Why Are So Many Australians Shopping Online?
All I have to do is glance around my office and look at all the designers buying goods online. Every day, couriers are coming in and dropping off products that have been bought online. Basically Aussies are buying online because of 2 very important factors:
- Ease and convenience. You can browse at your leisure without ever having to leave your seat. This is a no brainer and pretty self explanatory. Shopping online during your lunch break has never been easier. For busy people who are time poor, this is the perfect medium for them.
- You can easily get a good deal online. So may websites, equals better deals for the consumer. Think of all those daily deal websites. Plus retailers looking to lure the consumer are discounting heavily online through their ecommerce shopping website.
Do Businesses Really Need an Ecommerce Store?
The answer to this is so simple. If you are a retailer and you have not got an online presence through an ecommerce website, then you are missing out bug time and I do mean big time. It is almost insane to think that a business could ignore such a great sales and marketing opportunity. Basically, if you are not up with the times and think that your retail business can cruise along without an online strategy, then you should not be in business.
According to The Australian Bureau of Statistics, consumers in Australia spent well over $13.9 billion in the 2011-2012 period.
Many experts are predicting that the growth in the online retail market will anywhere between 17-20 % annually. And these figures is expected to grow exponentially. Amazing really to think that all this has happened in just the last 10 years.
Plus with the explosion of mobile phone usage, ecommerce websites for business is now a “must have’ rather than a ‘let’s think about it approach’. Those businesses wishing to take a back seat here will be missing out on huge opportunities.
How Do I Get An Ecommerce Shopping Cart for my Business?
Getting your business online is not about having some web company whip up a template site and off you go. It takes planning time and a strategy. Setting up a shopping cart requires working with a ecommerce web development company to not only design you a brilliant looking site, but also look at factors such as: search engine optimisation, site structures, user interface, the experience the consumer has on your website plus the path they take to actually purchase the product. A well thought out website will be a hell of a lot more powerful sales and revenue generating tool than a quickly slapped together site done in some third world country.
If you want to succeed online you have to really work with a company that knows it’s stuff. Make sure you do your due diligence and homework before green lighting any project. Go and visit their office and speak with your web development team and make sure they get a clear understanding of your business. Make sure you ask them about their SEO/social media strategy for you as well as how the site will look on mobiles and tablets ( this is a big area and cannot be ignored).
If your business needs to make the transition to a Sydney ecommerce store, Hopping Mad Designs web development team is ready to help. We have over 18 years experience in the online space plus designing and developing usable, very slick looking and trusted online shopping sites.