E-commerce, defined as trade over the internet, means that you can easily make many products and services in the sales category through digital platforms. Today, all kinds of materials and services that can be bought and sold in the life cycle can also be bought or sold online. The e-commerce service offered in line with the developing technology has been increasing especially in recent periods with the convenience it provides in online conditions.
Why is e-commerce important?
It is not known exactly when in history it started to buy and sell with an e-commerce site or to use online services. However, the first companies that started e-commerce services over the internet have managed to become the most important e-commerce companies of today by continuing their development until today. The success of such examples has paved the way for the further development of the sector today and the birth of many new e-commerce entrepreneurs.
Amazon is one of the sites that have achieved significant success worldwide with its e-commerce site. Amazon, which first realized the first e-commerce transaction in 1994, not only supported the e-commerce sector with its innovations; but also set an example for the whole world.
Another example of successful e-commerce is eBay. Although eBay was only designed to provide auction services when it entered the industry, today it is one of Amazon’s most serious competitors.
E-commerce is now the most preferred tool of people in rapidly developing and technologically growing conditions. Reasons such as not crowding people, contactless payment options, and having a wide range of products on a global basis attract people to e-commerce systems. In particular, the pleasure of shopping without spending hours and without getting tired is the biggest indicator that the e-commerce system will be among the most popular sectors in the future as it is today.
If you want to take part in this cycle and are thinking ‘How can I take the first step for e-commerce?’, here are 12 reasons why you should start e-commerce:
1. A Rapidly Growing E-commerce Volume
Research reveals that the e-commerce sector is developing at a great pace. For example, in 2019, the latest research shows that the volume of e-commerce grew by 65% more in that year alone. The textile sector, which is developing day by day, also has a very important share in this growth. If you still have questions about joining the e-commerce sector, you can visit e-commerce or e-export platforms that are still operating today.
2. 24/7 Online Retailing Option
One of the most important factors that brings success in trade is the time period in which the service is provided. When you open your business with a store under normal conditions, you can serve only half the time of the day. However, if you do this under digital merchandising conditions, you can serve your customers 24/7 without interruption and make money even while you sleep.
3. Earning Money Without Depending on Time and Place
Setting up an e-commerce site saves you from both time and space dependency. By setting up an e-commerce site, you can realize your sales transactions wherever and whenever you want in a highly independent way. This also saves you a lot of time. With the time you save, you can have the opportunity to develop different strategies and spend more time for yourself at the same rate. You don’t have to deal with long working hours and you can avoid many of the downsides of physical trading.
4. Wider Customer Base
A business that opens physically in a local location provides buying and selling services only in certain locations. However, setting up an e-commerce site gives you the advantage of offering services in a wider location. E-commerce sites serving in the digital sector offer the opportunity to have a share in wider markets. By showing up in global markets, you can sell both products and services to every corner of the world from where you sit. The only thing you need to develop your brand in the global world is to have an e-commerce site at the right time.
5. Opportunity to Grow the Business Even in Extraordinary Situations
Digital habits are always available, even in the most extraordinary situations. Most of the research on this subject shows that consumers will not give up their e-commerce habits even in all kinds of bad life conditions. An e-commerce site offers you the opportunity to make money under any circumstances.
6. Opportunity to Get to Know the Target Audience Closer
Setting up an e-commerce site also allows you to have an idea about your customers who visit your site and whom you serve. You can make strategic reporting by tracking the movements of your visitors with Google Analytics and Google Tag applications. In this way, you can analyze your target audience who no longer visit your site and prepare return campaigns. With an e-commerce site, you can more easily track which products you sell and develop your strategies accordingly to achieve faster growth.
7. Opportunity to Trade at Less Cost
There is a significant cost difference between opening a local business and setting up an e-commerce business. If you spend the budget you would spend on your physical store on the e-commerce site, you can have a much larger volume site. In other words, you can increase your product diversity and turn your customers into a potential target audience with more diversity. In addition, you can also avoid mandatory costs that you would have to pay in your physical store, such as electricity bills and personnel costs.
8. Chance to Communicate with the Target Audience Continuously
E-commerce sites have the opportunity to benefit from all kinds of digital tools. You can create opportunity categories within your e-commerce business site and turn your target audience into fixed customers by organizing promotions. By organizing coupons with customer offers, you can give your visitors an extremely good shopping experience.
9. Easy and Fast Installation
Setting up an e-commerce site is extremely fast. You can spend the time you would spend to open a physical store to develop your e-commerce site and reach your potential customers in a short time. With e-commerce packages that allow you to improve both your brand and service quality in a fast time, you can start taking big steps in trade in a short time by having digital experience.
10. Market Persistence with AR and BUY Experiences
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR) experiences provide persistence in the online world. Studies reveal that digital sellers will spend 7.5 billion dollars on artificial intelligence alone in the near future. So this statistic means that in the near term, around 120,000 stores will improve the buying experience and gain momentum in the industry. The Augmented Reality (AR) project allows people to checkout very easily when they choose to buy products. With this system, the customer can make purchases in a short time thanks to easy steps and view the purchased product. The Artificial Intelligence (AI) project is a system that allows users to recommend the products that consumers prefer to buy and follow the most. This gives you the opportunity to offer products to your potential target audience only in the categories they are interested in.
11. Privilege of Having New Payment Systems
In physical shopping, customers’ payment terms are very limited. However, when you enter the digital world, you can offer many different payment options to your target audience on an e-commerce site that you will put into service. With new payment systems being developed every day, in addition to the credit card payment option, you can also accept payments from wallets such as Pay Pal, Google Play wallet and Apple Pay. In the next period, you can offer different payment options to your customers with newly developed payment systems.
12. A Comfortable and Cozy Shopping Environment
The e-commerce site provides you as well as your customers with the comfortable environment it creates. You can provide all kinds of services by reaching customers in many different locations in the easiest way. While shopping in physical stores and browsing the aisles can be extremely enjoyable, waiting in line at the checkout, finding a suitable parking space for vehicles and being in crowded environments for shopping is extremely boring. However, being able to do this from any computer or mobile phone creates a very favorable environment for customers.
2021 E-commerce Trends
It is a well-known fact that the e-commerce sector is growing day by day and will be at the top in the near future. Such a comprehensive technology has also led to the emergence of many trendy e-commerce options in this direction. If you are wondering what are the trendiest e-commerce sectors we will see in the near future, you can take a look at our 5 favorite e-commerce trends below:
1. In-Game Marketing
The sector that shows the biggest development in terms of e-commerce in the digital sector is undoubtedly the gaming sector. In-game marketing options, which rank at the top of the online spending category, also stand out as the most preferred entrepreneurship sector. Global gaming markets are now worth 160 million and the number of online players is around 3 billion. The fact that the rise has been so rapid has paved the way for many important brands to show interest in the games. Brands are aiming to rise with many new trends in the gaming industry with branded apparel.
2. Logistics Artificial Intelligence and Warehouse
The e-commerce sector, which develops every year, has witnessed more growth especially in recent years. In the last year, there have been approximately 50,000 new e-commerce initiatives, which has led to a very serious mobilization in terms of both warehousing and logistics. More AI services are now being used in warehouse services and new robot delivery startups are emerging. Such a high preference for artificial intelligence is an important sign that logistics and warehouse applications will increase in the near future.
3. Live Streaming Sales
One of the biggest advantages of the development of technology is the image quality that improves day by day. Better image quality on devices has paved the way for many vendors to sell their products on live broadcasts. This method, which is especially preferred in sectors where fast consumption is common, provides a very fast return. The best example of a country that has gained high momentum with live streaming sales is the United States. Recently, sellers in the US have increased their sales from 9% to 15% with this method alone. However, Chinese sellers achieved a 30% sales rate, up from 25%. In Turkey, this situation increased by 100% from 2% to 4%. By choosing the live broadcast sales method, you can achieve success that cannot be underestimated, especially in fast-consumed products.
4. Cloud Kitchen Applications
Another giantizing branch of the e-commerce sector is cloud kitchen applications. Cloud kitchen applications, which aim to deliver the menus of many leading businesses in the sector to customers easily, are very popular in terms of being both effortless and providing comfortable service to the customer. With this service, which can be done over a small area without any seating area, it is possible to deliver many different food menus to the address by courier. Today, cloud kitchens, which have been highly preferred recently, are expected to achieve very successful works in the future.
5. Second Hand Trade
Second-hand markets are very popular, especially in the online sector. Second-hand e-commerce sites that make it possible to set up a marketplace online are promising both in terms of being globally sustainable and creating savings. Especially when factors such as the new generation of Generation Z and climatic conditions come into play, the future growth of this sector is guaranteed.
