Why Offline Businesses Should Move Online

It's hard to imagine an existing business sector that isn't represented in some way on the internet. However, there are still many individual offline businesses - of all sizes - that are resisting going online. Excuses may range from 'it's too expensive' and 'we're far too old to understand technology', to 'we can't sell our products or services on the internet' and 'it's a waste of time because with millions of sites online, nobody will be able to find us'.

To answer two of these objections, the cost of establishing a business online can be less than buying a meal at a fast food restaurant; and the internet has become the natural place to sell anything from a jet fighter plane to someone's imaginary friend.

Perhaps the biggest challenge to offline businesses setting up online is old-fashioned thinking and the related fear of going into a new, unfamiliar territory. However, setting up shop on the internet can transform any business and create brand new revenue streams that would be difficult or impossible for an offline-only business to achieve without spending a significant amount of money on marketing their enterprise.

Imagine the scenario of a shoe shop trading from a retail outlet in a shopping district. There are a number of ongoing costs which the shop owner has to consider which can seriously eat into any profits, e.g. business rent and rates, insurance, advertising, security and employing staff.

Whether people go into the shop or not, the costs will still continue. In a slow month or year, this may force the shop-owner to raise prices which will make them less attractive to consumers. In addition to this, it could result in the shoe shop possibly losing out to the local competition which may charge lower prices for the same or similar product lines. An online shop can be run from virtually any location, with stock stored in warehouses in cheap rental areas or even in a garage! Orders from around the world can be securely processed via the internet, with goods dispatched the same day. Using this method, the shoe shop owner could save thousands and make better profits.

In fact, the business owner doesn't even need their own website. They could use sites like eBay to open up a store and sell their wares for a small commission fee. An alte
ative would be for them use a do-it-yourself website building service to set up a simple website and start trading in less than an hour.

Of course, the world still needs face-to-face interaction with a helpful sales assistant and the instant gratification which comes from visiting a high street shop. In such circumstances, a online brochure could help introduce web users to the business and encourage them to make a trip to the store. Tips, reports or coupons that can be downloaded from a website could be used to increase sales and help develop the brand.

Online businesses are generally more responsive to the needs of potential customers located anywhere in the world with an internet connection and are effectively open 24-hours a day. However, that doesn't mean that online business owners have to be up throughout the night monitoring sales. Online transactions can be automated, so the business owner can check up on retail activity and, if needed, process sales at a convenient time. Most importantly, unlike an offline business, he or she can make money in their sleep every second of every minute of every day.