Brick-and-mortar businesses are slowly ceasing to exist as they are being replaced by those who use the brick-and-click model. Of course, the other business owners who saw the potential of the more innovative business model chose to adapt to the changes instead of having to close shop for good, which is a smart move on their part.
The brick-and-click business model is a middle ground for traditional and digital businesses. It involves existing in physical and virtual landscapes, which works well for the local business owners and their customers. This is because business owners can no longer discount the impact of modern technology on consumer behaviours.
If entrepreneurs want their businesses to last for a long time, they must accept that most customers prefer shopping online nowadays more than before. This is because online shopping is far more convenient for customers since they only have to place their orders through the e-commerce platform and wait a few days for their packages to arrive at their doorstep.
Since the digital age is all about utilising technology to make people’s day-to-day lives easier, it’s only natural for consumers to gravitate towards hassle-free solutions. So, if you’re still not convinced at the impact of brick-and-click businesses today, here are three reasons why you should consider it:
Reason #1: Digitised Processes Are More Sustainable
Digitising your business processes from the get-go can help you avoid investing in hardware that can be expensive and difficult to maintain. This is because the costs of hardware upkeep are relatively substantial, especially if your operations require a lot of equipment. By going digital, you can eliminate the need for all that bulky hardware.
Instead, you can use cloud-based services such as SQL servers that can power your e-commerce platform. But of course, you’ll need to find a good provider like dbaservices.com.au so that you can make sure you won’t come across problems mid-operations. This way, you can continue business as usual without worrying that your online platform is malfunctioning or inaccessible.
Aside from reducing the need to invest in hardware, you can also have scalable software by digitising your processes. This means that if you are to expand your business in the future, you won’t have to invest in new software. Your current one is scalable and can quickly adapt to your business’s ever-changing needs.
Reason #2: Reach a Wider Audience in Both Platforms
If your business only exists in a physical location, your customers would be limited to those belonging to the community and other passersby. While there’s nothing wrong with that per se, it can be dampening your chances to generate more profit for your business. It’s a big waste of potential.
However, by adapting the brick-and-click business model, you’ll be able to reach a wider audience because your business will be exposed to more people online. This means that every time your advertisement pops on someone’s social media feed or appears on the search engine, it can increase your chances of gaining a new customer.
But since you still exist in the physical location, you can also attract customers there. So, with a brick-and-click business, you’ll be getting twice as many customers simply because you also exist in the digital landscape. That’s why you should consider adopting the business model quickly.
Reason #3: Increase Your Rate of Profitability
By maintaining both your physical location and e-commerce platform, you can easily increase your rate of profitability. Of course, this won’t happen on its own; you have to put in the work to attract more people to your shops and show them what you have to offer. This way, your profits can increase twofold.
However, the challenge here would be juggling both avenues. If you focus too much on your online platform, you may start neglecting your physical store and vice versa. You’ll need to find the balance between the two so that both avenues can thrive and increase your business’s profitability.
Since you already know how to run a brick-and-mortar business, it might be better to focus on your e-commerce platform just until it takes off. Then, once both avenues are starting to generate traction and transform the attention into sales, you’ll be enjoying the sweet fruits of your labour.
Running a business is not easy, but if there’s one thing you should hold onto, it’s that nothing is permanent in this world. So, don’t be afraid to change it up once in a while, especially if the changes can do wonders for your business. After all, you won’t know what you’re missing out on until you’ve tried it for yourself.