HOW CAN THE BUSINESS COMPETE WITH THE INTERNET?
Competing as an internet business with big online names such as Amazon and large traditional businesses that now have internet operations can seem like a daunting task, and one that you will never succeed in. But never fear. Every business no matter how small has to start somewhere. In fact, if anything, competing online with big competitors is probably easier than offline.
Here are some points that needs to be considered when trying to win customers to your online business:
Offer niche products
If you can offer something different to your competitors or add value in some way then you have a better chance of people shopping on your site. Many smaller online businesses offer niche products or offer 'something different' in the way of value to attract customers.
Competitive pricing
If you can offer products or services to match the price of big established firms then there is no reason why you cannot compete. Pricing is probably the biggest factor in gaining/losing customers.
User-friendly interface
Make sure you have a shop design on your site that is extremely attractive for customers to browse. Do not pack a page with too many pictures of products. Make sure you have a very adequate product description accompanied with a nice picture. Also, do not cram the pages with too much information.
Have a search box on your site so people can enter a product they are looking for rather than having to click on too many links to find the product they re looking for.
Description of products
A thorough description of products is vital because it has to act as a way of replacing the ability to have close up look and touch of the product that would be possible if they were at an offline store.
Search engine optimization
This is a very vital ingredient for small internet businesses because it is the source of much of the free traffic that they will generate. Optimizing the site and pages will increase you page rankings and increase the flow of traffic. Remember, no matter what page they arrive on, if they like the products and value then they will stay and return in future.
Advertising
If you have an advertising budget then you could carry out Google Adword, Overture campaigns to get directed traffic. These will come to your store having clicked one of your ads so they will have read the ad and liked something about it or it could be that you have bid enough for it to appear on the top of the listings.
Payment options
You should always provide all secure payment options as different customers will use different payment methods thats conveniant to them.
