The truth is: we live in a digitally-driven and convenience-focused society. This environment has given rise to a growing community of online shoppers – which is fast becoming a market that simply can’t be ignored.
Research shows that the number of people who purchase products and services online is growing at a healthy rate. By 2022, researchers predict that there will be 3,35 million e-commerce users in Ireland, who will spend an average of 1,691.28 USD online.
With such a large group of people shopping from their beds, couches and office chairs – you may be putting your business at a disadvantage if you don’t cater for this type of consumer. Even if you just provide a simple click-and-collect service with no door-to-door delivery offering, you’ll be offering a level of convenience and flexibility that many of your bricks-and-mortar-only competitors are not.
Selling online is all about maintaining a competitive advantage. To stay relevant, you need to keep pace with customer buying behaviour and expectations.
It’s not as tricky as you may think
Many smaller or more traditional companies may be concerned about the cost and complexity of setting up an online shop. Fortunately, it’s more affordable and less challenging than you may think.
With the right digital development and design partner, you can create a website and e-commerce platform that is quick to build, cost-effective to run, and easy to update and maintain. Alternatively, if you already have a website, you can consult with your agency to help you turn this into a revenue- generating asset.
It’s not an either/or situation
It’s also important to understand that e-commerce does not have to replace your physical store. No matter how advanced technology gets, there will always be customers who want to see and interact with physical products or meet a service provider face-to-face. With the right approach, you can create a customer experience that flows seamlessly between your offline and online sales platforms.
Think of your online store as a way to extend your bricks and mortar retail offering. You’re offering added flexibility, you’re extending your shopping hours to 24/7, and you’re catering for your customer segment that prefers to avoid busy high streets and queues.
Keep customers’ money and data secure
Of course, you also need to be aware of the legal aspects of selling and marketing online. It’s critical that any e-commerce platform you own is fully compliant with the relevant laws that govern your industry and markets.
For example, any entity that processes, transmits or stores payment card data must comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS). And any business distributing products and services via the internet in the EU must comply with the European legislation on e-commerce regulations, which include the new data privacy laws (GDPR).
However, there’s no need to let all this red tape prevent you from progressing with the times. With an expert digital partner by your side, you can gain a clear understanding of your compliance obligations. You can then develop an e-commerce platform with all the necessary content and functionality to ensure you stay on the right side of the law.
We can help
At Kri8it, we have extensive experience in developing e-commerce solutions for a wide range of businesses, big and small. We’re perfectly positioned to offer you a cost-effective, compliant and future-proof online store; and we can develop a solution that is as simple or complex as you want it to be.