Online sales - the barriers are smaller than you think with Intelligent Ecommerce!

Today’s consumers expect to be able to find everything they need or want online.
Despite this 69% of entrepreneurs have not yet made the move to e-commerce in the UK despite it being an extremely lucrative marketing channel. Many small businesses in the UK have failed to capitlise and enter the online market because they fear the unknown, they don’t know where to begin and a lot of them feel that the market is “out of their league” so to speak.

The most obvious benefit to trading online is that it gives you greater reach to customers and drives sales. In PayPoint.net’s recent report, Powering Small Business Britain, 59% of the over 800 entrepreneurs surveyed identified this aspect as the biggest pull to e-commerce. Consumers look to buy everything online, from their groceries and taxi bookings, to their insurance.

Clearly there are many advantages to e-commerce and this is recognised by small businesses in Britain; the issue, is that entrepreneurs want to go online, but feel that this is not possible for various reasons, such as cost, fraud, or simply apprehension.

With SAP Business One and Intelligent Ecommerce your small to midsize business can enter the world of online trading with ease.

Intelligent Ecommerce provides users of SAP Business One with a robust and easy to use solution to provide information to customers. Using Intelligent Ecommerce companies can provide their customers with an on-line portal. Customers can log onto the website, enter their username and password and view products on offer.

To find out more about SAP Business One, Intelligent Ecommerce and other Intelligent Essentials add-ons which take SAP B1 further visit www.beabetterbusiness.co.uk or www.beabetterbusiness.ie

Small businesses saved by ECommerce!

Shop owners who have decided to sell their goods online say the move has saved their businesses.

Some four-fifths (79 per cent) of retailers claim they couldn’t have kept their high street presence alive without being online at the same time, according to a survey from eBay.

Mark Lewis, managing director for eBay in the UK, says retailers can’t afford to ignore e-commerce. ‘To ensure businesses continue to thrive on the high street, they must raise their game and exploit new sales channels. The internet can provide a lifeline to all businesses, connecting them to customers across the globe.’

UK consumers spent a staggering £250 billion shopping online in the last decade. That’s according to the IMRG Capgemini e-Retail Sales Index, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

Our love affair with online retail therapy shows no signs of abating, with sales during 2010 alone expected to hit £56 billion.

The Index’s performance over the last decade tells the story of e-retail success in awe-inspiring numbers. It has grown by 5,772% since launch and continues to track the rise and rise of an industry that still continues to grow, despite the continued challenging economic conditions.

The Powering Small Business Britain report from online payment service provider PayPoint.net unearths a broad range of changes that are forecast for British entrepreneurship over the next five years.
PayPoint.net and YouGov surveyed over 800 UK small businesses about the critical business issues they face today. The findings provide a snapshot of business thinking and highlight a number of changes that have to take place as the UK economy emerges from recession.

The report yielded some interesting key findings…

•35% of small businesses across all sectors see the majority of their revenues coming from online income over the next five years
•58% of survey respondents predict that the greatest growth in their turnover will be through online sales
•Access to more customers is the top benefit to moving online for 59% of businesses
•36% of businesses have been able to grow through access to global markets as a result of trading online

Looking forward, over a quarter (27%) of the businesses covered see e-commerce as the future for their business but have not yet made it central to their commercial activity. Meanwhile, 44% acknowledge the importance of online revenues but are still only at the early stages of developing an on and offline presence to maximise revenue opportunities.

Have you made the move yet???

Sources: Smallbusiness.co.uk, Electronic Payments

The Low Down on E-Commerce

There is an increased impetus for companies to establish an online presence with recognition that absence can hinder growth and erode competitiveness.

The simplicity of it all may be taken for granted as it involves and demands far more than the setting up of a website and merely selling your products and services. Many of the same challenges faced on the high street are similar particularly in terms of attracting visitors to your site.

As with traditional retailing you are still looking for and should be measuring footfall, conversion rates and average transaction values.
One of the most significant and difficult challenges is how to market your website as opposed to traditional retailing where the human element can influence the marketing and sale of products to a great extent. Email marketing, affiliate schemes, search engine ‘pay per clicks’ and online PR all require different skill sets to traditional retailing.

Businesses are likely to be more geared up traditionally for replenishing stores and now also need to introduce processes that require them to fulfill individual orders. As the processes and systems requirements are actually very different many retailers end up outsourcing this aspect to specialist providers.

The design of the site is of enormous importance. With traditional retailing you are likely to spend a significant amount of time and money on planning the shop fit and layout and the same care and attention should be paid to the design of the website.

Websites which are easy to navigate are more likely to be returned too; online retailing is meant to support the customer in making the purchasing process hassle free and the website design should reflect this.

A website may not need a full-time sales manager, but it will need someone to take charge of it and make sure it’s working, updated frequently and remains relevant – fundamental issues that a surprising amount of people overlook.

E-Commerce Check List
1.Ensure your website is visually appealing, simple and easy to navigate
2.Plan the marketing of the site and seek outside advice and expertise where necessary
3.Consistently update and refresh content for SEO
4.Ensure that your online presence is given as much care and attention if not more than your high street presence

E-Commerce should be given priority over high street presence as it is the tool which allows you direct 24 hour access to your customers where they can browse and shop at their leisure from the comfort of their own homes. Making a good impression is vital if they are to return to your website and is likely to influence their perception of your organisation as whole.