Bricks to Clicks: Revolving from offline to online amidst COVID-19
Businesses across sectors are facing difficult times. However, it is physical stores―the brick-and-mortar establishments that are taking the worst hit and large number of offline businesses are pivoting to online and with good reason.
COVID-19 has made a huge impact on the global business climate. Difficult measures have been implemented and forced isolation has made it complicated for brick and mortar stores to function.
According to research, 45% of small and medium businesses do not have a website, over 70% of businesses are transitioning to ecommerce, and 71% of businesses are trying to catch up with the rising demands of customers. On the bright side, 41% of businesses are making the most out of the pandemic by maintaining and increasing their presence online across all channels.
Why omnichannel is important
The fear of getting infected has made people hesitant to step out, and a large number of customers have moved to online shopping. A planned omnichannel strategy will be rewarded with customer satisfaction and long-term loyalty. According to a report, 63% of customers use their mobile phones for research and purchase, 56% of customers want a shared cart across all channels, and 79% of customers want personalized service from brands. Businesses no longer depend on just one channel, as they have diverse channels to reduce risks.
Core elements for transitioning from offline to online:
Data management
Customer profiles, CRM
Technology integration
Touchless commerce
Payment integration
Security
Ways to go offline to online
Third-party commerce platforms: To start a business online, you need to create a website, select products, products to be shipped, and manage payment options. With an ecommerce platform ready, you can integrate reliable and feature-rich third-party ecommerce platforms to boost your revenue.
Own commerce portal: To take your offline business online you need to set up servers, buy a domain, select an ecommerce platform, create a website, configure payment and shipping methods, find out tax compliance, license, website security software, plan marketing, and SEO strategies, integrate omnichannel platforms, software, and strategies, and start selling your products or services online.
Advantages of owning a commerce portal
If you choose a large marketplace like Etsy, Amazon, eBay, and others, you may find multiple brands that are similar to yours displayed and featured there. Even if your products are unique, you may get lost in the sea of competitors.
Having your own/individual commerce portal will help you gain a competitive edge over the others, enhance your business image, improve the effectiveness of advertising, save money, increase leads and sales, improve productivity, easy to use and update, improve interactions with customers, improve customer service and build the trust of customers.
Need help on ecommerce omnichannel platform?
Our vision is to help our retail merchants to “swiftly” implement and accelerate growth of their online business. We want to be your trusted technology partners, so that you can focus on your business and we bring you the best of the best in retail commerce technology. We are making sure that your platform keep up with your business growth and give you competitive edge against your competitors.
For more information on Ecommerce Omnichannel platform, email us at marketing@gti.com.ph
Article reference:
https://www.tadigital.com/blog/bricks-to-clicks-from-offline-to-online-amidst-covid-19/
