Do you display and promote your products online but are yet to take the plunge and sell online? Well now could be the time and once you read our list of top ten reasons why an ecommerce website is the way go we’re sure you’ll agree!

• With ecommerce websites the world is your oyster. It might sound a bit cliché but if you have a physical store then you’re restricted to those in a certain geographical and are constantly reliant on footfall. If you sell online then you can serve anyone, anywhere.

• Tap into the world of search engines and throw your hat into the search ring to be included in the billions of searches that happen online every day. With a physical store and marketing you’re restricted to the right people being at the right place at the right time. On the high street we tend to stick to the brands we know but online its commonplace for searchers to follow a search engine result onto a website that they may not be familiar with but still result in a purchase.

• You could have much lower overheads. You don’t have to have a shop on the high street or pay business rents as you can operate your business from anywhere. Online marketing techniques such as social media and organic search engine traffic can be more cost effective than some traditional methods. Plus if you have an automated checkout and payment system you don’t need to pay for staff to man a till or sort out invoices as it’s all done for you. These lower overall business costs mean that you could pass these savings partly on to your customers and offer a much more competitive price.

• Ecommerce websites can be far more convenient for shoppers. They don’t have to trawl up and down the aisles looking for what they want, they can just search for a particular product, add it to their online basket and be in and out in a matter of minutes if they want and they didn’t even have to leave the comfort of their own sofa.

• Its far easier to compare products online so if you’re particularly competitively priced or offer something a bit different it’s easier to lure shoppers away from a competitors website.

• Online shopping means we can go to different providers for different items. We’re unlikely to go to Tesco’s for our milk then Asda for our fruit and veg then swing by Sainsbury’s for our bread on the way home. Online, it’s much easier to go from shop to shop depending on what we’re looking for and it doesn’t always mean the biggest brand wins.

• You can provide as much information in as much detail as you like. In an electrical retailers high street shop you’ll have a certain level of product information but space is limited and staff will need to constantly update their knowledge as product ranges change. Online you can include detailed product specifications, PDF’s and links straight to manufacturers for more information.

• Once you’ve got a customer’s details through them purchasing a product, signing up to your newsletter and so on, you have so many more touch points available to market to them and can build relationships with customers over time. We’ve all seen on the likes of Amazon, ecommerce websites that remember customer preferences and can recommend similar products and encourage repeat purchases.

• 24/7, 7 days a week. You don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn and open up your online shop and your customers don’t have to worry about your opening times either and the orders could be coming in while you’re peacefully sleeping at home!

• Ecommerce websites are fantastic for brands selling niche products and helping bring rare or specific products to people anywhere in the world.

So, if you’ve realised that ecommerce websites are the future of retail and are ready to open your business up to the online world and the sales opportunities this brings with it, then get in touch with us today. With a tailored ecommerce solution from Papersky we can tailor your online shop to suit your business from stock management to product variations and delivery methods and much more.