[Living with COVID] Brick-and-Mortar Businesses Shouldn't Rush into Ecommerce Sites
In this post, I explain how people running offline businesses (in-person sales or services) can raise cash quickly amid COVID.
Read this article, and you'll be able to raise cash fast without wasting money on online investments.
A Devastating Blow to Offline Businesses Such as Services and Retail…
With the COVID state of emergency lifted, society is steering away from the crisis of an unknown virus and toward getting the economy moving again.
According to a Business Insider article compiling survey results, more than 70% of respondents across all industries reported falling sales.
People in so-called offline businesses, especially services and retail, have been hit hardest by falling sales and are trying everything they can to survive.
Better Not to Dive into Ecommerce Sites
In this situation, perhaps because there are so many calls to shift online, people tend to think they should launch an ecommerce site, but I think it's better to hold off.
Here's why:
- Ecommerce itself is a red ocean
- You need a list optimized for ecommerce; without one, acquiring customers costs money
- Handling products means various expenses plus high customer acquisition costs, so it isn't something you can do right now
- Amazon dominates the ecommerce world, so you have no chance of winning unless your products are truly distinctive
- Ecommerce is a business in its own right, something to start in normal times and build over the long term, rather than a way to instantly generate cash in an emergency
Those are the main reasons, I'd say.
So What Should You Do?
My conclusion: “crowdfunding, or flyers for advance tickets and delivery.”
Crowdfunding
The key is whether you or your business have a story that creates empathy.
If your service has been appealing and you've worked hard in all sorts of ways up to now, you'll likely find it easier to get backing.
You can also build rapport by framing it as a fight against a common enemy: COVID.
Flyers for Advance Tickets and Delivery
If you're thinking, “Honestly, I'm not that strong online…,” another option is to use flyers to sell advance tickets or ramp up delivery.
You might think, “Flyers, in this day and age?” But with information overload online, and with people now at both home and the office, flyers can actually grab attention more easily.
They could be effective while people can't eat out as freely as before.
But I'm Not Confident I Can Do This Myself…
Honestly, implementing these approaches may sometimes require a certain level of marketing or writing skill.
That said, the tried-and-true approach in marketing is to “bring real examples that are working into your own business.”
Research online, find success stories, and give it a go.
We also offer marketing and writing support and workshops, so please get in touch if you're interested.
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ACIDHOUSE, INC.
https://acidhouse.love/