Cementing your Business in the Digital World

You would think by now, that in a digital age where toddlers grow up using Tablets and, being constantly connected, with everyone, all the time, would equal a digital presence from every business out there. The surprising and startling fact is that there are a large quantity of businesses which do not have an online existence at all, perhaps apart from their online listing in the yellow pages. If you’re reading this blog, I sincerely hope you are not one of them, but I’m positive there are actions you could be taking to cement your place in the digital world; am I right?

One area of concern in particular is that of Retail, and especially in the lead up to holiday season, are the number of businesses which solely rely on their bricks and mortar shopfronts. Regardless of whether your retail business does or doesn’t offer an online sales and transaction tool (which it should by the way) your online presence as a business is still crucial for the customer walking in through the front doors. You’ll see why in a minute.

Australian consumers are embracing the Web – fact. They love it in all their forms, at home, at work, on their tablet and on their mobile phones. A recent article from the Business Insider states that, “The 2014 Adobe Digital Index Holiday Shopping Prediction, which looks at billions of transactions around the world, shows Australians’ love of shopping on their phones is just behind Japan, Ireland and the US” (Pash 2014). On a global scale Australians are up there with the top online consumers.

For SMEs this trend is a fantastic opportunity to extend their reach. Looking to the large retail forces in Australia and overseas can teach us some important lessons. The Sydney Morning Herald exclaims that, “Country Road’s site visits rose 150 per cent to about 8.4 million last year and have risen 30 per cent so far this financial year” (Mithcell 2014). Similar statistics are easily found throughout current news media channels around the globe. But what does this mean for Australian SMEs? Well, customers who shop with the larger retail entities are already online, which means they are subject to the extraordinarily wide array of online marketing techniques that are available to SMEs. Techniques such as AdWords, Remarketing, Call Forwarding, SEO, the list is endless and it’s always changing. In fact, some Australian businesses are executing their online strategies so well that they’re “ ’…taking share back from international retailers selling into Australia,’ said Mr Gilbert,” (Mitchell 2014) who is an analyst for UBS.

So why are Australian consumer behaviour trends important for SMEs who don’t offer an online sales option but still have a working website? Well, because “site visits are considered a good leading indicator for online and bricks and mortar sales growth, as many consumers visit retailers’ online sites to check prices and product availability before visiting stores” (Mitchell 2014).

Even with the launch of sites like ClickFrenzy (Australia’s version of Cyber Monday) are testaments to the fact that Australians are taking their online shopping seriously. Deals and specials are no longer only available in the bricks and mortar stores, but are readily available online. To cite the site directly, ClickFrenzy claim that “online retail is a $20+ billion source of revenue, and the only sector of retail experiencing double digit growth.”

What actions can you be taking to cement your place in the digital world? I think you already know the answer to that. So talk to your Client Manager at SponsoredLinX on 1300 859 600 or visit our website today to learn more and find out what your business should already be doing. Don’t forget to keep an eye out for our blogs and upcoming events as well; they’re all designed to help educate you in the world of online marketing.

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