In today’s world, it is rare to find a physical brick-and-mortar store that does not also have an online storefront. According to a recent study from Zippia:
- 13% of retail sales are from online shopping
- 75% of shoppers buy online at least once per month
- Nearly 88% of Gen-Z shoppers prefer to make their transactions online
As numbers continue to be on the rise for online consumerism in many niche markets and younger generations, it’s crucial to develop an online presence that accurately fits your brand and allows for seamless web integration. With web offerings that accommodate small mom-and-pop shops to large international conglomerates, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
How can you select the right ecommerce platform for your online business, enabling you to manage your website, marketing, sales, and operations according to your preferences? Let’s look at some top market solutions to increase your online presence.
Shopify
Everything you need, all in one place. With Shopify, you can purchase your domain, host your website, and execute your storefront within the same platform. Since this platform was built with online shopping at the forefront, many optimized and easy-to-use themes and templates can be purchased from online designers, which removes the necessity of coding knowledge. However, the more web jargon that you know, the more custom you can make your theme fit to your specific brand.
Amazon Storefront
Put your shop at the hands of 310 million consumers who peruse Amazon each year with your own brand’s custom Amazon storefront. Amazon has provided customized brand-exclusive offerings to build, grow and protect a business, and additionally offers tools to improve conversions and drive sales.
WooCommerce
For those brands with an already established blog or website presence looking to tap into the online seller space, WooCommerce is it. As an ecommerce plugin for Wordpress, WooCommerce touts a great shopping experience with more than 90 widgets allowing for flexibility and customization. This option also allows for shipping integration based on your pre-established shipping account.
In addition to an ecommerce website, a shoppable social media presence is an important element for brands to consider. Integrating shopping features on social media allows businesses to tap into a strategic audience, increasing brand visibility and reaching potential customers who may not actively visit the ecommerce website.
TikTok Shop
TikTok Shop is a feature on TikTok that allows users to discover and purchase products directly within the app. This turns the platform into a more interactive space where users can not only consume content but also shop for products seamlessly, allowing for merchant integration and opening the door to creator partnerships and influencer endorsements.
LIKEtoKNOW.it
LiketoKnow.it is a platform that allows users to shop directly from their favorite social media influencers and content creators through direct product linking primarily on Instagram, Facebook and blog posts. LiketoKnow.it operates on an affiliate marketing mode, meaning that when users make purchases through the links provided by influencers, the influencers earn a commission on the sales.
YouTube Shorts
Through working with a brand partner, a content creator or social media influencer can link to a shop in the YouTube Short video description. By clicking on the link, the shopper can preview the items directly on YouTube as the video plays. From there, the viewer can click on the item again to visit the brand’s official shop and make a purchase.
Overall, it’s crucial to meet your potential consumers where they are – and for many brands, that is in the online space. Combining a robust online presence with seamless and user-friendly shopping integration is pivotal for achieving substantial online sales. To enhance this, incorporating targeted advertising through paid media serves as the cherry on top, contributing to the creation of a brand that not only presents itself effectively online but also generates significant consumer sales.
Are you ready to take your brand into the online market or enhance your digital sales? Check out our retail-inspired case studies or contact us today to discuss your marketing and advertising goals.
