Why an online shop is better than an offline shop
MAFPELS COMPANY'S BLOG
Future entrepreneurs are often faced with the dilemma of whether to open a retail outlet (e.g. in a shopping centre) or an online shop. The question of whether to open an e-commerce platform is also asked by offline business owners who want to expand. Internet sales have a number of undoubted advantages. First of all, it is easier and cheaper to open an online shop. Read more about other advantages in the blog of Mafpels trading.
Available around the clock, all year round
Online orders are received around the clock, regardless of store hours, weekends or the weather outside. Yes, there may be restrictions on receiving orders by phone or courier (due to staff schedules), but the ability to check out via the website shopping basket will always be available. You'll get orders even when you're not working.
Reach a wider audience
An offline shop is tied to a specific location. Its customers will be people who live and work in that area. If your shop is in a shopping centre, you will only reach people who commute there. With an online shop, your audience is not limited by city, region or country.
Before you can invite customers into an offline shop, you need to procure the goods. A person needs to be able to see, touch, try on, etc. Money is needed to buy the goods. Empty shop windows do not attract customers. An online storefront is a website with photos and information about the goods. You can display the entire list of products that the supplier can provide. This can be tens of thousands of items. The range can be virtually unlimited. At the same time, there is no need to purchase goods in advance.
Business is all about numbers. The more you analyse the indicators, the more you can earn. With complete information, you can better understand cause-and-effect relationships: what influences demand, where customers come from, where you need to invest more, etc. In an online shop, statistical services allow you to track customer acquisition channels, the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, the cost of a customer and much more. This is much harder to do in a bricks-and-mortar store. For example, in order to determine the conversion rate, you have to count almost manually how many people visited the shop, what they were interested in, how many of them bought goods, and so on. You can also use special programmes that make such calculations using video surveillance, but in this case there is likely to be a large margin of error.
Virtually unlimited range
Lower costs
It is much cheaper to start trading online than to open a traditional shop. In particular, an online shop requires a smaller and less expensive premises. You can get by with your home at the start. And if you are working with dropshipping, you will not need any space at all to store goods. An online shop will also cost less to run than a bricks-and-mortar shop.
More powerful analytics
Customised solutions
If you are planning to start your own business or expand an existing one, Mafpels specialists are ready to provide you with the necessary assistance. Our company offers a unique range of tailored solutions to help our clients achieve their business goals. We guarantee a high level of service and maximum efficiency in the implementation of our clients' projects.