If you walk through the pedestrian zone, it becomes very clear: online trading has become a real business killer. Many shops are closed and for good reason. Shop rents are greatly inflated, electricity, taxes, regulations and non-paying customers do the rest. And finally, the Internet is convincing more and more customers to make their purchases online - cheaper prices and a wider selection are just two of the reasons, but unfortunately good ones.
Customers increasingly buy on the Internet
The Internet will continue to take customers away from the retail trade and shops in city centres. Many retailers will probably have to close their stores in the near future or expand to the Internet to reach the lost customers again.
A survey conducted by the Institute of Retail Research has confirmed that one in three shoppers has restricted trips to shops in cities and prefers to buy online, even though he or she can only hold the item in his or her hands a few days later and even though he or she cannot try, feel and examine it beforehand.
For you as an entrepreneur, the solution is therefore: Link your stationary Shop with an online shop.
Trade - online, offline or both?
Anyone who wants to open a shop or is already a shopkeeper will at some point ask himself the question: In which area can I achieve more turnover - online or in a shop? Perhaps both forms can be combined?
One of the most important reasons for an online shop is that it does not cost an additional shop rent. In addition, you need little or no additional staff for an online shop and thus do not increase personnel costs, but instead acquire new customers.
An online shop is also open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without requiring your presence. When an order is received, you will be notified by email.
Opening a business on the Internet is much cheaper than opening a shop. Of course, an investment is necessary here as well, especially if you cannot do the programming of your online shop yourself.
However, an online shop is particularly interesting if you already have a shop and thus products for sale and "only" have to put them on the Internet. Then the creation of an online shop is a one-time investment, but ensures that you are not only present online but also have an additional source of income. This becomes interesting at the latest when you can no longer keep your shop in the pedestrian zone open.
If you are aware of the fact that an online shop initially requires a lot of work and then needs your constant care (but this is reduced to a few hours a week), this is definitely an opportunity to expand and to make your business future-proof. Because if more and more shops in the pedestrian zone close, pedestrian zones become more and more unattractive for customers. The result is that customers are no longer willing to pay expensive parking fees and, in the worst case, to travel long distances to get to your store.
Online trade - not even just now
Before you start trading online, you should definitely be aware that there is a lot to learn. Because
For online trading, a different, more specialized knowledge is needed than for setting up a store. An online retailer should have a feeling for design, have already learned something about programming an website have heard and know that their products must be presented differently on the Internet than in a shop. Anyone who does not get involved in this topic in advance will need a lot of money for a successful start in online business.
An obvious disadvantage of an online shop is the lack of haptics. Your customers must be able to rely on your product images and the product description of your goods. The future customers cannot pick up the products in their hands or look at them with their eyes.
Returns, which can occur as a result, are a considerable disadvantage and also a cost factor for the online shop operator. Returns cost a lot of money. The returned goods can for example only be sold as used goods. It also costs time to prepare and process the return.
The most customer-friendly and cheapest option is therefore certainly to minimize returns. This can be done by creating a meaningful product photography and an accurate detailed description. Thereby you can get good pictures but also make use of videos of the products. Often the manufacturers offer materials here free of charge.
Conclusion
In order to make your business future-proof, you should sooner or later plan to enter the online business. Since it takes a while before your business gets going and can be found in search engines, it is a good idea to start expanding your business early.
