Like most new and innovative things, Internet business for many people seems to be nothing more than a fad, a fancy, a fleeting hot topic that will soon cool off and die in obscurity.
Many computer savvy folks have yet to make a purchase online and some still hold to the notion that the dot com era will soon be over for good.
They reason that e-commerce online is not secure, too much of a passing fantasy, and something that they can easily do without.
Well, let me say with all due respect, if you have these same ideas and feelings . . . you are terribly misinformed and are missing out on one of the greatest business opportunities mankind has ever seen, EVER!
Before you blow off Internet business as a passing fad, give it a chance to blossom.
After all, e-commerce is only in its infancy. Most people who make purchases online have been doing so for less than 5 years.
It just so happens that Internet business is already a big deal.
The Census Bureau has estimated that 2006 online sales in the United States totaled $108.7 billion dollars!
That's no small chunck of change. The industry is growing rapidly and 2006 marked a 23.5 percent increase over sales levels in 2005.
Market research and trend analysis company eMarketer estimates that retail e-commerce sales will increase an average of 18.6% per year through 2009.
Can your company afford to ignore the trend?
If you've ever thought about starting a small business, can you turn your back on the HUGE opportunity that the Internet affords the startup business owner?
It doesn't matter if you own a solo business and work out of your basement, or you command a multi-million dollar market juggernaut -- Internet business is important for your company!
Here are the reasons why:
1. Consumers have quickly adopted online shopping. Many make multiple weekly and recurring purchases over the Internet.
2. These consumers (and others that maybe don't buy online) do comparison shopping of physical products and services online because of the speed, ease and convenience of looking for products and services, and comparing them, from one great location -- their home.
3. E-commerce levels the playing field for the small business owner. She can tap into regional, national, and global markets that most phycially located businesses only dream about reaching!
4. Doing business on the Internet is relatively inexpensive. Compared to the stash of cash that's needed for a physical shop location stocked with inventory, e-commerce is way, way more economical. Overhead and cash commitments for all the baggage of a physical retail store are greatly reduced or non existent online.
5. Anything, and I mean anything, can be and is sold online. Yachts, cars, homes, vacations, diamonds, food, services, medications, education, and every other product or service you can think of are found for sale on the Internet.
6. Even if you want to maintain a physical company location, you can add an online presence very easily and enjoy an increase in company exposure and a great way to keep in touch with your customers. In addition, the Internet is a wonderful tool for attracting new prospects. Can your company profit from additional business without a lot of additional cost?
7. Advertising and branding your company and products is very cost effective online if you are able to do much of the work yourself (and that won't be a problem for most small businesses.)
If you establish a good relationship with your clients (customers), you'll be able to send them your offers with the click of the mouse. Once you know where your best prospects "hang out" online, you'll be able to give them your message very cost effectively.
8. Online customer service has a great many important advantages including the ease of making one-on-one contact, polling customers to better understand their concerns, wants, and attitudes about your products, and the speed of taking care of problems immediately.
9. Internet business allows the owner a fast and global view of his market niche. He can see what his competitors are doing, what his targeted prospects are talking about, and he can watch the trends in his industry every day of the week (at no added expense) if he desires.
10. There are many other reasons why a company needs to have an online presence. For the small one-person company, maybe the most important reason is that 90% of the daily business operating tasks can be streamlined and automated so that the owner's time can be maximized.
Business automation software is now readily available and reasonably priced for the home business operator that will allow maximum time to be spent on tasks like marketing and new product development -- in other words, the things that will add real dollars to the bottom line.
Every business should have a company web site and a list of both customer and prospect email addresses at the very minimum. If you don't your competitors will wave goodbye in their rear view mirror!
