If there is one thing that the pandemic has taught us is that times can change in matter of minutes. A government announcement to stay locked inside took just a couple of minutes, and the business world came to a standstill.
All the non-essential stores were closed, not just in the UK, but the world over. Closure to the business meant a closure to income and you know what happens then.
However, did you know that when the physical stores were shut down, the online ones were working full-time and operational?
Amazon, being the biggest e-commerce company, was up and running throughout the pandemic, making sales and earning bucket loads of money to add to its billions of dollars’ revenue.
So, what lesson do we learn here?
The lesson that the most difficult times our generation has taught us is the fact that every business needs a virtual presence to stay afloat in the present. Now, since the affects of the pandemic are not waning anytime soon, you need to start looking for ways to make the transition to an online persona for your start-up.
The up-and-coming businesses need the shield of a website or an application more than the already established businesses. The reason is simply their newness.
Let me try to explain this notion with a little more elaboration. Continue reading to find out.
Elevated Exposure
A business would only be successful when it is exposed to its target audience at as wide a level as can be.
Now, a physical location is a great start; however, it is not really a great end. You, as a budding entrepreneur need to know that the customers you would target through your store would be limited. These would be people who walk by, the customers who have heard about you through a friend of a friend, and that is about the extent of it.
With a website, you will be on the internet and you know internet does not come with a limit. A simple Google search for a pair of shoes by someone in York could land him on your website that is operational from Edinburgh.
This kind of an exposure can never be sought without a website or an application.
Elevated Goodwill
A start-up is just building its name and reputation in the market. It needs a platform to help it get the word out. All of its products, the company motto and what the organization stands for needs to be told to the customer, only then would it seem trustable to the potential buyer.
Now, where does the start-up find a platform like this?
The answer is in a website.
Your business’ website is bound to give you the perfect opportunity to paint the perfect picture of your business; the reason being the fact that you are the controller of the dialogue.
Many businesses not only use the website to promote their products and services, but also to promote the business’ good deeds.
Whether the business is vegan and cruelty free;
Whether the business is fulfilling the social responsibilities;
Whether the business stands by the labour laws and implements them in its work culture;
Whether the business is supporting the society in difficult times through charities and donations;
These kinds of things actually paint a start-up in a good light and compel a buyer to click on the buy tab and make a purchase simply because the appeal is too much.
Speaking from personal experience, I was looking for a loan for people with low creditworthiness. I scoured through various websites and finally landed on one. The “About Us” page of this particular site talked about how it does not differentiate between the borrowers based on their gender and race. It had 30% borrowers who were black women, and I was beyond impressed. I applied for unsecured loans for bad credit from this direct lender only to receive an approval within 5 minutes.
Now, do you get how important a website can be for business?
Elevated Connectivity
Through a website and an application, you can always say connected with your current and potential customers with ease from anywhere at all.
All the new additions in your products and services can be informed to the customers;
All the price drops, discounts and sales can be informed to the customers;
All the restocks of sold out products can be informed to the customers;
Apart from you being the informer, the customer can also ask you for anything he may need. An online presence promotes two-way interaction.
If the customer is happy with his purchase, he can put a post on your website as his testimonial.
Even if the customer did not like your service, he can still mention the same as his grievance and you will get the opportunity to sort it out.
Such a communication is quite difficult to maintain without the involvement of a website.
Elevated Savings
When you have a physical location for our business, a major portion of your income goes into rent each month. A store on Oxford Street may be a wise business choice, but it is going to a quite expensive choice.
However, if you conduct your business online, you will not need to pay rent, just a one-time payment to the developer to design it. You can send out all the orders from your garage, it would not matter as long the website is functioning properly.
Kylie Cosmetics, a billion dollar make-up brand does not have physical stores anywhere in the world. It solely sells its products online or in the seldom pop-up shops.
Even marketing a website is economical than marketing a store, because of the former’s convenience.
Your business can be successful without an expensive physical location, but it would not be able to prosper as much without an online location.
All of these result in making the business blossom and flourish to tough the heights of glory. If you want that for your start-up, you would have to build a website or an application.
