Ecommerce Tips: How to Achieve What Most Internet Stores Lack

A retail store in a physical location is automatically empowered with advantages that internet shops have to work very hard to achieve.  These include limited competition, a sense of community, and purchase security.  Below are the descriptions of the advantages inherent by having a physical retail location, why most internet stores lack these advantages and tips on how to overcome these limitations.

Limited Competition

Physical retail store:
A retail store always exists in small vicinity and there can only be so many stores that sell the same type of thing in any given area.  If you’re the closet one to a potential customer you automatically have limited competition in the retail marketplace because of geographic location. 

Problem for E-commerce Web Sites:
It’s extremely easy for an internet shopper to do a few clicks and have instant access to a plethora of sites trying to sell the exact same products and services you are. Most wholesale distributors even have direct to the public sales or black/grey market distribution through markets like eBay so customers may even be able to buy from your supplier online.

Solution:
In order for online stores to achieve limited competition, they can cater to a niche marketplace, market online to a specific geographic location (like local employment or classified websites) or have value added services that are only available through them.  Another solution is to put a completely unique spin on the marketing angle so you are the only one marketing your website in a particular way.  A good example of this is seen in my article “web pages that suck."

Community

Advantage for Physical Retail Store:
Customers feel good about supporting their local community and putting money directly into the micro economy in which they live and work.  It’s not uncommon for them to be ok paying a higher markup if it supports their “home town”.