In this period of crisis, many physical stores have suffered the backlash. On the contrary, those online have not only continued to thrive, but above all have increased the volume of sales. In this country, e-commerce saw its growth double compared to the previous year, reaching 19%, and making the Italian turnover reach almost 29 billion dollars.
You will surely be aware of this data if you are thinking of opening a virtual store and if you are now reading this post. Despite what it may seem, e-commerce is not an easy world to understand and bend to your purpose. Starting an e-commerce business requires knowledge and planning: it’s like opening any other company in the real world, so don’t underestimate what you’re doing.
That said, what are the benefits of e-commerce?
First of all, the costs are very low compared to those of a physical store. Just think about the fact that a virtual shop doesn’t spend rent, doesn’t need a lot of staff and doesn’t have to pay bills. Obviously it is necessary to have a good e-commerce platform and a good integration of the same with the management system. As for the platform, you can rely on existing e-commerce platforms or you can create your own. Each of these two options has pros and cons that you will need to carefully consider choosing the one that’s right for you.
Real time control of warehouse
A second advantage, which we have just mentioned in part, is the possibility of having the warehouse under control in real time. Some software that is dedicated to managing the management system will allow you to have a clear vision at all times of which are the best-selling products, which are the most sought-after and which products, on the contrary, are the ones that sell less so that you can, for example, devising ad hoc promotions and offers. For selling on ebay keep this well fixed.
Intermediaries’ sales
Another advantage of e-commerce is direct sales without intermediaries. You can sell your product or service directly to the end customer. For this reason it is essential that there is constant traffic of people in your virtual store, but do not expect these users to arrive alone. You will need to make sure to bring them to your site by posting unique, original and relevant content. Identify your ideal customers, identify their needs and satisfy them. Focus on the niches in fact, very often people prefer to follow the path of generalist e-commerce, but in niches it is easier to open a successful one. Also, don’t get demotivated if the competition is a lot; think there was none would mean that the niche is not profitable.
Large opening for potential sellers
E-commerce, unlike the physical store, allows you to address a vast and ever-expanding market, potentially without geographical borders, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Buyers will be able to access our virtual store at any time, from any device, from any geographic location. Remember that to be successful, you need to stand out from the crowd, provide unique information and have a good relationship with customers and competitors.
Being on the web is something you learn day after day so doesn’t worry if you go wrong sometime, it will be the only way to improve and grow your business.