The web is the infrastructure enabling the digital economy. How we use the web continues to evolve in amazing ways, you only need to look at the stratospheric growth of social media users worldwide as proof.
As we move more and more of our lives onto the digital infrastructure and into the digital economy, businesses of all types have to go where their customers are; for virtually every target market those customers are online.
No escuse…
- Our product is too complex
- The web is supporting custom manufactured products and transactions that are far more complex than print today.
- Our high touch service is our differentiator
- For very complex print solutions that may be true, but your customers need options and self-service ecommerce is one they expect.
- Our customers aren’t capable of placing orders online
- Rephrase – you haven’t provided software that enables your customer to order print online.
- Doing ecommerce makes me a commodity
- The manner in which items are purchased doesn’t make something a commodity; some print products are commodities – no matter how they are purchased.
Ecommerce is no longer considered innovative; the lack of ecommerce is being negligent. Your customers are online, if you don’t have any ecommerce options – you’re forcing them to go offline for every transaction. Don’t be surprised if they’re ignoring your offline/manual/high touch call to actions such as “call us” / “request a quote” / “send me a file” etc… and clicking to a competitor that enables them to actually purchase.
What percentage of your business is transacted online today? Is this a metric you’re even tracking? Get off the bench and into the game, once you’re on the field you can choose to play multiple roles, offer a variety of products and services, your customers are online and they expect to transact with you there.
