How to save your business during the pandemic with an online store
Keeping an active business during the pandemic is difficult, but not impossible. Maybe your business plan was messed up, you got to invest in something that didn't pay off and now you're wondering what to do next: continue with the business or declare yourself defeated by the pandemic? We believe that a successful business has both ups and downs and you must know how to adapt to any situation. Even if various activities seem blocked for an indefinite period, thanks to the times we live in, your business could have a great advantage: the online environment. So, if you haven't moved your business online yet, now is the time to do it. And to better understand why we support this, we have created for you a list of reasons why developing an online store can save your business.
1. Online stores gain advance
One thing is certain that the pandemic has changed people's behavior regarding the way they do their shopping. According to the statistics presented during the GPeC SUMMIT Online event on November 2, 2020, the Romanian e-commerce market grew by 41%!
But the figures for this year would not stop there. By the end of the year, an increase in e-commerce sales of up to 6 billion euros is estimated. And not only sales have increased, but also the number of people shopping online. Thus, comparing with 2019, in 2020 the number of buyers increased by 13%. Moreover, Romanians were willing to spend more in online stores than last year, this increase being 41%.
Another increase was also felt in the choice of payment method. Compared to 2019, more Romanians now chose to pay by card, instead of cash payments, registering a 17% increase. All these increases in e-commerce are closely related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, the various protection measures that were introduced led to behavioral changes regarding making purchases, and the brands that adapted to the online environment had nothing but to gain.
2. SEO, how an online store stays in focus
A well-designed SEO strategy will bring you the fruits you expect, even during the pandemic. Choose your strengths and highlight them on the website and social networks. That way you will stay in the attention of your consumers and you will even attract others.
When people are looking for a service or product, they search for certain keywords on Google, and the first results will attract their attention. Conversely, if you are on the second page, for example, your store will not have visibility. To draw a parallel between physical and online stores, we can compare the first results on Google with the stores that are located on the main streets. A store with a good location will quickly enjoy a large flow of buyers, due to its strategic position. Conversely, a store on a side street will need more advertising to get noticed and will have a harder time bringing in new customers.
A similar thing is done by Google algorithms. It's just that in the case of a physical store, the location is a fixed thing, hard to change, and in the case of an online store, the positioning on the pages can change thanks to an SEO strategy. To achieve optimal results, you need specialists to be with you.
We at Prologue are always up to date with all things SEO and some of the clients we've brought to the top of Google are:
- circuits + country - Parallel 45
- extendable sofa set with armchairs - Maxinova
- Russian lip augmentation - Aesthetic Art
- rhinoplasty doctor - Dr Antohi
- containers for sale - Teracontainer
- web design - Prologue
- photo equipment rental - Artklub
- online furniture store - Modela
- online travel booking software - Wbe Travel
- sofa sets - Maxinova Furniture
- implantology Bucharest - Implantodent
- Cruises - Cruises.net
- beds and bed bases - Ideal Homs
- circuit Italy - Interra
- classic wooden doors - Urbanna Factory
- bakery equipment - Novapan
- hockey equipment - Lancom
- hydraulic blocks - Cerob.ro
3. Build an online store that users like
As I said above, if you have not yet built an online store, it is the right time to do it, but if the online store already has a base, try to improve it and increase the quality of the experience of users, who may or may not become your customers . Getting to a physical store requires time, consumption and travel. But online, stores are just a click away, and users have plenty to choose from, without making any effort. Thus, if the appearance of your site or the interaction with it is not to the liking of visitors, nothing will stop them from moving on to the next result offered by Google.
Therefore, you must take care of factors related to web design and do not ask yourself the question "how would it be easier?", but "how would it be wiser?". Also, think that everything should be on the plan of your target, and not necessarily you, starting from the colors and the arrangement of the online store. And if you feel overwhelmed by all the aspects you have to take into account for creating an online store, choose a Web design agency that will do all these things for you.
Thus, with the right help and advice, you will be sure that the results will not be long in coming. Just as a physical store with an intriguing appearance can attract more customers, the same thing happens in an online store, here the web design has its say. But not only the appearance is among the things you have to take care of, but also how fast your site loads, how intuitive it can be used and, of course, it must incorporate the possibility of paying by card.
We are here to help, as we have done and continue to do, for a long list of brands. Not only do we offer personalized help, but we take into account the trends in web design, so that together we can achieve the best results.
Here are two projects we are proud to present:
www.studiumonflowers.ro – Online flower shop
www.eastset.com – Film production studio
4. The real target of an online store
The most important thing when creating an online store is to know exactly what your target looks like. You can get carried away by appearances, think that your audience consists only of a certain category and neglect others, or even create even deeper confusions, your vision of your buyers being totally different from the truth. Well, if in a physical store it is more difficult to take into account the people who step on your doorstep, in an online store it is very easy to take this aspect into account.
Thus, among the biggest advantages that a website brings is the fact that you will have clear statistics, without effort, through Google Analytics, for example. You will be able to find out the number of people who visit your site usually (regular visitors) or even how many users visited your site only once (unique visitors). You can find out how many times a page was read or visited (page views or impressions) or how many people chose to leave the site without reading what is on the page where they entered (bounce rate). Another thing you can find out is how much time people spend on the site (average time on site). With all this data at hand, you can change your strategy on the fly or adapt it to your target, depending on his behavior.
5. The importance of reviews for an online store
Reviews have become extremely important for the success of an online store. Since there is a wide range of brands, regardless of the category, people let themselves be guided by the opinion of other users, related to the services and goods received. This is an advantage that supports the importance of developing an online store.
Therefore, compared to the period when the online environment was not an advantage to use, and buyers told their experiences only to people in the spatial proximity, in the online environment a review can be found by anyone surfing the net. A good review will automatically bring in more buyers.
Unexpected things like the COVID-19 pandemic should not stand in the way of your business development, especially with the online environment just waiting to be exploited. Save your business during the pandemic with an online store, and if you don't know where to start, contact us: email - office@prologue.ro, phone - 031 428 48 85.
Read also:
How is an online store influenced by social networks
How the online store creation service helps you in your business
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