Having a website for a retail business is part of the new normal of 2020 and beyond. It is the common tech tool as the fax machine was for a while and as the phone was, and still is for many.
While corona has demonstrated the value of having a website, the reality is the need has been there for years and early adopters have been benefiting for years.
Here are several reasons for a website for any retail business. More than one reason may apply, it all depends on your circumstances:
- Pitching your knowledge. A website is a terrific way to show off what you know, to pitch your specialist status. It reinforces credibility.
- Price comparison. Whether you like it or not, it is common. If you are not online you are not even part of the consideration.
- Stock availability. Some shoppers prefer to find out is something is available through online searches rather than in-store shopping or calling. If you are not online you are not even part of the consideration.
- Selling 24/7. Some businesses do more online selling when their shop if closed than when it is open.
- Expanding your shopper reach. A website can have no borders, introducing you to shoppers you will never see in-store.
- Pivoting. A website can leverage your infrastructure and allow you to experience with products and or services that have no connection with your current shop.
The most common learning for retailers who go online is the discovery of what they didn’t know.
The challenge newsagents present most often when considering a website is what do I sell online. This is a decision only you can make.
My advice is start somewhere, anywhere, knowing that you will end up somewhere else, and, at some point, change again. yes, a website is a journey, a sort of never ending journey.
For ease, start with what you know, what you sell today. Alternatively, start with a single product or category.
Worry less about the usual – what others are selling or charging and how they pitch themselves. Work out ways for your pitch to be different. One way to do this is to have a personality through which to sell what you sell. This can feel like hard work but once you get into your groove you can see the website differently.
The key is start, start now. Online is big and growing.