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The internet has become a powerful tool for businesses to advertise their services and products around the world. However, very few brick and mortar stores have picked up the growing trend of digital storefronts. They don’t have an online presence and as a result, have fallen behind compared to their online counterparts. This is especially true in large cities or remote areas where buying clothing, groceries and other daily necessities are easier and more convenient online. You can pick from an entire store selection, save time, money and continue your daily activities while your goods are delivered.
Even with such convenience, some traditional stores argue that there’s still no need to go online. After all, what would a bakery do with an online storefront? Also, very few clothing stores see the need to have an online storefront because consumers like to try on clothes before they buy them. However, these are archaic and unimaginative ways of utilizing the internet for your business. To give you some creative ideas to expand your reach, here are some tips.
Collection Orders and Reservations
Many restaurants or fast food businesses can benefit from having an online menu and order process. Either connect your business to delivery services such as Uber Eats or run your own system with the help of a web development company. You can take reservations, respond to requests about your food, make your menu viewable online and even display historical information about your business—you’d be surprised at how many curious individuals want to learn about your food!
An Online Presence
Denizens of the internet are more likely to visit a physical establishment if they can research and gather information about a location beforehand. There are websites dedicated to listing brick and mortar stores in a directory where people can give reviews, but it’s still preferable for a business to have their own website. It could be a simple one that showcases awards and products, or it could have delivery systems and online pre-ordering.
Customer Service
Unless you run a wealthy corporation, chances are you have limited staff on hand and won’t be able to respond to phone queries about your products and services. Instead of making customers wait on hold for phone calls, you can use the internet to set up messaging boards and customer service software so that you can always respond to people without having to be there. Just set up the system and check your emails and messages now and then to answer concerns and queries from potential customers.
Advertising
The internet is a wonderful vessel to carry your brand. You can advertise on local websites or take to social media to spread your brand. Internet users won’t take your business seriously if you don’t have a website. Even if you run an online marketing campaign that manages to attract a lot of attention, customers will be turned off by your lack of online presence and are less likely to visit your physical location. You want customers to be able to look at your website for information such as location, products and services.
