Americaneagle.com recently teamed up with Discovery Clothing, a women’s clothing store with over 30 retail locations in Chicagoland, Florida, Wisconsin, and Indiana, to design, develop and launch its first ever ecommerce website.
Moving your business online can seem overwhelming, but online shopping is hugely popular and continues to grow, so the rewards are well worth your efforts.
Why move your business online?
Whether you’re a small or large retailer, there are so many reasons to move your business online. Here are just a few reasons it’s the right decision for you:
Freedom & Flexibility
Running your business online gives you the kind of freedom and flexibility that owning a bricks-and-mortar store front can’t. If you want the freedom to travel the world or move to Fiji, you can, you’re not tied to the location of your storefront, and can operate your business from anywhere with a reliable internet connection. There’s also no need to stick to traditional 9am-5pm hours – your customers can view and purchase your products online at any hour of the day, so you can put in your hours whenever works best for you.
Widen Your Customer Base
If you’re running a physical store from a single location, or even from multiple locations, the only customer likely to encounter your store are those living in, working in, or travelling to the area your store is located in. Your storefront is static, and your customer base can start to feel a little static too. Moving your store online means you’re opening up a world of possibilities – in fact, the ability to serve customers the world over. If you’re looking to grow your business, it’s an essential step to success.
Low Start-Up Costs
While creating an ecommerce site that represents your brand can be a lengthy process, start-up costs can be relatively low compared to opening a retail storefront, particularly when taking into consideration the cost of building, renting or maintaining multiple properties.
Improve Your Brand Image
Having an online store can improve your brand image and recognition, and make a small local business look more professional. Our Strategy and Design team can work together to help you create a unique site that you’ll be proud to have representing your brand, tailored to the demands of your target customers.
Customer Support
Having a website gives your customers an easy way to get in touch with you or solve any issue online. A simple FAQ page can solve queries, customers can read product descriptions online to find out more about what they’re looking at before they buy, and if they still have questions - they can submit a simple contact form to get in touch with you directly. To engage and educate your customers, you could even write blog posts and host webinars.
If you’re already convinced that ecommerce is the next step for your business, or would like a little more advice to help you make the decision, get in touch with us! Americaneagle.com can guide you through the entire process; as a full service solution provider we can take care of everything from strategy to integrations to hosting.
