You have probably considered taking your brick and mortar store online, but the process may sound daunting and expensive. Or you may fear managing an online platform is just one more thing to add to your never-ending to-do list. Building an e-commerce website used to be extremely expensive, but today affordable e-commerce development is accessible to everyone. And once you get up and running online, you will quickly pay for the cost of your new website. Consider these four ways an online storefront will increase your retail sales.

1. You Will Expand Your Reach and Scale Your Business

Sit in a room full of entrepreneurs and you are guaranteed to here the word "scalable" over 300,000 times. It's not just the latest buzz word - okay, it is a bit of a buzz word - but it's an extremely relevant term in business today. According to its definition, something scalable is "capable of being scaled" or "capable of being expanded." In the business and startup world, this word is used to define something that is capable of growing or expanding without being held back by its current structure or available resources.

When it comes to retail, it is extremely difficult to scale your business and reach new audiences when you are constricted by your brick and mortar store. The easiest way to scale your business is to take your shop online with an e-commerce website. When you are online, you have the potential to reach nearly everybody who has a desktop or mobile device. In your physical store, you can only reach those with the ability to make it to your location in a reasonable timeframe.

2. Your Store Will Be Open 24/7

With your brick and mortar, you aren't just limited by your physical location. You have to go home to sleep and take care of the family at some point, which usually means you have to close up shop for the day. Your customers have to buy from you on your time. When you have an e-commerce store, you are never closed! You will still go home for the night, but your website will keep its lights on for your customers. When you have an online storefront, you can bring in sales even when you are sleeping at night. This goes back to expanding your store reach - customers who could never make it to your store are able to buy your products or services online on their time.

3. It Will Be Easier for Your Customers to Purchase From You

If you are like me, you may have trouble resisting a good sale when you see one. It's even harder when you get an email from your favorite shoe store with a sale on the shoes you have been eyeing for 3 months. With a few button clicks and a bit of information, those new shoes are on their way...and you never even left the comfort of your couch.

Now think if you would have had to get up, brush the Cheeto crumbs off your shirt, pause your favorite TV show and drive 20 minutes down to the shoe store to buy your new shoes. Not as convenient right? With an e-commerce store, you will give your customers an easier way to do business with you. They don't have to make a special trip to your store or even call you. They can buy from you in just minutes. Plus, the sale is completely automated on your end. All you have to do is deliver or ship the product.

4. You Will Maintain Better Relationships With Customers

Typically when a customer leaves your store, your relationship with them is on hold until they come back in to shop again. With an e-commerce platform like Shopify, you have access to a number of marketing tools that allow you to keep in touch with all of your customers. Of course, you can use physical mailers or email marketing to stay in touch with customers, but having an online storefront allows them to easily visit your store multiple times in the same amount of time it would have taken them to come back to your brick and mortar. You can easily keep them up-to-date on the latest promotions and changes on your store.

With more engagement, customers are more likely to buy. That coupled with more store availability and an easier purchasing process will result in more sales!

Whether you're looking to build you e-commerce store yourself or need a design partner to handle it all, our team is always ready to get you up and running. Check out our DIY, Basic Site Setup, and Full Population packages for more details!