Best 9 Biggest Challenges for Businesses When Going Online
In this era, user behavior has amplified online, and with the introduction of e-commerce, there’s more fierce competition than ever before. A throbbing example is Amazon, a huge e-commerce platform/marketplace.
Starting or taking a business online in this case comes with its share of challenges and has never been more difficult.
When it comes to taking a business online, whether it’s the increasing size or demand, businesses are no strangers; riding the digital commerce wave is no easy feat. This is why in order to achieve a competitive edge in a crowded marketplace, businesses must first address the core challenges that they have to face.
In order to take up/start an entire business online effectively, you will need to be aware that:
- First, it’s all about strategy
- Second, you have to understand that you can’t do it all alone, as you’ll be stumbling upon unknown territories and pitfalls.
Which is why in this blog, we help you identify and determine the many challenges along the way.
Let’s get started!
So What Are The Biggest Challenges for Businesses When Going Online?
1. Mirroring Offline Image Online
As a business owner, you’ve worked hard to build a reputation, but how do you project the same online?
You need to keep in mind that online businesses are very different from offline ones and marketing it digitally is an essential aspect. Although a few of your customers may transfer to online customers, the rest can only be acquired through social media or ads. Your demographics play a vital role here. Remember, the needs and demands of your customers from your business are different online as compared to offline.
According to Jeff Bezos:
“A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn a reputation by trying to do hard things well”.
2. Channelling old customer data
Understanding your existing/old customers can help your business better understand potential customers. This data can be previous purchases as well as queries, bettering your chances of conversion or acquisition.
Channeling your old customer data to target specific ads/marketing automation can help you garner new customers as a business.
3. Attracting Ideal new customers
Online shoppers have progressed, they don’t just use google anymore to search for products, but also Amazon. They read product reviews before finalizing on whether or not to buy a product/service and pay for purchases with multiple payment methods. The way content is consumed and communicated online has taken a drastic turn. Technology and social media are the fastest distractions for these shoppers.
In order to attract new customers, the biggest challenge a business faces is how to figure out the medium on which their audience is and how to attract them without making their marketing budget go to a toss.
Thus, services including but not limited to website design, social media, digital marketing and content marketing become essential elements of any online strategy.
4. Generating target traffic on the website that translates to ROI
As the online world evolves, so do digital channels. Businesses that rely only on one type of channel to drive traffic to their online store are doing it wrong. They need to effectively leverage PPC, SEO, social ads as well as shopping engines to help facilitate qualified traffic to their online business.
Furthermore: 72% of consumers say they would rather connect with brands and businesses through multichannel marketing (source).
It goes without saying: “Be available where your audience is paying attention”.
5. Capturing quality leads
Businesses spend a significant amount of money to drive traffic to their online store, and while it makes sense considering that conversion rates are always between 1% to 3%, the efforts needed to generate quality leads far-outweigh the cost.
Not all leads are created equal, and the right messaging to the right audience is key to converting them into leads.
6. Nurturing leads to convert them into paying customers
What’s the point of a customer list or customers coming to your online store if there is no engagement. Businesses often struggle when it comes to converting the leads they know they have into customers that order from the cart!
When it comes to leads, it’s more than just product offerings or promotions, it’s also about the experience and value they get from your business’s website.
7. Achieving profitable long-term growth
‘Increasing sales is one thing, but the number 1 focus should be profitability”.
In other words, it’s not just about sales but also about how the strategy helps you cut down costs, improve marketing effectiveness, reduce your overheads and shipping costs as well as successfully manage orders.
8. Choosing the right technology & knowledgeable partners
Biggest growth challenges are faced by businesses just starting out online, either because:
- They are unaware of what technology to use
- Are using the wrong technology, that is limiting their growth
- Or have hired the wrong company to help them deal with their online business.
The future of an online business rests upon a solid technology foundation. This starts with choosing the right shopping cart solution, CRM, inventory management systems, email softwares, analytics and more. In addition, hiring the right technology experts to work with.
9. Retaining old and new customers
A thing businesses don’t realize when starting out online is that it is more expensive to attract new customers than it is to retain the ones they already have.
Online tactics must focus on helping businesses get most of their current customer base in order to increase customer lifetime value (CLV).
Conclusion:
As mentioned above, businesses need to be aware of the challenges and start their journey to an online business carefully and in accordance with their specific industry needs. The internet sure offers immense opportunities, but it’s crucial to understand that not all fit well with your business.
Let’s face it, as a business owner you definitely have the right desires, visions and aspirations but one vital fact to acknowledge is that you need the right people to carry them out.
Think your challenge isn’t covered here? Contact us and we will be happy to help!