There has been a surge in the number of eCommerce websites popping up over the past few years, and with good reason. Internet shopping has not only become more popular, it’s also much safer and more secure than it was years ago, when many people were still wary about giving their credit card details out online. Today, we choose to pay using our smart phones, with a growing number of people using Apple Pay. According to Apple Insider customers using Apple Pay were 92% more likely to complete their transaction.
More and more people are realising how convenient it is to shop online, particularly when they’re looking for goods and services that aren’t easy to find in their local area. This is especially true for people living in rural areas who may find it difficult to travel to the city on a regular basis.
People are also now more informed, giving them control over the buying decision. With the large adoption of eCommerce, consumers have all the information at their fingertips. Consumers dictate how they want to be marketed to and they can now decide where they want to buy from without just looking to the local shopping centre. 51% of Australian consumers even research products online before making an actual purchase.
Online Shopping is Growing in Popularity Daily
There are significant statistics around eCommerce and consumers buying habits. 53% of all US online sales growth in 2016 came from Amazon. With Amazon planning to offer its Prime service to Australian customers in 2018 it’s interesting to think how this will change the Australian market.
eCommerce websites are only going to become more popular as time passes. With technology progressing the way it is, and with people’s lives not getting any less busy, more and more people will shop online, and many traditional businesses will struggle unless they keep up and embrace innovation.
The progression of this technology is not slowing down by any means. Amazon is currently carrying out testing on a new delivery system, Amazon Prime Air. The service is designed to get packages to customers in 30 minutes or less using drones.
As today’s generation of youth don’t remember a time without the internet and mobile technology, demand for online stores is only increasing.
Shopping Cart Software Makes eCommerce Sites Simple to Use
eCommerce websites these days are built using sophisticated shopping cart software that make it easy for potential customers to navigate through and make purchases from. It is also much easier for business owners to update their own sites and even manage product inventory for both their online and physical store in the one place.
Most websites that offer products or services for sale need to be regularly updated to keep track of current prices, stock quantities and new product lines, so ease of use is incredibly important for the site owner
There are many platforms you can consider when taking your products and services online such as existing marketplaces eBay or Etsy.
However, you may want to consider a more tailored and custom website that’s unique to your business. This option is more beneficial, especially when creating a customer-centric website. This allows you to specifically meet your buyer persona’s needs and eliminate any pain points they may be facing along the way.
Two options are WooCommerce, which can be installed on a web hosting provider of your choice, or a hosted platform and an all-in-one solution such as Shopify or Neto.
