Staying Ahead of the Game

It's not easy to stay on top of the continuously evolving and changing environment that is the web. Indeed it is incredibly easy to become overwhelmed with the amount of information and trends that seem to be appearing on a daily basis. The trick is to pick and choose what movement to jump on.

Take online retail as an example (and if you're asking 'haven't I blogged about this before?' yes, I have but stick with me on this one).

Often it's the big players who jump on board with a new web medium first as they are often the most financially equipped, with the biggest budgets and have done the R&D to determine whether the waters are safe enough for them to dip their big toe into. However, SME's have been successful in immersing themselves in the online retail realm, with 2009 Sensis e-Business report statistics now reporting over 54% of SME's have an online presence and a further 24% are using the internet for marketing activities, with this figure predicted to grow another 8% year on year.

The importance of online presence as a business tool is on the rise, with 71% saying that their website improved business effectiveness, 11% saying their website increased awareness, 10% highlighting the exposure of their business to a wider market, and 18% saying effectiveness was increased by informing potential customers about their business.

These Sensis e-business report figures show the move towards online investment by SME's, however the trend doesn't finish there. Consumers of the web are no longer the traditional home or office user, with the rise of the smartphone allowing users to access the web from anywhere, anytime.The number of users accessing the web from their mobiles has increased dramatically over the past year, and will continue to rise as late adopters cash in on great deals. Interestingly, what users are searching for are commerically-related goods and services, with social networking lagging.

So what does this mean the online retailer? Good news! Your site and accessibility can reach new heights by increasing ease of use for the end user.

Deborah Sharkey, eBay Australia's Managing Director, outlined that currently online represents 3% of Australian retailer spending in the online realm, compared to 7-8% in Britain and the United States.Yet each month five million Australian visit eBay. So why are Australia's so late on the uptake of online retailing? A possible reason for this is fear of the unknown. Take retail giant David Jones as an example- they invested heavily in the dot com boom, but when the boom went bust in 1999-2000 so did David Jones's online retail department- never to be seen or heard of again. Like anything on the web timing is everything, unfortunately for David Jones they invested heavily in an environment where the audience just wasn't ready to listen. Eight years on with a different market and a more web savvy and knowledgeable audience, I suggest both big and small players alike should pounce on the opportunities available online as they aren't going anywhere anytime soon.

So let me recap the change in technology since my blog 'Taking the sale online- Where are you at?'. Not only has the online retail trend outlasted many critics predictions, it has seen the end consumers' demand for accessibility, information about your online presence,  access to your shop (both online and outside of normal trading hours), become increasingly prevalent. So why not give your consumers what they're asking for??

Until next time...