Gone are the days of siting in the middle of the house chatting to your friend on the telephone surrounded by your family because that’s as far as the cord would reach. The smartphone of today is your mobile phone, your mini computer and your online shopping centre, promoting online sales in channels which you can log into and view from anywhere.
Given the accessibility and constant enhancement of mobile phone technology, it is not too surprising to learn that Stasta have predicted that mobile commerce revenue worldwide is expected to reach $853 billion in 2018.
If you carefully consider what is important to the average customer, especially those who feel time poor, it is obvious that the accessibility of these 24-hour online stores have a lot of pulling power. Stores that you don’t have to dress up to visit or spend time traveling to and from. Stores that allow you to shop at any time of the day or night, child free and uninterrupted.
While there are many businesses that wholesale to larger retail outlets there are as many small businesses that sell online and personally post their items in order to retain more profit and provide personal service. It’s these small businesses that we see really benefiting from the availability of online shopping. In a world of overwhelming choice they are being found more easily thanks to internet searches, referrals and the introduction of Marketplaces, which allow them to list amongst like-minded businesses.
So what makes someone click “buy”? It is suggested that strong return policies and improved delivery options are highly influential. With a population that has grown from 580 people in 1998 to close to 49,000 today it is no surprise that the Royal Australian Air Force community of Point Cook in Victoria is listed by Australia post as the number one online sales delivery hotspot. Resident here recieve more deliveries than most, closely followed by residents in Toowoomba in Queensland, Liverpool and then Gosford in NSW.
If you really think about it, shopping online is solving a problem the customer has and if you review the true purpose of your product or business, you started your business because you to, saw a problem that needed to be solved. If you are yet to invest in digital innovation make today the day you start your new marketing plan focusing on SEO, PPC, PR, social and influencer marketing as it is possible that someone in Point Cook is looking for exactly what you are offering right now.
Leisa Papa, Founder, Little Kids Business
