Online stores give small businesses the chance to boost business potential while improving the online experience for their customers. With the many eCommerce solutions available, today’s small businesses can make their products and services available to far more customers than ever before.
Between 2012 and 2018, total online sales in Canada jumped from $18.9 billion to $57.4 billion, with about 84% of Canadians buying goods and services online. Globally, around $3.5 trillion was spent through commerce in 2019, and those numbers will continue to climb.
As people continue to shop from home through a time of social distancing, the amount of consumers looking for products and services online is only increasing, and more businesses are using eCommerce platforms to stay competitive.
Being competitive in the eCommerce environment might seem like a daunting task. However service providers have arrived on the scene across Canada, providing tools and strategy that can make running a successful online store in a time of crisis a reality.
eCommmerce Solution Providers
Shopify: Powering over one million businesses in over 175 countries, and holding 20 percent of the eCommerce market share, Ottawa-based Shopify is a leader in providing eCommerce solutions.
Put simply, they’re designed to help business owners build a scalable online store they can compete with globally – with no overhead.
With a wide variety of built-in features and apps to help sell products across almost any online platform, it’s a versatile tool with built-in reporting to help you understand both your customers and your business better.
As Shopify leads with a robust array of eCommerce tools and services, several other Canadian companies have found ways to work within the Shopify platform to help businesses run an efficient and effective online store.
Winnipeg-based Bold Commerce develops apps for store owners to use within the Shopify platform. As a partner, their goal is to help traditional retailers earn more through increased conversions and upselling techniques.
Trexity: Providing customers with products when they need them can give stores a competitive edge as well. Ottawa’s Trexity integrates into the Shopify platform and offers around-the-clock shipping to provide a same-day shipping solution, getting your product to your customers sooner.
Need for Strategy
While online tools can help businesses grow from a traditional brick-and-mortar operation to an eCommerce business, they alone can’t guarantee success. Businesses looking to succeed online also need to attract the attention of the potential customers they want to reach.
This involves developing a fully integrated marketing plan that helps target and reach potential customers, and turn them into loyal customers by appealing to them at different stages of their purchase decision.
Carefully mapping and crafting the customer experience can also help online stores perform better. Using effective UI and UX design helps to build a seamless journey for customers that keeps them coming back.
With experience providing product marketing and business commercialization solutions, Acart Communications can help you find online success with your business.
Does your business need eCommerce solutions? We can help!