During the challenging times of the pandemic, most consumers and businesses leaned forward in purchasing their needs through digital commerce or eCommerce. Everyone one were forced to stay and work from home and eCommerce paved the way for customers and businesses to purchase items online and delivered right at your doorstep. Having an eCommerce store for your business allows you to generate sales 24/7, keep track of your performance, and provide a convenient on-the-go shopping experience for your customers. More than that, having an eCommerce store provides a solid trust & reliability for your brand. In this article, you will learn how important trust & reliability is important and how it affects your customer’s buying decisions.
But first, let’s talk about eCommerce.
What is eCommerce
Digital commerce or commonly known as eCommerce or electronic commerce, refers to the activity or transaction of a buyer and a seller engaging in the purchasing and selling of goods, products, and services via an online marketplace.
In the eCommerce sector, customers may buy products classified under specialty categories including electronics & gadgets, cosmetic products, fashion & accessories, furniture, and other items. Customers may now purchase without having to visit physical retail stores thanks to ecommerce, which has eliminated the gap between physical and online retailers. With more than a thousand goods easily available for purchase online, it has made it simpler for people to buy for their wants and needs, with just a few clicks or a few taps away from their mobile devices.
What is an eCommerce Store
An eCommerce store is where the online transaction between buyers and sellers happens. In an eCommerce platform, there are two different types of accounts with different tools and functionality that are specifically made to administer these transactions. First is the buyer account and the seller account.
The buyer account is made for buyers or online shoppers looking to purchase items on the platform. Which action consists of clicking a product, checking out, selecting a payment method, ordering, and tracking your purchases.
While the seller account is made for entities, organizations, individuals that offer exclusive goods or services to buyers in the eCommerce store. A seller account enables different tools for businesses to manage their transactions, orders, and deliveries. Sellers can list an item in a product catalog, track sales performance, and receive data purchases from their customers. Also, this site should be transparent and supported by a blog that describes these products well. People are always looking for the best eCommerce marketing services that will help them boost their business. These product descriptions should be clear and concise, emphasizing the benefits of using these services.
Advantages of Having an eCommerce Store
Having an eCommerce store is a win-win situation for your business and for your customers. It takes only a few clicks away for your customers to purchase the items they need and receive it right at their doorstep. While on the other hand, your business you can streamline and automate your sales process. Read more on to know the advantages of having an eCommerce store.
- Trust & Reliability
When selling to your customers especially in digital commerce, building trust and reliability to your brand is an essential key factor that is integral to the consumer’s buying decision. With the pandemic heavily affecting the world of commerce and retail, the majority of the sales are made through online. In particular, transactions delivered online require trust & reliability.
A customer won’t provide sensitive information such as credit/debit card details or personal information to a brand or business that they don’t trust or without credibility. Having an eCommerce platform where you can set up your business enables you to establish brand credibility to customers.
- Streamline your sales
As we’ve mentioned previously, having an eCommerce store is a win-win for the business and its customers. The primary goal of eCommerce is the utilization of technology for businesses to maximize customer reach and provide a fast and convenient shopping experience for customers. Your customers can shop in your eCommerce store anytime, anywhere and don’t have to wait until your opening hours or go to the physical retail store. In an eCommerce platform, you can effortlessly generate sales 24/7, keep track of sales performance live, and gather sales data that are highly beneficial for your business.
- Low operating costs
Operating a physical store requires a lot of financing such as rent, staff, equipment, and many more. Unlike setting up your store in an eCommerce platform, you can leave rent and miscellaneous expenses out of the equation. You don’t have to completely move your whole store to eCommerce if you have an existing physical store already. Having both physical and eCommerce stores is a great thing for your business.
But one thing that eCommerce stands out is you only have to pay the monthly premium fees while extending your sales opportunities as it enables you to have another source of income. You only have to pay the monthly premiums of setting up your own eCommerce store which usually comes with inventory warehousing, order fulfillment, packing & shipping station, making it easy for you to operate your business smoothly.
- Explore new target markets
Entering the eCommerce sector to provide your goods and services to consumers in the space allows you to reach untapped target markets that you’ve probably have not explored or crossed your mind before. With the accessibility of eCommerce marketplaces across digital platforms, your business can market and sell to various demographics and types of consumers and businesses in an eCommerce marketplace.
- Increased product visibility
Placing your products in an eCommerce store is easy. You list the products according to its product category classification, price, quantity, and similar essential data about what you’re selling. In an eCommerce marketplace, customers can browse and search for products they need and multiple product listings usually appear on their search results. With the help of SEO (search engine optimization) of an eCommerce website, your products can easily be visible by customers which can enhance and maximize your sales and conversion rates!
Takeaway
Even though the pandemic is becoming lighter ever since and physical retail stores are going back to their normal state, it is no doubt that eCommerce has influenced today’s age when it comes to purchasing products and making sales. Ecommerce has been and will continue to grow as it has provided a quick and convenient way of shopping for customers and you wouldn’t want to miss that opportunity for your business.
An eCommerce platform like Shoppable can help your business in connecting with building trust and reliability for your online brand. Shoppable is an eCommerce platform where you can buy & sell branded and authentic products online. Start selling your products on Shoppable’s platform for FREE for a limited time only!