At Digiwits, we can help you make the best decision. Here’s an analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of the two models.
A main advantage of owning an online business is that you break the physical walls. You do not count on the number of people passing through your street or the number of brochures you have distributed.
From the Internet, you can sell to the world.
With a local business you can only attract customers who come to your store. With the Internet, it doesn’t matter where customers are, it only matters how good your product is.
Dropshipping is an attractive option for starting a new business and for those who already have one established.
If you have a shop, dropshipping allows you to open new lines of products and diversify your revenue streams without making a big investment. Remember that the key is to find a good provider.
Here there is no doubt, the costs of opening an online store are much lower than if you had to open a local business.
One of the major disadvantages of physical stores versus e-commerce is this.
There aren’t any holidays or closing times, your business is operating 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.
There are still people who need to touch, see and feel the product before buying it.
The online businesses have set the wheels in motion in this regard and are increasingly offering the possibility of a completely free return if the product does not satisfy.
There are products that for the price or special nature that seem impossible to sell online. A typical example are cars, although as you commented on one occasion, the online car dealerships are a reality that is becoming closer.
It is true that to serve customers in person promotes loyalty, but this isn’t a definitive argument in favor of local shops.
Online stores have their own ways to get customer loyalty. If your products and services are competitive, you will earn their trust.
Although each business model has its advantages, the trend is that sales through e-commerce is a growing slice of the pie. If you set out now, except in a very strange case, it is best that your first steps are with an online store.
However, all the money you save on rent and other costs, invest it in creating a good digital marketing strategy.
If you think that all you have to do is upload products online to your website, you are very wrong. Do you have a physical store?
The reality is that with every day that passes without you creating the virtual version of your store, you are losing money. This is a minimum investment for all the benefits it can bring you.