Having run both a storefront operation, and now an e-commerce business site, I can't help but compare how the two have very similar practices that determine success:
1. Location VS Search Engine Status
People need to find your business! In retail when you choose a storefront location you look for a space that will draw traffic into your store. A mall is often a great location because people love to find parking and enjoy shopping variety.
A web-based business also needs high visibility. If your site never makes it above page 10 in any of the search engines, you cannot generate the traffic that you anticipate to make your sales. Placing ads or banners on your site will help a lot to improve the number of visitors.
2. Merchandising VS Web Design
The product you are selling needs to attract attention. When you create a window display it is for the purpose of drawing a person into the store for a closer look. You do not keep the display the same week after week or people get bored and stop coming in.
The same is true in web design. The more attractive the presentation, the more likely the people will spend their time in looking through it. There are many web masters out there who do a great job in design, but now you can buy great software programs to assist you in designing your own. There is also the option of searching online for templates that you can download, ready to drop into your domain. You still need to keep things new and exciting by doing changes to keep people interested. Add a seasonal or holiday banner, vary some widgets, or introduce some flash. Moving things around your pages will keep people coming back for another look.
3. Advertising VS Marketing
This is really the same for both types of business. People visit your store, or your web because they hear about you from somewhere. Locally, people place ads in a newspaper, while the online company is more likely to depend on search engines like Google or Yahoo to help people find their site. No matter what method of advertising you use, check your costs carefully and analyze the results you get to be sure that you are spending your dollars wisely. Don't forget the power of a sale to draw your customers. People everywhere love a bargain.
The final word is that no matter if you choose to run your business from a storefront, or from a web page, it will take the equal amount of dedication to hard work and effort for it to be successful. The difference is that when you place your products on the internet, your customers can come from around the world, and that is a very BIG market!
