The traditional business is transforming to Digital. Most of the businesses are converting their existing models to the current era of the digital model. Online presence has become a necessity for all the business entities. Whether it is an enterprise or an SME, Online presence is a must.
I have been interacting with most of my clients. I have found there is a steep increase in the numbers of clients asking for e-commerce websites and mobile apps. This is because consumers are buying everything online. The marketplace has shifted online.
As per the statistics website, 40% of worldwide internet users have bought products online i.e. more than 1 billion users. This shows the importance of online presence for a website.
An online presence does not mean having a small website of (2-3 pages) your own with contact details. It should be a virtual extension of your business. The customers who are getting landed on your website should clearly understand your business, products, services, and details of your physical presence.
The number of digital buyers in India alone is expected to reach 41 million by 2016. The leading apparel e-retailer Jabong.com has 26.26 million unique visitors in October 2014. This shows that the number of online buyers is high in statistics as compared to traditional buyers.
Out of 10 people, 9 have internet ready devices with them. As per the TOI statistics, the online buyers in 2015 were 55 million and it is expected to grow to 80 million this year in India. The e-commerce Industry is expected to cross $100 billion marks in the next five years.
The online shoppers to go up to 175 million by 2020 (economic times). These statistics give us an idea of the importance of online business.
There are even most of the people have a query that “My Business is Local, Do I need to have a presence online?” My answer to this query is “Yes, You should”.
Reasons
- 50% of consumers who conducted a local search on their smartphone visited a store within a day, and 34% who searched on computer/tablet did the same.
- 18% of Local Mobile Searches Lead to a Sale Within One Day.
- Business Address/Location Is The Primary Piece Of Information Sought By Local Searchers.
- 87% of smartphone owners use a search engine at least once in a day.
- 78% of local mobile searches result in offline purchases.
- 46% of all searches on Google are local.
- 97% of consumers use the internet when researching local products/services (BIA/Kelsey)
- 36% of respondents say that a clear & smart website gives a local business more credibility (Bright Local business websites survey, January 2014)
- 32% of consumers are more likely to contact a local business if they have a website (Bright Local business websites survey, January 2014).
The above mentioned are some of the reasons that why a local business should have an online presence. Having an online presence, helps your business to get more leads, branding, accessibility and more than that
“More Searches = More Customers= More Business.”
