Shopping habits, or why you need an online store

Over the last few years, people’s shopping habits have changed, so companies have become more in need of new sales channels. But what are people’s shopping habits and why would you need to set up an online store? We have compiled the most important reasons why creating an online store is important for your business! 

In Latvia, online shopping in the online store developed rapidly in the beginning of the pandemic, when people were forced to learn online shopping. Even such, well-known and widely visited grocery stores as Maxima and Rimi, in parallel with physical stores, created online stores with the possibility to purchase food and household goods remotely with delivery to the doorstep.

Now that the situation has improved and the physical stores are available again to each of us, have people stopped using this service? The answer is no. People are still very happy to take advantage of the opportunity, what they need for everyday life, to buy online, so that after a long day of work they do not have to visit the store, look for the necessary goods, mistaken themselves on the shelves of supermarkets and stand in long queues. At the moment, more and more people are willingly choosing to buy goods, products and services online, not because of the circumstances, but because this situation showed and proved that online shopping is fast, convenient and allows a lot of time. Let’s look at the most important pros of creating an online store.

Fast shopping without leaving home

At the moment, the vast majority prefer to shop online. Fast and convenient, with a few clicks, saving your time, making purchases without leaving home, or being in the workplace, in the lunch break.  Today’s people are so hasty and busy that 24 hours a day is no longer enough to get things done.

The opportunity to buy what you need in the online store greatly facilitates our daily life. Also, there are a lot of people who, due to some circumstances, do not physically have the opportunity to get to the store. For example, disabled people, elderly people with reduced mobility, or even if we are simply sick, the online store allows you to shop at home and get the desired goods at the very door. Also, allows you to make a purchase for another person by indicating the delivery address, for example, the address of your grandmother, who is difficult to use shopping and the Internet.

Availability at any time of the day or night

Unlike a physical store, which has a certain working hours, the creation of an online store provides availability of 24/7 throughout the year, providing an opportunity to shop for customers who want to do so outside the normal working hours of the company. You don’t have to be in person to serve your customers, so let the company earn money while you sleep or relax. Creating an online store makes it easier for customers to shop, allowing them to buy goods in a place and time convenient for them.

Reachability regardless of location

The location of the physical store allows you to reach only local customers and a passerby. Creating an online store, opens your business to a wider audience, no matter where the customer is located. You can reach your client even on the other side of the world. This is very topical for people who live in rural areas and who do not have the opportunity to visit supermarkets on a daily basis to buy everything they need for everyday life. Not to mention situations where, for example, a TV, washing machine, oven or mobile phone breaks down at home. An online store, with high-quality pictures, an exhaustive description of goods and fast delivery, can be an escape for those who do not have the opportunity to go to the physical store to buy the necessary goods.

Companies that have opened their doors to the digital environment reach customers who might never have ended up in a physical store.

Fast management and information transfer

Informing customers about discounts or news can take a lot of time. The creation of an online store provides an opportunity to inform each customer individually, for example, about the discount of the goods placed in the wishlist or some news, whereas there is no such possibility in the physical store. The trader cannot remember every customer and goods that the customer has liked. In the online store, managing these processes is fast and automated. This saves the trader’s time and allows each customer to be served individually. Also, you, definitely, in an online store you have seen the FAQ section (FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS). Creating such a section, in the online store, helps to save time on customer calls about goods, their processing, working hours, deliveries, payment, warranty or return of goods, and other issues.

Creating an online store on wordpress content management system gives you the opportunity tomanage your online store with an app on your mobile phone, which means that you don’t have to be at your computer all the time to process orders. You can easily do this from your mobile phone while sunbathing on the beach.

Low cost

The costs of setting up and maintaining an online store in the digital environment are much lower than the maintenance of a physical store (rent, repair, inventory,.c etc.). In the online store there is an opportunity to place an unlimited amount of products, whereas in the physical store it cannot be provided. As the range of goods grows, it may be necessary to look for new premises with a larger area, whereas in the online store it would be a new section or category that does not require a change in physical location.

When you create an online store, the cost of staff is also reduced, because it would take only one person to administer, or you can do everything yourself. But if you don’t want to do it yourself, or hire someone to administer an online store, you can also entrust it to a developer who will also help with tips on how to make your online store even more efficient and what tools or functionality to incorporate into your store so that it generates profits.

Remember!

Nowadays, customers, before purchasing a product or service, first search for and study it online, and only then is it purchased in an online store or in a store in person. The online presence helps to ensure that potential customers find information about your product and can compare your store’s offer with those offered by your competitors. When customers search online for products, you want to be among the best results.

Brand recognition is how much consumers know your brand. This includes the name, logo, ringtone or any characteristic features that the company associates with the brand.