Revolutionizing e-commerce by starting small
E-commerce is alive and kicking. In 2017, it made up about 10% of all global retail revenue and grew 16% year-on-year, with obvious room to grow further. Most internet users are familiar with webshops by now, but they don't always deliver on their promises. Sleeknote says that about half of online customers abandons their shopping cart during the shopping process.
Big is… bad?
The trouble with many webshops is that they bury the visitor in an orgy of information, scattering their attention and sidetracking them from what they actually come to the webshop for in the first place. Secondly, these big shops either look terrible on mobile or they take too long to load. Mobile users have no patience for scrolling endlessly through lists of products they didn't come to look for.
In addition, lots of e-commerce sites require account creations, which makes sense from the vendor's point of view, but is irritating for users, who already have accounts at dozens of sites and are keen on privacy.
The e-commerce challenge for SMEs and starters
The churn typically experienced by webshops doesn't mean that stores with no online shopping channel shouldn't worry about e-commerce, however. As the data indicates, e-commerce keeps growing, and its current challenges are not deal-breakers. In fact, these challenges represent an opportunity for smaller merchants.
SMEs and starters rarely have the infrastructure, time and resources to build a complete webshop. You can't imagine, say, a small boutique owner photographing every item in stock and painstakingly list all sizes and features in exhausting detail.
The trouble with many webshops is that they bury the visitor in an orgy of information, scattering their attention and sidetracking them from what they actually come to the webshop for in the first place. Secondly, these big shops either look terrible on mobile or they take too long to load. Mobile users have no patience for scrolling endlessly through lists of products they didn't come to look for.
In addition, lots of e-commerce sites require account creations, which makes sense from the vendor's point of view, but is irritating for users, who already have accounts at dozens of sites and are keen on privacy.
The e-commerce challenge for SMEs and starters
The churn typically experienced by webshops doesn't mean that stores with no online shopping channel shouldn't worry about e-commerce, however. As the data indicates, e-commerce keeps growing, and its current challenges are not deal-breakers. In fact, these challenges represent an opportunity for smaller merchants.
SMEs and starters rarely have the infrastructure, time and resources to build a complete webshop. You can't imagine, say, a small boutique owner photographing every item in stock and painstakingly list all sizes and features in exhausting detail.
The small proposition
Small merchants are better served by a simpler, low-stakes alternative that requires no big investments of any kind. Another advantage is a pop-up shop's limited focus on just a few products. This is a plus for mobile users, who are an increasing part of the typical Internet audience. In fact, over 80% of Facebook users online at any given moment surf on mobile.
Bigger webshops and smaller pop-up shops don't even have to work at cross-purposes. There will always remain a market for the big, wholesale webshops à la Amazon or Alibaba. In fact, even bigger companies can run a pop-up shop as a complement to their existing, bigger webshop, e.g. to run a temporary promotion or really highlight a couple of products. Or simply to throw marketing ideas at the wall and see what sticks.
Don't take just our word for it, but Sayl Retail can do all this and offers a snug integration with Facebook. As we pointed out, there are more mobile users on Facebook than ever, so it makes sense to launch a mobile-friendly pop-up shop from that platform. It's good for the merchant, who usually already has a Facebook page, and it's good for the customer, who isn't taken on an endless scrolling journey.
The e-commerce revolution continues
As e-commerce keeps growing and changing the way everyone is doing business, we look out for more changes on the horizon. Perhaps there will be a new, dominant social media platform in 10 years, or immersive VR shopping becomes part of everyday life.
However, we are certain that for starters, SMEs and larger businesses alike, the keywords for a small online shop will always be speed, user comfort and integration with what people already know and trust. And how about you? Do you think there's something we've missed? Find us on LinkedIn or Facebook and talk to us — we're always interested in interesting conversations.
Small merchants are better served by a simpler, low-stakes alternative that requires no big investments of any kind. Another advantage is a pop-up shop's limited focus on just a few products. This is a plus for mobile users, who are an increasing part of the typical Internet audience. In fact, over 80% of Facebook users online at any given moment surf on mobile.
Bigger webshops and smaller pop-up shops don't even have to work at cross-purposes. There will always remain a market for the big, wholesale webshops à la Amazon or Alibaba. In fact, even bigger companies can run a pop-up shop as a complement to their existing, bigger webshop, e.g. to run a temporary promotion or really highlight a couple of products. Or simply to throw marketing ideas at the wall and see what sticks.
Don't take just our word for it, but Sayl Retail can do all this and offers a snug integration with Facebook. As we pointed out, there are more mobile users on Facebook than ever, so it makes sense to launch a mobile-friendly pop-up shop from that platform. It's good for the merchant, who usually already has a Facebook page, and it's good for the customer, who isn't taken on an endless scrolling journey.
The e-commerce revolution continues
As e-commerce keeps growing and changing the way everyone is doing business, we look out for more changes on the horizon. Perhaps there will be a new, dominant social media platform in 10 years, or immersive VR shopping becomes part of everyday life.
However, we are certain that for starters, SMEs and larger businesses alike, the keywords for a small online shop will always be speed, user comfort and integration with what people already know and trust. And how about you? Do you think there's something we've missed? Find us on LinkedIn or Facebook and talk to us — we're always interested in interesting conversations.
Apply what you learned!
Like to start with a small online pop-up shop ? Sayl Retail is your ideal solution for that!