Should You Be Doing Ecommerce?

Online shopping is growing at an impressive rate, with no signs of stopping. For most consumers today,  online and offline shopping opportunities meld together into a seamless omnichannel experience — or, if they don’t, consumers notice it negatively.

Adding ecommerce to the mix is therefore a different question today. Where in the past the decision might have rested squarely on how much return on investment could be anticipated in the form of sales, today there’s more at stake.

Here are some things ecommerce can do for you:

• Promote sales of your products, especially second-time sales and sales to people in markets where you have limited distribution. Now that ecommerce can be done economically on a small scale, it makes sense for any manufacturer to sell products online.
• Increase the value of your website to your customers. A good example here would be a vet’s office that sells pet grooming products or a spa or salon that sells skincare products. Your clients may be ready to buy more products before their next visit.
• Offer market research through web analytics. The value of this information can be great enough that it’s worth adding a product or two even if you don’t normally sell products at all. If your logo looks great on a T shirt or your catch phrase would spice up a coffee cup, you can sell an item or two and get an extra layer of information.
• Sell products that don’t produce enough turnover on retail shelves. Back to CPG companies here — that lipstick shade with a cult following or the gluten-free version of your bestselling mix might not be right for Walmart, but you can make it available as an online-only special for your loyal customers.

Adding ecommerce capability to your website is more economical and practical than ever. We’ll be talking about ecommerce all week here at HadenInteractive.com, so check back and we’ll take you from the “why” to the “how.”