Put simply, e-Commerce is the sale and purchase of services and goods over an electronic medium such as the internet. It involves electronically transferring data and funds between two or more parties, it is online shopping as we know it.
E-Commerce has continuously developed since its emergence in the 1990s and has evolved even more with the emergence and smartphones. Now you can search for practically any product online and have it shipped to your door without having to leave the comfort of your home.
An e-Commerce website is a portal that allows online transactions of goods and services through transferring information and funds over the internet. With a single website, anything that a transaction needs can be executed online.
There are different e-Commerce websites for every field, the most common that consumers will see is retail selling, but there are many others such as auction websites, business-to-business services and music portals. By creating an e-Commerce website for your Gold Coast based business, you are eliminating the need for a physical store location while increasing product sales.
Customers are looking for the easiest and cheapest way to purchase products and services and hence look to online stories for their desired items. The presence of an online store not only helps you retain new customers but generate new ones as well.
Here is why your business should have an e-Commerce platform:
1. Greater Reach
- Before e-Commerce websites, a customer had to physically travel to a shopfront and peruse products or services before deciding if they wanted to purchase. Nowadays, no matter where your customers are in the world, you can sell your product or service, enabling you to reach a much broader audience compared to traditional commerce methods.
2. Open 24/7
Your virtual store is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Your customers don’t have to worry about regular store hours or public holidays because your e-Commerce website is always open and available for anyone to purchase items.
3. Easier to Run Than a Physical Store
Gone are the days where you have to worry about the prime location for a shopfront, fitting out the store, running multiple stores, cleaning, hiring staff, working out a roster and paying weekly rent and staff pay. An e-Commerce platform eliminates these stressors and makes it far easier to set up and run. There are many great website development and management companies that can assist you in this task.