One of the myths of modern business is that there are essentially two types of businesses: brick and mortar businesses, and online businesses. Now, more than ever, traditional small businesses are expanding online, and finding that there are plenty of untapped markets available to them. At the same time, some businesses that have traditionally been online only have expanded into the brick and mortar world, as well.
Still, making the move from having a brick and mortar business to the web isn’t necessarily easy. There are some potentially serious roadblocks that you’ll face along the way, and if you’re not careful or not smart about it you can wind up investing a lot of time and money in an online presence only to find that it doesn’t contribute much to the bottom line. Just being on the web doesn’t guarantee success.
Here are some things that can improve your chances for success as you make the move from brick and mortar to the web:
Differentiate yourself from others. Whether it’s a price that no one can beat, a unique product or service offering, or stellar service, you need to have something that gives your business a competitive advantage. If you sell the same product for the same price as Amazon, you’re not going to have much business. It’s the same as offering the same product at the same price as Wal-Mart in your brick and mortar store.
Take extra care with shipping. You need to be upfront with your customers about how long it takes to ship a product. If it takes a week to get the product, pack it and then ship it, make sure the customer knows that up front. In addition, make sure that you don’t miss your shipping date.
Be patient. Just like it takes time to build a successful brick and mortar business, it takes time to become successful on the web. A user-friendly and attractive website combined with a competitive advantage and a handle on your shipping process doesn’t mean overnight success. It takes hard work and time to see your e-commerce revenue come in.
Doing these things doesn’t guarantee success. Many businesses that try to make the move from brick and mortar to the web find that, even years down the road, their business hasn’t substantially benefitted from trying to move to the web.
The good news is that doing business online doesn’t require you to have a real estate contract. In fact, many of the costs involved in starting an online business will have already been absorbed by the fact that you have a brick and mortar business. Moving to the web can be as inexpensive and simple as putting up a Yahoo! or eBay storefront, at least in the initial stages. In fact, depending on your type of business and your own comfort with technical procedures, you may not have to invest any money at all to make the move from brick and mortar to the web.
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