As technology has continued to evolve, businesses have had to adapt along with it in order to stay relevant to customers, especially businesses that work in retail. Catching the attention of a consumer has become considerably more difficult for brick-and-mortar stores, because now they must compete with other physical stores as well as online stores. In order for a business to continue to grow, it must maintain its current clientele and bring in new potential customers. For many stores with only a physical location, these two goals have become more and more difficult to reach.
If you are a retail business planning the next step for your company, we recommend investing in an e-commerce website. Adding an e-commerce website to a business revolutionizes both marketing and connecting with customers. Here are three ways your retail business can benefit from an e-commerce website.
Connect and Build a Consumer Base
During the checkout process at a physical store, many customers do not want to stop and give contact information to the clerk. Even more often, the clerk does not have time to stop with every client. This does not even include potential customers who leave the store without buying anything. When transactions are completed online, a business can capture certain points of contact such as an email address, phone number and physical address, which can be used in future marketing methods.
The shopping life of a consumer has changed drastically within the past ten years. Gone are the days of advertising by hanging a sale sign in the window. Now, consumers are bombarded with advertisements on phones, televisions, magazines and billboards, so it is important to utilize emails and texts sent to customers. Keep in mind the number of advertisements and marketing consumers receive on a day-to-day basis. An email once a week and a text during a big sale is a great example of a good marketing strategy that leaves the customer connected and excited, without feeling overwhelmed or pressured.
Bring Your Business to You
By utilizing e-commerce marketing tools and building a consumer base, a retail business can expand its clientele to the outside of the physical area of the store. Shoppers from all over the country can become customers. Having more customers also means more consumers wearing and showing off a retailer’s product, which is free advertising for a company.
Establish a Well-Recognizable Brand
Expanding a company to an online platform allows the brand to develop further. A website can be customized to a specific color scheme and font. Consumers visiting a website with a consistent theme will associate the brand with those colors. Consistent brand colors, a logo and more will establish a brand identity. By shipping products, retailers can display their company’s logo and colors on the box and packing materials.
These are just a few ways having an e-commerce website can help your retail business. E-commerce is the next step for any business looking to develop their clientele, grow their reach to customers and establish their company’s brand identity.
Southern View Media is a digital marketing agency that was created to help local businesses understand the complex digital world and make educated decisions regarding their marketing. We are a balance of talent, intuition, business sense, media solutions and metrics to be a creative problem-solving machine that is fueled by client needs and driven by results and we are ready to provide businesses with marketing and advertising services at any level. From standing out to breaking into a market we help people find you, trust you and share you. Contact us to find out how we can help with your business’s digital presence. For a free consultation to formulate a strategic and affordable plan, call us today at 251-517-9425, email us or fill out the contact form here