{"id":56049,"date":"2020-06-26T16:36:56","date_gmt":"2020-06-26T21:36:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.cpanel.com\/?p=56049"},"modified":"2020-06-26T16:36:56","modified_gmt":"2020-06-26T21:36:56","slug":"moving-from-brick-and-mortar-to-an-online-presence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/devel.www.cpanel.net\/blog\/tips-and-tricks\/moving-from-brick-and-mortar-to-an-online-presence\/","title":{"rendered":"Moving from brick and mortar to an online presence"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The future of brick and mortar shops has been changing into a hybrid of traditional and digital, and the current health crisis is fast-tracking the digital experience.  As the stay-home orders came in, and only essential business could remain open with some others slowly opening with restrictions, the e-commerce industry and digital brands went into overdrive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brick-and-Mortar retailers traditionally offer products and services to their customers face-to-face in a storefront that gives them a unique advantage over only e-commerce businesses. Having a physical location provides a retailer with insight into their customer’s preferences and allows them to focus on a customer-based experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2020 it’s more about offering your customer a digital experience than merely adding an online shopping cart. Of course, a key component is an e-commerce system, but today we need to think beyond the cart and focus on your customer’s buying channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Knowing your customers buying channels:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In the past decade, we have seen a shift as customers spend more time on mobile devices than desktop computers and more time on their favorite social channels than browsing the internet. Understanding where and how to speak to your customers is crucial in today’s global marketplace<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(Image credit: Statista<\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A decade ago, e-commerce was a costly endeavor with only a single entry point, your website. Today, an online presence is more about social marketing and sales funnels than only offering products and a shopping cart. Selling products on social networks such as Facebook and Instagram and marketplaces like Amazon or eBay is no longer secondary. As we move into the next decade, it’s estimated that Social advertisements will be more attractive than traditional TV adverts to the next generation of shoppers. Statista<\/a> reported in 2017, 49% of people in the 18-29 age range report purchasing something after seeing a social media ad for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Top 5 reasons to use a multiple virtual storefront approach:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Creating multiple virtual storefronts within social networks and marketplaces creates multiple digital revenue streams and creates a personalized experience for your customers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Global Brand Reach<\/strong>: By offering multiple virtual points of entry, you extend your customer and brand reach.<\/li>
  2. Reach your customers where they live:<\/strong> Social selling puts your products in the palm of their hands virtually. <\/li>
  3. Extend and diversify your marketing:<\/strong> Being able to customize your message across multiple networks gives you the ability to pinpoint your customer marketing. <\/li>
  4. Feedback and communication:<\/strong> Communicate directly with current and potential customers. 63% of customers expect<\/a> companies to offer customer service via their social media channels, and 90% of social media users have used social media as a way to communicate with a business.<\/li>
  5. Data and Analytics:<\/strong> Finding a customer base on social networks helps build your online community, allows you to gauge the popularity of products, and helps you identify customers by common data points.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Choosing an e-commerce platform for your brick and mortar shop:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    There are hundreds of e-commerce software solutions today, ranging from free open source projects to enterprise-level software. The latest trend in e-commerce solutions comes from the Software as a Solution (SaaS) market with sites like Shopify\u00ae, and website builders like Squarespace\u00ae and GoDaddy. These SaaS companies offer an all-in-one solution but lack the customization and open source code found with e-commerce shopping carts like WooCommerce\u00ae for WordPress. As well if you already have a website moving to one of these proprietary SaaS platforms might not be easy or cost-effective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Luckily there are hybrid solutions available to set up a SaaS e-commerce platform on a pre-existing site or in your preferred CMS. One such platform is Ecwid, an e-commerce platform for small businesses. Ecwid offers the best of best worlds with a full SaaS e-commerce solution and plugins for the top content management systems. This hybrid solution allows you to share and sell products on any platform, your website, social, Amazon.com, and virtually anywhere you can embed a Javascript code!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    While lots could be written about selling on social media, today, we’re going to concentrate on e-commerce solutions that can be used no matter where you choose to sell, your website, Facebook, Instagram, Amazon.com, or even eBay!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    WooCommerce for WordPress:<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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    (Image Credit: WooCommerce<\/a>)<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    What started as a shopping cart plugin for WordPress has become the signature shopping cart. In 2015, Automattic Inc, the parent company of WordPress, acquired WooCommerce\u00ae. Since the acquisition, the team has focused on keeping the product viable in the ever-changing software market. Today, WooCommerce is a simple and powerful e-commerce system with scalable features to help you at every point of your digital journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Notable WooCommerce Features:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n