For years, I have witnessed major retail brands settling for second best and treating their website as a secondary marketing tool. That is until now, where I have seen a major shift in retailers attitude towards their digital environment.
What has happened is that most major retail chains, have seen physical foot traffic at their stores go down, combine this with high rents, staffing issues and the website, now seems like a great marketing alternative to focus on.
Retailers have also discovered the wonders of utilising social media and content marketing through their blog as a way of engaging with their audience and customer base. Their website is the perfect medium to bring all these external marketing platforms together nicely.
What I can tell you is that most successful online retailers have begun to treat their website with a level of respect that was unbelievable in the past.
Retailers are now looking at using credible web agencies, and are prepared to pay for this service to manage and bring to the table, new ideas that will ensure users not only find the website ( through SEO), but make a purchase. They are relying on these agencies more and more to add value on a constant basis to their site and in a way be a online business consultant. This is becuase there are so many variables when it comes to the online world, that the Australian retailer now needs serious professional help.
Old school retailers, who have not updated their site in years are now contacting us at Hopping Mad Designs to help them stem the tide of sliding revenues and turn their website into a profit making machine.
It’s truly amazing. It’s like the wool has been peeled back over their eyes and they can now visualise what their eCommerce website can actually do for them. As an example have look at the way retailers are now incorporating Instagram into their website and using this tool to get business.
The future is now and the clever retailers have finally woken up and discovered a wonderful thing called a website!