Why online sales and digital branding are more important than ever

Online sales have been consistently growing for quite some time. Giants like Amazon and eBay have fuelled some of this expansion, as have supermarket deliveries and better infrastructure. However, as the average consumer’s confidence has grown in eCommerce, the variety of websites performing online sales has diversified, with a particular shift towards buying locally. Even before lockdown, Ireland’s eCommerce grew by 17% in 2019.

The recent lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic led to a dramatic rise in online sales (over 70%). While there will undoubtedly be a shift back to retail as the lockdown eases, eCommerce is fully expected to benefit from longer term gains. The trends were heading towards online sales anyway, but the lockdown gave online sales a boost, introducing many new people to the market that might not have otherwise been so quick to adopt this way of purchasing, and generally increasing consumer confidence in purchasing goods online.

A new income stream

Many smaller retailers use their online presence to create a second income from eCommerce. While initially being a secondary income stream, for many, online sales quickly become their main source of income. There are several reasons eCommerce can take your business to the next level.

During lockdown the demand for online sales of food and drink have surged, while fitness, gaming, gardening, DIY, and subscriptions have boomed too. Savvy companies were able to scale up and respond to this increased demand, reaping the rewards for doing so.

Local isn’t just local

While we might always head to the nearest town or city to do our shopping, eCommerce customers are exposed to a whole world of retailers. This means just being in the same country as them often makes you more trusted and considered Local. Therefore, a great eCommerce website set up to maximise online sales can cater to the whole of Ireland, and beyond if you wish, rather than just the foot traffic that walks past your premises on a normal day.

There are less restrictions

Night owls and early risers don’t need to get to you within set hours, customers are free to shop at a time that suits them. They can do it from anywhere. There’s no need to get dressed, get in the car or on a bus and potentially pay for parking, they can simply sit in their armchair in their slippers and shop in comfort. While sometimes it’s nice to go out and have an explore around some shops, we often know what we want and don’t want to make the trip for a single item.

What you need

Having an Internet presence isn’t always enough to gain traction in the digital space. There are several factors that will directly impact how successful you are online.

An e-Commerce website

Your website design is crucial. It must be easy to navigate, user-friendly and secure. The images, text, placement, and design must all work in harmony to entice potential customers into becoming customers. However, it’s irrelevant having everything in place if no one knows it exists. There are several ways to make sure your website gets seen, and one of the best drivers of organic growth is great SEO. Search Engine Optimisation has become a saviour for many and the bane of just as many peoples lives.

SEO can transform your online presence, but it requires effort in the right places, at the right times, and by people that have the skills and experience to make your efforts count. Most of the people frustrated by SEO have tried to do large parts of it themselves, putting in hours of work for little to no result. When done well, increased visibility can be achieved at a very reasonable cost, and a structure put in place to ensure the long-term success of your website.

There are other factors that are essential for your website design, such as your website being responsive, purposefully designing the CX (customer experience) and UX (user experience) to provide an experience they truly love.

A multi-channel brand

A website alone is rarely enough these days. People expect to see your company on other channels, such as Facebook, twitter, or Instagram. Having a presence not only provides another place where your business can be discovered but gives you an opportunity to showcase your products and services. It also acts as a point of contact for potential customers and provides you with the opportunity to show in a public forum how good your customer service is.

However, it’s important to maintain your brand identity across all social channels. Your voice should be consistent so people that interact identify with your brand quicker. Your brand identity will partly depend on your target audience, as will the best channels for you to use. It can be a waste of time putting lots of effort into a Facebook account if 95% of your customers use Instagram.

Use marketing wisely

If you’re looking to boost your visibility online, then even a small budget can be stretched a long way on Google or Facebook ads. Both resources let you tailor your target audience to maximise the relevance of the advert to the viewer. This helps to achieve a higher rate of engagement from advertising.

Speak with the experts

All of this sounds fairly simple, but having a great design, a brilliant logo, and the knowledge to maximise the potential of your eCommerce site post Covid-19 needs experts on your side. Our team of experienced experts have all the skills required to create the perfect web presence for you in a way that can be tracked, tweaked, and maintained, ensuring you remain successful into the foreseeable future. Using professionals like Juvo ensures you have a team of specialists on your side to ensure every aspect of your website gets the specialised attention it deserves. Why not get in touch with us at Juvo and let us help you to stand head and shoulders above the competition.