WE are already past the halfway mark through the year, and it is clear that ecommerce won’t be slowing down anytime soon. More businesses are looking to establish online stores. According to Invesp, ecommerce sales are growing at 19% each year, worldwide.
For shoppers, the plentiful benefits are well known. Shopping online saves time, offers a greater product selection and allows for cost savings in terms of taxes, the price of the product and money saved on fuel. For retailers, the benefits are equally abundant. Let’s take a look.
1. Establish an Online Presence
According to researchers, more than 80% of the online population has used the Internet to purchase something. Your customers expect you to be available, and this presence allows you to keep up with the competition. Otherwise, your audience will be flocking toward your competitors to make an online purchase.
2. Attract New Customers
As a business owner, you want to grow your business and attract new audiences. Physical retail relies on branding and customer relationships, but online retail has the added benefit of driving traffic from the search engines. If a customer is doing a search for an online shopping market in Tanzania, for instance, they may land on Kaymu even though they might have never heard of it before.
3. Better Understand Your Customers
Salesforce.com research shows that 82% of sellers are out-of-sync with the buyer. With an ecommerce store, you have the ability to track your customers’ buying habits. What products are they most interested in? When are they likely to buy? What motivates them? All of this information can be used to sell more efficiently to your customers.
4. Boost Brand Awareness
Ecommerce will help your brand get more awareness in the online landscape. As you develop more web pages, the search engines can index them and boost your placement. It’s important to use good keywords in your content that are optimized for your audience, as this is what will drive traffic to your site. As your site gets more visibility, people will become familiar with your brand and reputation.
5. Equip Customers with Information
When you have an ecommerce site, you can provide as much information as you want, which customers appreciate. From the product description to customer reviews to shipping charges, you can arm shoppers with the information they need to make informed buying choices, and you don’t need to provide the staff to answer these questions. This leaves you with more time for other tasks around the workplace.
6. Drive Conversions and Sales
When you open up your business globally without any geographical or time constraints, you capture new audiences that you wouldn’t be able to reach otherwise. With a well-designed ecommerce site and a quality product, you can drive conversions and sales and experience a new level of growth.
The Head of Marketing at Kaymu Tanzania, AngazaNkurluadvised that, “Businesses are becoming more aware of the evolution from traditional offline shopping to online shopping. As customers realize and take advantage of ecommerce, competition becomes heavy for companies. Without online presence, it is very hard to compete in any market. Ecommerce is no longer a luxury for today’s businesses. It’s a necessity. Without ecommerce, you’re limiting the potential for growth. “
About Kaymu
Kaymu is the leading online shopping community, and the safest platform on the market. It connects and empowers buyers and sellers to allow them to take advantage of the best deals on an extensive range of products including electronics, mobile phones, fashion items and tons of gadgets. Thanks to a fixed price system, Kaymu guarantees that users will always find the lowest prices on the market.
About AIG
Africa Internet Group introduces and accelerates the online shift in Africa – for its people and its culture. It is committed to running successful and vibrant internet companies which boost the evolution of African online culture. AIG is the parent group of nine successful and fast-growing companies in more than 25 African countries, accounting for over 3, 000 staff. AIG cares about entrepreneurship and brings together all the key elements required to build great companies: team, concept, technology and capital. Its network of companies includes JUMIA, Kaymu, Hellofood, Lamudi, Carmudi, Zando, Jovago, Lendico and Easy Taxi.