Why Your Business Needs an E-commerce Website

As small businesses scramble to keep up with pandemic problems—waning foot traffic, new consumer expectations, shifting government regulations, and important safety precautions—a surge in online shopping is upon us. At times, and in certain industries in 2020, e-commerce has been the only option. Now, it’s at the core of newly formed shopping habits for convenience-seeking consumers.A transactional website has become a must for businesses of all types and sizes, whether customers fill a cart and check out for delivery, book an in-person visit or buy online and pickup in store or curbside. The benefits of incorporating e-commerce into your business are as advantageous as they are simple.Reach a wider range of shoppers“The retail space has boomed online,” says Kate Nash, Yellow Pages’ Director of Sales for central Canada. “So as a small business, you have to go where the customer is.” With e-commerce, businesses can attract new customers that wouldn't have otherwise known about your brick-and-mortar enterprise. Suddenly, the logistics of location are no longer a barrier to doing business. You can sell to customers anywhere you’re willing to ship, and shoppers can browse your offerings at their convenience—24 hours a day, 7 days a week.Accelerate your digital transformation“Now more than ever, businesses need a strategy for moving everything online as quickly as possible,” says Kate. “As much as 80 per cent of consumers today expect businesses to have e-commerce capabilities.” To meet this swell in demand, Yellow Pages created an e-commerce website solution designed specifically to address the needs of small- and medium-sized businesses. “Whether you’re the entrepreneur just starting a business or you’re ready to take your brick-and-mortar business online,” Kate says, Yellow Pages e-commerce products can help.Strengthen your brand“Just knowing that a business offers both in-person and online opportunities to interact gives people more confidence in your brand in general,” Kate adds. This is also a chance to prove to consumers that you're supportive during these troubling times and are making things easier for them.Get to know your audienceVisitors to your website will tell you a lot about your products or services. Some share their opinions by leaving ratings or detailed reviews, but a great deal can also be learned from visitors who leave without making a purchase. Analytics can offer useful insights on where visitors live, how they found the website, and where they decided to abandon their customer journey. This kind of data can be used to optimize your e-commerce website and increase conversions.Do business from anywhereAs any entrepreneur will tell you, the challenges of balancing professional and personal lives are many. Managing an e-commerce website creates the flexibility to run a business remotely, capturing opportunities and sales, from wherever you might be.Educate your customersBuilding an e-commerce website isn’t complicated, but solid preparation is key. The first step is creating a list of all products or services, including as much detail as possible. The second step is to have photos and pricing ready. Thorough product descriptions will not only help to sell products or services, but will also save time spent handling customer service questions or post-sale issues. Then, you are ready to “plug and play,” Kate says. “Our new e-commerce solution is just that easy.”E-commerce with Yellow Pages“We offer a ‘do it with me’ solution, helping our clients with the website build while enabling them to update the new site as needed,” Kate says. And the biggest benefit? No transaction fees. Business owners don’t pay any commission on sales, as they would with other e-commerce platforms. “They can then take the money they’re saving on fees and invest in driving traffic to their website for more sales,” Kate recommends.Ready to get your e-commerce business started? The Yellow Pages e-commerce solution can help you grow your business. Find out more by visitingYellow Pages for Business, and connect with a Yellow Pages expert today by calling 1-877-553-6883.