Brick and mortar businesses have been a staple of commercial activity for as long as businesses have been around the way things were. The way things worked, you would go to the store, you would look for what you wanted, and then you would buy it and then head home. In today's world, with the Internet, businesses have diversified and have put many of their activities online, going as far as becoming completely online retailers without an offline presence.

In this article, you'll learn how your business can benefit from having an online storefront.

What is the Difference Between an Online and an Offline Business?

A business is an organization or an entity engaged in a commercial activity, basically any activity that's geared towards generating revenue. This entity, can be an individual conducting business on their own, which is often seen in the form of an owner operated small business, a family restaurant or it can be a larger company like a retail store in a mall.

Over a decade ago, most businesses did all of their activities completely offline, from clothing stores to hardware stores. Businesses needed to have a physical presence where customers could go to get their products and services. They are now called offline businesses because today it's very, very common for businesses to have an online presence.

As a matter of fact, most businesses only have an online presence. This is why there is a clear distinction now between online business and an offline business.

An offline business is now known as a kind of business that simply doesn't offer any products or services online. Some of the properties and attributes of an offline business include having a physical office or a storefront, or targeting specific areas which are usually often limited to where the business owners are located, which then means having to rely on television, newspapers, magazines, billboards and other offline methods for advertising and genuine demand for that business.

Now, there is an increasingly popular notion that offline businesses and that model are a thing of the past. That a business as thriving solely on its physical presence can be kicked out of existence at any time. With the rapid shifts in consumer behavior in recent years, this is proving more true and it's very unlikely that any business who is strictly offline-only will survive.

There are many examples of this in communities around the world where smaller offline businesses go out of business due to their inability to compete with online-only business platforms like Amazon.com, Walmart and other retailers who have a stronger online presence.

In contrast, an online business is one that focuses on conducting all of its activities through online means and resources. It uses the internet to reach customers and to get the job done. Many, if not all, new businesses now are born online, and existing businesses are adopting online technologies in order to survive.

How Can eCommerce Help Your Business?

Ecommerce can help you and your business cut down on the logistic expenses like storage, transportation, paperwork, and advertising. It'll help you and your business reach a much wider audience compared to having a store in a single location. By having an online storefront that anyone can visit at any time during the year, 24 hours a day, you don't run the risk of losing a sale because you're not able to support late night shoppers.

Of course, your business can benefit from having an offline model as well, but it'll depend greatly on the kind of products and service that you're delivering.

Digital goods and music software can be streamed and sent directly to customers in a model that allows both you and your buyers to benefit means everything can be automated, from the checkout process to notifications. You can even outsource shipping and handling of your physical products to a third party such as companies that specialize in e-commerce shipping and logistics management.

The financial benefits that e-commerce can bring to businesses are incredible.

According to data gathered by RJ metrics.com, the average gross profits for e-commerce sites in their first three months of their first year is just shy of $150,000. By its second year, this average goes up to $330,000, and by its third year it peaks at an average of $1 million a month.

Of course, this data applies to top companies that are in their in their growth stages. So what are the numbers for your normal everyday businesses? If you're starting out in eCommerce, what can you expect for your business?

Well, the average is roughly around $63,000 for the first three months, going up to $127,000 in monthly revenue in the first year of business. It peaks around $352,000 a month after three years in business, which is an increase of 175% over the course of three years from the start.

Conclusion: Where Can You Get Started?

You have to start by planning what you're going to sell in the first place. Not only do you need to start planning what you want to sell, but start thinking about your industry and the sort of products that you are passionate about. If you're selling something that you will love and enjoy, you'll be more likely to enjoy managing your inventory and your e-commerce site.

You have to find out if that product is going to be made by you. For example, if you're going to create designs for coffee mugs will you be doing that yourself? or will you be working with a wholesaler to access what you want to sell. Next comes creating a unique identity for your business or your brand. An example is Makers Market who has created an identity for its Made in America accessories for men's business that can be easily recognized and remembered.

However, planning and building your unique brand identity are only the tip of the iceberg of what it takes to be successful with eCommerce. There are other things to consider such as what platform you'll use to sell your products, how you'll manage products and inventory, taxes, shipping and payment processing. Samex makes it easy to get started with eCommerce by giving you everything thing you need to manage your eCommerce business in one easy-to-use platform. Take a tour of how we help eCommerce leaders take control of their career growth, to learn how Samex can help your existing offline business benefit greatly from eCommerce.