Online Shop vs Physical Shop

For some customers nothing will replace the feeling of being able to go into a shop, see the product in reality and touch it with your own hands, or the feeling of strolling down the street with shopping bags on your arms. To some that feeling is a blessing, to others it’s a curse. Whichever side your customers or you might be on, the benefits of setting up and running an online shop are simply undeniable. In fact, many businesses nowadays do not even own a physical shop, and not just because of the current lockdown. Here’s why:

1. No bills!

Owning or renting a physical space for your shop will take up a large chunk of your monthly spending. You are required to pay rent, gas and electricity bills, and so on. But an online shop website will cost you less than a fraction of that! In some cases you will only need to pay a single time to have your website designed and set up, or a small monthly/quarterly/annual fee for hosting the website. It is so much cheaper that no wonder more and more businesses are moving online. You can operate your business from the comfort of your own couch! 

2. Larger and Varied Traffic

A shop set in a building can only reach so many people, and the customers that visit your shop are primarily from the location you’re set in. Foot traffic is key here, and while it is not at all a bad thing, you can’t hide the fact that your business might not be reaching its top potential in attracting customers. To have a business without a social media account is slowly becoming a thing of the past, and now to not offer deliveries can have quite the negative impact on your business. Whether it is food, products or even services, more and more people prefer to browse, learn and order in their own  time, at their own place. To not offer that would just be missing out on a large opportunity to expand your clientele!

3. Always Open

You know that guy up at 3AM browsing the internet to pick a new shirt for his impulse buy? Yeah, that one. Your shop won’t be open at that time to let him browse your awesome selection, nor will he be bothered enough to roll out of bed to even go there. Guess what. An online shop is always open. Your shop depends on a person to be there running it, or if you’re within a building that has operating hours, that will limit it, but not on a e-commerce website. Any customer at any time can have a look at your products and purchase them, and their order will be there ready for you to process.

4. All the Info

Yes, talking face to face is a fantastic way to share information about a product and encourage customer’s interest in it. There’s no denying that, but some people don’t want you to chat their ear off. An online shop will allow you to detail all the necessary information about both your business and your products, using photos, videos, 3D models, descriptions, FAQ sections, etc. And if a customer does need help after all that, don’t worry, there’s ways! You can offer online customer service through social media, such as Facebook Messenger, Twitter or Instagram, E-mail or you can even set up an Online Chat option on your website directly. That human touch will not be missing after all.

If this doesn’t convince you that having an online shop website for your business is invaluable, then let’s have a chat! We can talk about why it would be useful to your business specifically and perhaps how we could help you get on that e-commerce train and better your business. So don’t wait, please contact us through our website contact form, e-mail [email protected] or even contact us on 01382 221777.