THERE was a time when starting a business venture included finding the right premises and ensuring newspaper or direct mail advertisements caught the eye of prospective customers.
In the age of smartphones and tablet PCs, small business owners are just as likely to be concerned with web design and hosting, online order fulfilment and transactions as much as they are with leases and overheads ? or so one might think.
As more consumers converge in a single marketplace ? online ? thousands of small businesses in Ireland are effectively choosing to ignore this captive audience.
At a time when PC and smartphone ownership here has never been greater, and broadband availability continues to improve, it may come as a surprise to learn that small businesses with real e-commerce capability in Ireland are firmly in the minority.
In late 2010, IE Domain Registry reported in its Domain name Industry Report that just two-thirds of zIrish businesses had any kind of website, and that of those two-thirds, only one-fifth included e-commerce features such as online payments, an increase of a marginal 3pc since 2000.
The reasons why small businesses have remained slow to capitalise on the internet?s revenue potential remain unclear.
Anecdotal evidence points to misconceptions about the complexity, cost and time commitments involved.
It?s a trend which hasn?t gone unnoticed by the Irish internet community, as evidenced by initiatives including Getting Irish Businesses Online (GIBO) and IE Domain Registry?s OPTIMISE programme, which provides ?100,000 worth of professional support to 10 SMEs to build better e-commerce websites.
The starting point for making an impact online should be a website which combines strong design with clear functionality and e-commerce capability. Investing in a good web designer is essential, and Ireland is home to some excellent talent.
Whether it?s selling a product, building brand loyalty or supporting an existing offline business, a great website should be informative, easy to navigate, and designed to facilitate purchases and enquiries. While the upfront costs may sound prohibitive, the investment will ultimately contribute to the bottom line.
The omission of e-commerce features such as an online shopping cart is tantamount to turning the ?closed? sign in your shop window when you could be open 24/7, generating money while you sleep.
As online consumption habits evolve, consumers are using the internet to research and shop outside traditional trading hours. Irish businesses with little more than a picture-postcard website are losing valuable lead generation and sales to competitors elsewhere. It?s no coincidence that Amazon introduced its free super-saver delivery service to Ireland in time for Christmas 2009, while Irish businesses relied on traditional sales channels.
While good websites encourage customers to spend time and money online, great websites take advantage of trends and behaviours to make a targeted connection with customers.
Engaging consumers on their ?territory?, through online communities such as Facebook or Groupon, or other mobile-based discount schemes, before directing them to your website, signals that the products and services you offer are relevant and within easy reach at just a click away.
Even small business owners concentrating on offering a product or service locally can still use the internet to sell at home.
The ?Buy Irish? mantra does extend to doing business online. Registering an ?.ie? website, for example, lets customers know that your business has a guaranteed Irish connection. It will also rank higher than other domain names in Google.ie searches, meaning your website benefits from search results delivered to an engaged user with a query relating to your business; an advantageous position for any small business owner.
Good web design, relevant content and decent e-commerce capability will ensure small business owners capitalise on that position to convert searches into sales and see real results on the business? bottom line.
David Curtin is chief executive of IE Domain Registry
Originally published in
Small businesses ignoring online opportunities
Source: http://mynetworkmarketingadventure.com/small-businesses-ignoring-online-opportunities/
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