From brick and mortar to online commerce
We live in exciting times, and as Thomas Friedman mentioned years ago in his book “The World Is Flat” we are now super-empowered individuals.
Naturally, not anymore with Netscape, but with an estimated three billion people accessing the internet on a periodic basis1 anyone with basic internet connection has the opportunity to reach a never before imagined amount of people. With these super-powers there are also super-opportunities, specially for those delivering products and services.
One of the greatest opportunities for traditional brick and mortar businesses is to develop an online presence and transition to a mix of traditional and e-commerce model. With few simple steps almost any business can create an on-line store and almost overnight expand their market reach. For businesses whose target audience is the millennials this is more important than ever; sources indicate that 4 out of 5 millenials shop directly from mobile devices2 meaning that those businesses who not only have an online e-commerce portal but also a mobile-friendly e-commerce portal will bear an additional advantage over those who don’t.
Now, is e-commerce a silver bullet? a one-size-fits-all solution? certainly not. Many elements must be considered before starting an e-commerce site, including how to respond to the potentian increased activity (supply chain, production capacity, logistics and distribution), the selection of social media channels where the business will participate, newsletters if implemented, and the corresponding responsible owners. These factors and others combined characterize the e-commerce readiness of the business.
With all these considerations and several others not mentioned above, is e-commerce right for you? unfortunately the answer to this question is beyond the scope of this article; however, is something that our team can certainly address. Contact us at your convenience to schedule a discovery session, no commitments. We will be happy to assist you in making this important decision.
1 http://www.internetworldstats.com
2 2014 Millennial Survey, Instart Logic
