eCommerce: More Than Just an Online Store

To be fair, though, your online store is eCommerce; let’s not get that mixed up. eCommerce can mean a lot more, and you need to start thinking beyond just selling your physical items online and call it a day. In fact, eCommerce accounted for 15.1% of total U.S. retail sales in Q1 2023, up from 14.8% in the prior quarter. The days of setting up an online store for your physical products and calling it good are done. You must be more thoughtful and innovative because online retail has exploded in recent years. During the pandemic, it became necessary to sell online. But the growth of online purchasing hasn’t stopped since 2020.

Types of Products

When it comes to online selling, it’s time to think outside the box. Yes, having any physical products you sell online is essential to reach a wider audience. But remember, on the Internet, you can sell about anything. For example, let’s say you’re a woodworking business. You could create a tutorial on how to make a workbench and sell a digital download of that. Maybe you have a specialty cooking store. You could offer a tasting event and sell your tickets online. The sky’s the limit, don’t let your thinking be limited by what you’ve done in the past.

Be Innovative

According to an Ipsos survey, 272% of Americans consider product packaging designs, while 67% consider packaging materials before buying from eCommerce stores. That means you can have fun with what you are selling, don’t just do the same old, same old. When purchasing online, people want to see something more than the basic humdrum product choices. You can create online-only versions of your products that differ from those in your store.

Keep evolving because there is an issue with single-time purchasers. 275% of consumers do not return to purchase from the same online eCommerce store (using data from Shopify customers). Give people a reason to come back with variety, new products, or something as simple as excellent customer service.

Market your eCommerce

So now you have this fantastic eCommerce experience. Your website is stuffed with lots of unique products. And your staff is ready to give users a great experience. All good, right? Well, that doesn’t mean anything if nobody sees it.

Mobile shopping has had tremendous growth in the last few years. Between 2016 and 2021, mobile eCommerce shopping increased from 52.4% to 72.9%. Much of this growth comes from shopping on social media, where Many consumers find shopping inspiration. For example, as of April 2021, 51% of American consumers use Facebook for online shopping. If you don’t have an optimized eCommerce platform AND a solid social media presence, you are leaving money on the table.

In Conclusion

eCommerce has evolved in the last couple of decades. Heck, it’s changed a lot in the previous five. It is becoming increasingly crucial that if you sell products, you must also sell them online.

You may have noticed this article doesn’t mention specific eCommerce platforms. That’s on purpose. The right platform matters, but there are so many great ones to choose from. And, besides, the point isn’t which platform to use. The point is to prioritize eCommerce. To provide quality and to market it well. Do that, and you’ll find the right platform.

You just have to make a conscious decision that it matters to you and your business – that is always the first step. Once you make that decision, the team at tdg can help you find the right system, implement it, and start promoting, so you can harness the power of eCommerce.

Photo by Desola Lanre-Ologun on Unsplash

Written By:

Derek Olson

Senior Artist

I work in the web development and video production teams at tdg. I do a little bit of everything from web coding to graphic design, animation, and video. I work on a variety of projects both large and small. I am also an illustrator, theater director, playwright, and executive director for a local community theater.