a website and setting up shop online doesn’t have to break your business’ bank. This is especially true if you already have an existing business that operates ‘offline’ already – many of the existing systems you have in place could be integrated fairly painlessly into your new online setup.
3. Day and Night Availability
The beauty of the online space is that it operates 24/7, 365 and that could very well be a game-changer for your business. Regular business hours for a brick and mortar establishments simply wouldn’t allow for that sort of availability (depending on the type of business, of course), but if your ‘sales pitch’ and relevant info is available online, then time of day ceases to be an issue and your potential clients can have access, no matter what the time is. This also works for lead generation, where potential clients can leave their contact details on your site ‘after hours’ and you can get back to them during normal business hours.
4. Global Reach
There is also potential to overcome any limitations that come with geographic location. Should you choose to, you could open your orders up to anywhere in the world. There would be some new logistics to consider, of course, but once you get those sorted out, then think by how much you could increase your customer base and so grow your entire business. The possibilities are potentially massive!
5. Improve your customer service
Good customer service is one of the hallmarks of a successful business. Operating your business online actually enables good service as it allows you to always be able to reach your customers with new offerings and in turn to always have a means through which they can reach you with customer feedback or questions. With all your initial info already available to them via your website or online shop, they can contact you with queries or requests for more info, should they need it. This would open a dialogue where you could provide them with valuable information that would result in a grateful/loyal customer or perhaps even a sale.
Another option for keeping the channels of communication open online are chat-bots, which most websites nowadays have started utilizing. These are perfect for answering high-level queries, but they can also be utilized for lead generation.
Some of this information might not be that new, but sometimes it’s a good idea to reconsider what you think you already know from a new perspective. And if that perspective is the consideration of whether to take your business online, then the reasons above make perfect sense to move from merely thinking about it to acting on it!
If you are thinking about moving your business to some level of online operation, do consider getting in touch with us. Let us have a chat and see if we could assist you with taking the next step.