As a business owner, having an e-commerce website can be a great advantage over your competitors. There are many different e-commerce solutions available, which is why you should work with a professional web developer who specialises in e-commerce to advise you on the best option for your particular business.

E-commerce a growing trend worldwide. More devices are being used every day and this opens up a whole new market. Mobile e-commerce sales totalled more than $4.7 Billion in the U.S. alone, which is a significant increase compared to previous years. In South Africa, consumers are estimated to spend around 25% more than last year, indicating a significant growth in online sales. South African spent around R3.3 billion online in 2012 alone.

Running an e-commerce site means that you can offer your customers the ability to shop online without leaving their home. They can compare products instantly, look at features and prices and use this as a guideline to choose their product. Customers love to shop online as this is easy and they can do it from home, without having to travel or take time to go out and visit a store to find a product.

As an e-commerce owner, you can benefit in the following ways by having an e-commerce site:

• Make your products and services available online to your customers
• No need to have a storefront or pay additional rent
• You can even drop ship from your suppliers
• You can showcase a wide variety of products
• You can compete directly with your competitors
• Start-up costs are significantly lower compared to a regular store

Online marketing is just as important as having the site itself; around 71% of social media users are more likely to buy from a brand that they follow online. Another interesting statistic is that 95% of people who shop from their tablet device do so at home. This means that people are looking for convenience, making it even more important to have an e-commerce site to sell your products or services online.

Another benefit of having an e-commerce store is that you will gain new customers with search engine visibility. Your traffic will mainly come from search engines, helping you to boost your brand visibility online. Online marketing might be competitive but it can often be easier and more affordable than traditional forms of offline and print marketing. You also don’t need to hire additional store personnel, as you can manage your store in a simple web based environment.

Having your own e-commerce store is a great idea for any business. From lower start-up costs to easier marketing and maintenance, this is a great solution to business owners who need to expand their business and market to their customers. With a professional design and great management, your store can quickly gain momentum and you can establish yourself as a market leader in your field. We would be happy to assist you with all of your need online shop setup needs. Feel free to get in touch with us today.