Why create your online store?

Do you have a physical store and are now looking to develop your business online? Discover some reasons that will push you to consider creating an e-commerce site.

In 2016, more than 72 billion euros in turnover for e-commerce. These figures are dizzying and yet you feel little concerned.

You probably think that these figures only concern web experts, that this is of little interest to you and you therefore prefer to concentrate on your physical and local business.

However, you have more to gain than you might anticipate from creating a website. Surprised? Here are some reasons to take the plunge and create the winning mix: physical and online store:

The web: an essential tool for every consumer

France has approximately 52 million Internet users, or 82.9% of the population (October 2017 figures from Médiamétrie). The web is now an integral part of our daily lives and represents a colossal source of prospecting.

These users are buying more and more online with a budget that continues to increase over the years. Indeed, according to FEVAD figures, the 37 million online buyers (i.e. 7 out of 10 Internet users who have made a purchase) placed an average of 33 orders in 2017 (compared to 28 in 2016) for a total amount of 2,184 €. This annual basket was three times less important ten years ago since in 2007, it was €763.

This progression will continue in the years to come. Indeed, the e-commerce market exceeded 80 billion euros in 2017 and it is expected to exceed 90 billion in 2018 and 100 billion euros in 2019.

This market is particularly driven by the brilliant growth of m-commerce, in other words commerce carried out via mobile Internet. In 2017, around 1 in 3 buyers used their smartphone or tablet.

All these figures clearly demonstrate that purchasing behavior has evolved and that being present on the web by opening an online store has become necessary for a merchant.

Placing an order from home while sitting on your sofa or at your service location saves time.

As a result, today for many companies that already have a physical store, creating an online sales site has become essential in order to meet the needs of buyers.

On the other hand, ordering online and then collecting your products in store is an essential service that most online retailers offer. Some have adopted click and collect, notably Darty, Boulanger, Auchan, Sephora.

All this to create an online store.

Intensified visibility

With your store, you are only open 40 hours per week: for example Tuesday to Saturday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and closed between 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Creating an e-commerce site allows you to be open even when your physical store is closed. With a website, your business is open 24/7. Therefore, you can make sales even during the closing hours of your physical store.

A rapprochement of borders

Let’s continue in the same vein as the previous idea. you no longer exclusively reach the inhabitants of your city but you can reach all of France and beyond.

If your site is in French, it is true that you will primarily reach a French-speaking clientele but if you offer a site in several languages by translating it for example into English or Spanish, you can hope to reach the countries speaking these languages, the tourists and even foreign residents living in the territory.

Opening an e-commerce site allows you to expand your customer base, attract new markets and therefore increase your turnover.

Falling costs

When you have a physical store, you must pay for your sellers, your premises, your advertising activities and all other expenses related to your store.

Creating an e-commerce site allows for considerable savings as transaction costs are reduced and there are fewer mediators.

It is important to also plan for the cost of maintenance, marketing and communication if you want to make yourself known and stand out from your competitors.

A personalized relationship

With a website, you can collect data on your prospects and customers through forms. For example, by setting up a newsletter subscription you will obtain the email address and occasionally the first and last name of the person subscribing.

During online sales, you will obtain several pieces of information about your customers such as their first and last name, delivery address. You can even ask them for more personal information such as their birthday, their hobbies, the number and name of their children …to send them specific information. This collected data is important because it allows you to implement marketing strategies.

So, every month you can send them a newsletter presenting your new products or promotions. Additionally, you can send them a specific email based on the actions they take. For example, you can send a reminder email after an abandoned cart, a thank you email after an order or an email to wish them their birthday.

Offer more products than in store

In your store, you have a limited sales and/or storage area and therefore the number of products that you display to the public is reduced.

With an online store, you have no limits.

It would be better to first offer the products on your e-commerce site before selling them in your store to know whether they will be a success or a failure.

A higher average basket

The average basket on an e-commerce site is higher than that in a physical store because on the web you are not in as much of a hurry as in a store and on most sites, products are added to the basket by a click.

In addition, shipping costs are usually free from a certain amount. Psychologically, Internet users prefer to add 1 or 2 additional articles than to pay a few euros in fees.

Easier shelf and online management

In your physical store, when you put a product on the shelf, you generally move other products. When the product is heavy or bulky, the mission proves difficult.

With an e-commerce site , putting products online is done very quickly, easily and immediately, no need to add the same product several times, you just need to indicate the quantity of product available for each and above all no need to allow time to pass before the product is put in place.

If you want to modify the characteristics or visibility of a product or simply delete it? Don’t worry, the manipulation is done in just a few clicks.

A full-fledged means of communication

Creating an e-commerce site allows you to have your own means of communication. After inserting your product categories and products, your site can become your own communication medium.

So, you can communicate about your products, highlight your special offers, insert photos or videos, highlight your new products, collect customer reviews, write blog articles and then promote them, etc.