E-commerce businesses have boomed this year as businesses have had to close their physical stores due to national lockdowns across the world. The world of e-commerce was popular before the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the need for digital has never been so prominent. E-commerce can be very profitable for businesses as you have no overheads compared to the costs of running a physical store, you would need to invest in website development or an app development service. Once businesses start to open up again, you could benefit from having the physical store open and having an online presence for people that live further from the store or prefer the ease of online shopping. In this blog we will be explaining the pros and cons of having an e-commerce website or application for your business.
E-commerce is the activity of buying and selling goods or services online. Many of the top businesses around the world have an e-commerce website, this is what makes most of them international. They can have customers from around the world buying their products while on the go using the mobile application. E-commerce has developed into making products easier to purchase through online retailers.
E-commerce can be separated into four types that can describe the transactions between consumers and businesses.
● Business to Customer (B2C)
● Business to Business (B2B)
● Customer to Customer (C2C)
● Customer to Business (C2B)
The main reason that people shop online is that it saves them time. Rather than travelling to the shop and finding that the product isn’t in stock in store can be a nightmare. Online you can see if the product you need is in stock and you can order it with a click of a finger. Another pro of e-commerce is that the user can purchase something from your online store wherever they’re e.g. ordering a new t-shirt while on the bus. Also knowing that the product will be delivered to your home without having to carry them on public transports etc.
The location of a physical store has a massive influence on the range of people you’re likely to reach. It is an inconvenience for many if the physical store is a long distance from their home. An e-commerce website or app allows you to reach a wider range of people from different locations, without having to open another physical store in a different location. Another benefit of an online store is that you can be open24/7 7 days a week. You aren’t limited to standard opening hours of the shop and you’re also benefiting the so-called night owls who are up until the early hours of the morning shopping.
A lot of your customers that come into your physical store may come to browse but not purchase because they need some time to think. Unfortunately, a lot of customers may forget about buying the product at the end of the day. Retargeting Advertisement is a technological remarketing process where you can show the user products that they have browsed on your website before. This is a great SEO technique to remind the customers to come back and purchase the product.
Many online retailers include detailed descriptions about the product describing what the user should expect. However, this isn’t always accurate, so there is always some uncertainty regarding the quality of the product. You can help the person trust your product by having positive reviews on the website and Google. If the individual has a negative experience it can ruin their shopping experience.
Most products and services can be bought online, however, there are some exceptions to this. Products such as dresses, cars & and other types of luxury products are difficult to purchase online because you need to be 100%certain you want to buy the product. However, this is where Augmented Reality can come into play, an AR app built for retail could enable users to experience a product before they purchase it online.
Get in touch with our E-commerce App experts here at Red C who can help you with your E-commerce Mobile App Development in London which can transform your businesses procedures and help the user friendliness for your customers. Contact Us using our contact form or by phoning us.