The Increased Importance of Ecommerce

The global pandemic had most retail locations closed throughout the summer months, and although most places are back to regular hours, social distancing measures has many people continuing to stay home.

Department store sales and other “non-essential” sales declined by 25% in the first quarter of 2020.  These sales declined to 75% in the second quarter as the shut-down expanded and continued.  Projections for the full year indicate department stores declining by over 60%, while ecommerce is projected to increase by at least 20% this year.

To stay relevant in this new normal, here are some things you should consider for your business:

• Update your Graphics. Consumers are more likely to retain information learned from visuals rather than text.  Media-rich pages are essential.
• Aim for Easy Checkout. If your checkout portion is too complex or not intuitive, your consumers may abandon their orders.
• Increase your Site Speed. Most consumers expect a website to load in two seconds or less.  Having a high bounce rate away from your site will negatively affect your rankings and site traffic as search engines devalue your website.
• Offer Incentives. Add discounts, coupons, and offers to highly visible areas of your homepage.

While the shift away from brick and mortar locations was already beginning, the Covid19 pandemic pushed the ecommerce ahead by approximately five years.  Give our office a call at 800-538-0669 to speak to one of our website developers.  If your website isn’t fully updated, mobile optimized, and set up for ecommerce, you will be left behind.