The small business
world and its customers are constantly changing, so you are always changing. Your
company has kept up with the trends and changes in how customers pay for
products and services. From cash-only to
checks to credit cards - you've adapted your business & systems
accordingly.
Everything came down
to a business decision. Is the money there? Is the timing right? Will
this keep my existing customers happy AND bring in new ones? The new
question - is adding ecommerce capabilities to your website the next necessity?
Beyond Ebay & Amazon
Ecommerce is a
product of economic and tech evolution. In most minds,
ecommerce = Ebay and Amazon. As
these companies boomed, people
started trusting their credit card information to the web. With their
popularity, Ebay and Amazon blazed the trail for any product based company to
sell online.
Consumer acceptance has now opened the door for service-based
companies to add online payments to their repertoire. Gym memberships, insurance instalments,
account / bill payments, donations; now you
can accept payments for any service with an ecommerce system.
Keeping Up with
Convenience
Our need for
convenience set off the ecommerce boom. This accessibility brings
benefits to both your company and customer. Ecommerce takes the sales &
customer service pressure off your business. The customer in turn controls the
buying & payment process on their terms. It’s a win-win:
·
Your win: A crucial
selling tool and added revenue.
·
Your
customers’ win: Getting what they need, when they need it, on THEIR time.
The Consumer Has
Spoken
The trend is clear
and the statistics are staggering: US consumers will spend an average of
$1,472 per year online between now and 2016. Ecommerce has done nothing but
grow in recent years:
·
In 2011, the total tally of US online
receipts hit $202 billion
·
It climbed to $226 billion in 2012
·
Ecomm spending projects to spike another 45%
to $327 billion in 2016
·
In 2012, total worldwide ecommerce spending reached
$1 TRILLION
Is Ecommerce right for your business?
There is no better
time than right now to weigh your options. Start by researching ecommerce systems that
are specific to your industry. Look at
your competitors' websites to see if they have incorporated online purchasing
or payments. Print up an Accounts
Receivables report to see if ecommerce can help streamline the payment
process. Get input from employees &
customers. Ultimately if you determine
that now is NOT the right time for ecommerce, it's something that should
stay on your radar to be re-evaluated every couple of years if not more
frequently.
