We live in a digital commerce world and if your retail store doesn’t have an online shop you could be missing out on a lot more revenue for your business. Around 71% of consumers shop online and this number will continue to grow. I have spoken to a lot of small retail shops and they have said “If small businesses neglect to build an online store for their customers the customers will just go to the next store and buy from them”. Having an online shop is important for any business that sell products and services to consumers.  Setting up an online shop is a big project and it is hard to do it yourself, there are many choices out their but how do you know which one is right for you? Will you get the support you need? I have listen to many business owners who have spent a good chunk of money to create an online store and the person or company who created it diapered and the business owner didn’t have a clue on how to update and change the store. Most online shop solutions will cost a set up fee and a monthly fee for the software license, support and maintenance at a minimum so make sure you understand this before you invest. There are many benefits of setting up an online shop for your small business lets take a look at a few benefits:

1. 24/7 Access To Your Business

Your customers can access your store even when you are not there. This is a cool benefit because your online shop can be earning revenue while you sleep.  You don’t need anybody to swipe the customers card because the website will do that for you, think of it as an employee that doesn’t sleep.

2. Convenient For Your Customers

People don’t have a lot of time so having an online shop makes it easy for your customers to buy from you. You are in business to serve your customers and make their life easier and better, why not set up an online shop so it is easier to buy from your business, this is just common sense.

3. Overcome Geographical Limitations

When you set up an online shop for your business you can sell your products not only in your local market but you can target other markets that are further away. Think of it as a more efficient and less expensive way to open up a new location.

4. Efficiency

Having an online shop is just efficient because you can create a simple system that can be automated so your business runs smoother. You can market to people online, drive traffic to your website and make sales faster and better. If you want to test out a new product you simply need to add it to your store and target the right people to see if they will buy it.

5. Boost Brand Awareness

If you are a brick and mortar store people in your local area probably know about your brand. By setting up an online you can reach other cities and even other states or countries if you wanted to. Boosting your brand awareness is necessary to being more successful.

Conclusion

If you own a small brick and mortar business you should seriously think about setting up an online shop so that your customers are happy and to make it easier to buy from you. If you need help and support setting up your online shop we have several solutions that will great for your small business. View our services and pricing