The Storefront Vs the Market Place
E-Commerce may seem like a new concept, but the reality is that its more similar to the real world than you may think.
Consider where you would go to shop on a day out. You would go to a mall or maybe a farmers market, maybe a seasonal flea market going on downtown. Or where would you look if you needed a plumber or a contractor. In the past you would check the yellow pages for the service that you needed.
With E-commerce you can find many platforms that help you to sell your products or services. These are Marketplaces where sellers compete with each other to sell their products. Everything is in one place and everyone knows where to go. You know these marketplaces as Amazon, EBay, Etsy. These places allow entrepreneurs to easily sell their products on a platform that already has a brand that people trust. They put a buffer in between the seller and the customer and also tend to have a simple method of advertising. They are the brand and you are a vendor on their platform.
In exchange for using a third party marketplace to sell your products you generally have to pay referral fees and are subject to their policy’s and decisions. You are also among many other brands and products that you have to compete with for market share.
The advantage of a Storefront is that you have full control over your brand and can build a loyal customer base with out the limitations that come with selling solely out of an online marketplace. having your own domain and a well maintained website or storefront not only allows you to have complete control of your business but it also allows you to interact with your clients in a much more impactful way which leads to product development and further innovation.
For a service business a website isn’t just an advertisement. its a place that allows you to instill confidence and convenience for your customers. It allows your customers to find you while enhancing the customer experience by streamlining transactions and improving communication.
Now more than ever building a brand on your website and doing business in the digital space has now become the norm. A small business can grow faster and leaner through Ecommerce and serve more customers. Provide an online community to get people excited about your products and your business.
