You may already dedicate some of your business budget to reaching new customers, such as placing ads in local papers or buying spots on the radio or television in your market. One advantage to an online store is that you can reach more customers than would ever be able to simply walk through your doors. An online shop removes the blockades of travel, parking and getting lost en route that can drive some customers away. While you can certainly continue to market to your local client base, online you have the option to catering to fans of your product or service that are miles — or even continents — away. Online shops’ boundaries are only items such as shipping rates, overseas taxes and the wait a customer may have until his order reaches his door. You may even find your product popular in a place you never would have had bricks-and-mortar access to.
Top 6 reasons given by shoppers in buying through internet
Saves time and efforts.
Convenience of Shopping at home.
Wide variety / range of products are available.
Good discounts / lower prices.
Get detailed information of the product.
We can compare various models / brands.
Almost anything can be a store these days, from someone’s garage to a kiosk in a mall to a massive warehouse. But each one of those places comes with associated costs such as rent, insurance, security and decor. Online stores may have their own associated costs, such as your Web hosting and domain fees, graphic design and whether you employ people to do your photographs, or copy and design work, but you’re able to spread out as far and wide as your servers allow. You don’t feel constrained, for example, of having to mix your winter and summer specials together in one corner of a shop; instead, create a separate — or several — Web pages for each. Customers won’t need maps, elevators or moving walkways to explore your store. They can click through its spaciousness with their keyboards and mice.
1. Convenience
For many customers, one of the benefits of online shopping is convenience. Although some people would consider stopping by a local store easier than ordering something online and getting it shipped, there are a few advantages of online shopping that are simply more convenient.
Shop From the Comfort of Your Home
For one, it doesn’t require you to actually go to the store. Just to physically go to a store, you need a way to get there, and for most people, this is driving. Not only do you waste gas driving to the store, but it takes precious time out of your day. Compare that to the convenience of online shopping, which on many major sites has become a one-click affair. Payment details, such as credit card information, can be securely stored for an easy shopping experience.
There’s no need to drive to the store to pick up some shampoo or dog food. Just choose the product online, click once, and voila, it’s on its way. This brings us to another convenient aspect of buying online: speed.
Speed
This is one area that traditional retail has seemed to have a leg up over online retail in the past. It used to be that shopping in stores would give instant gratification because you get to hold your purchase in your hand the minute you buy it. But this advantage is slowly being negated by the expanding field of eCommerce order fulfillment.
A few years ago, it wasn’t unusual to wait for a week to get your product delivered, which was too long for many consumers. Today, however, an online retailer with a high-quality and streamlined order fulfillment process can usually get your product to you within 1-2 business days. Sometimes, you can even get same-day delivery, which is a huge benefit of online shopping.
Fast and affordable online shipping options have eroded many people’s aversion to online shopping. In fact, fast shipping (sometimes even free same-day shipping) is one of the main reasons why more and more people are choosing to shop online.
2. Price
Is buying something online cheaper than buying it in the store? In many cases, it is! Some online shopping carts and platforms will offer yearly subscription services that offer discounts and free shipping for every item bought. Even when this is not the case, online buyers can save money because they have the ability to easily compare prices for the best possible deal.
When your competition is only a click away, there is a huge incentive to offer the lowest possible prices. Price has always been a critical component of ensuring sales, and the ease of price comparisons on the web, is an important benefit to online shopping.
Another price advantage of online shopping is that, depending on the state, many online stores do not charge sales tax, giving a huge competitive advantage to online retailers. But what about shipping prices? Many stores will offer free shipping if you purchase a certain amount.
3. Variety
Can’t find that specific electronic part or special edition toy in your local Walmart? No problem, because it’s very possible you’ll find it online. One of the benefits of online shopping is that specialty items, hard-to-find products, and almost everything under the sun is sold on the internet.
This is because online retailers do not have to hold inventory in every location, as they do in brick-and-mortar stores. Inventory is centrally located close to customers in fulfillment warehouses that can easily ship to online shoppers anywhere. The internet also makes it easier for specialty sellers because they don’t have to maintain a physical storefront to sell their products.
Lastly, international eCommerce is a big factor online. People selling on the internet are not competing with neighborhood stores, they are competing with everyone else selling similar products, whatever country they may be from. The ability to get your order shipped overseas is incredibly common these days and gives you more choice when shopping online.
Why Choose to Sell Online?
In short, there are major advantages of online shopping and good reasons to shop online. Online retail provides significant and obvious benefits over physical stores, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that large companies are seeing huge increases in online sales. Will there always be people who think 2-day delivery is too slow? Yes, and there will always be people who enjoy traditional shopping in stores and browsing as well.
Although some still believe the disadvantages of online shopping outweigh the benefits, the shift to online retail is not something that can or should be ignored, nor should the advantages of selling products online. If you’re looking to improve your order fulfillment process, it may be time to work with an experienced 3PL.
Rakuten Super Logistics offers convenient, reliable, and accurate 3PL fulfillment services, including subscription box fulfillment and return management, so your orders are packed, shipped, and delivered to your customers on time, every time. Request a quote today to see how we can help with lower shipping costs, faster delivery options, and a better shopping experience for your customers.
How has the internet made your online business possible?