Do you have a small retail business, but are hoping to expand it? Perhaps you are wondering how you can best do that, without a lot of additional cost, time, and legal obligations. The fear of that might have prevented your business from flourishing, but no more.
There is a relatively easy way to expand your sales, without a matching expansion of your budget and responsibilities. Will those increase at all? Probably. But, if done right, the growth should far outweigh the burden.
So, if you have products or services that you can sell online, read on to learn more on how you can do that, insuring a more successful business. After all, it might be the only way to keep up with today’s trending methods of retail.
Build a Website
If you don’t already have a website, then this should be one of your first moves. Create a quality website, which could easily be done through programs such as WordPress. The key to having a website that will benefit your business, is to provide quality content for your customers.
Quality written material and images will look good and grab customers attention. But, it can also reel them in. You can infuse the content with highly sought-after keywords and phrases, which will rank your site higher in Google searches.
Once the traffic comes to your site, then it’s up to you to grab …and keep them with great customer service and ease of communication and payments.
Of course, the product will also have to compete for attention, so make sure you are passionate about it to ‘sell’ it effectively. But, you probably already know this part from your brick and mortar store. It just needs to be applied to your online store now.
Promote Your Online Store
It’s important to promote your online store, just as you would your traditional storefront. Word of mouth is important, as well as marketing material. However, there might be one area you haven’t considered, if you are new to the world of Internet retailing and promotion.
Social Medias, such as Facebook, is an easy way to promote your website. Set up a page, then swallow your pride and ask all your friends and family to help you promote it. Quite often it will only take a click of the ‘like’ button on Facebook from a few people, and it could grow from there.
Tools to Make it Easier
You might already work with online banking for your business, such as
ordering bank checks, reconciling monthly statements, and transferring funds. All of this is great, and can continue with your online venture.
However, there is something else you might want to consider, and that is PayPal. It will make it easier for you, as well as your customers to make purchases on your website. Look at what they can do for your business:
- Low Cost – It is often less expensive to use the services of PayPal, than most merchant accounts. Unlike merchant accounts, there is no set up fee involved. Even though they both charge a fee per transaction, PayPal is often less than a merchant account. They also do not charge for statements, withdrawals, or upgrading your account.
- Easy Setup – You can set up your PayPal account quickly and easily, as you sit in the comfort of your office…in minutes. With a merchant account, you have to go to an office and apply for an account, then wait for approval.
- Quick Payments – Payments with PayPal are accessible within minutes of payment. As soon as a customer hits the ‘pay’ button, the money is directly entered into your PayPal account. From there, you can transfer to your bank, or make purchases with other PayPal vendors. Again, all from the comfort of your office.
- Customer Appreciation- Customers will appreciate the ease of use that PayPal offers. They won’t have to send a check or money order. They don’t even need their own account, and could use their credit card through your account. Also, they could pay through their mobile device, if they have a Smart Phone.
- Fraud Protection – PayPal offers one of the safest ways to exchange funds online. With their automatic screening for fraud, you can rest assure that your financial transactions are secure.
As you can see, PayPal and online banking can make this transition, as well as the financial transactions for your business, easy.
If you have products to sell, you really should consider setting up an online store to boost your sales… considerably. There is very little cost to giving it a try, so you might as well, right?
As a freelance writer, Melissa Cameron has recently wrote on topics such as addiction, online business, home brewing, and even how dog breed checks can enhance your business. She just finished a series of articles for http://www.personalchecksplus.com. When she is not in her office, she loves to spend time with husband and young son. Living in Michigan, they often find time to boat, camp, and entertain. When the family is not around, Melissa also enjoys cooking, photography, and a good mystery.
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