- By Nikki Verbeke
- webdesign
- 12 May 2021
- 3:09
Although e-commerce has been on the rise for years, many Belgian merchants have not yet jumped on the bandwagon. Only 23.9% of Belgian traders have a website or webshop with online ordering or booking facilities. What a shame. Without a webshop, you are of course missing out on a lot of interesting opportunities.
In the first 9 months of 2020, the turnover of Belgian online shops increased by no less than 33%. In total, Belgians spent 4.9 billion euros in Belgian webshops in that period. The biggest increases are seen in the categories ‘computers and accessories’, ‘clothing’, ‘shoes and personal lifestyle’ and ‘media and entertainment’. The travel and events sector was dealt a huge blow by the strict Corona measures and performs no less than 18% lower than in 2019. Despite this, Belgian E-Commerce can still present serious growth figures. The impact of the reopening of shops appears to be minimal, so everything indicates that this trend will continue in the coming years.
Every day, 13 new webshops are added and 3 transactions take place every second. If you want to remain competitive, a good webshop is an absolute must these days.
Not yet convinced? These 7 reasons will definitely make you see the benefits of a webshop.
24 on 24, 7 days on 7
Your web shop is your most loyal employee. You can count on it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Your web shop never gets tired, is always in good spirits and has no personal preferences.
If you know that today approximately 70% of Belgians made an online purchase in the past few months, you will undoubtedly understand how important it is to be available at the moment your potential customers are looking for your products or services.
Don’t think local any more. Think (inter)national!
Most customers of your physical shop are located in the immediate surroundings. If you want to reach a wider audience, it will usually cost you a lot of money. Just think of the possibilities of advertising in magazines or newspapers with a wide reach, for example.
With your webshop, you can reach a target audience that is many times larger. Be sure to hire a SEO specialist for optimal organic visibility. Do you also want to sell your products or services internationally? Have your pages and products translated by an SEO copywriter for maximum effect.
Measuring = knowing
Your web shop platform offers a number of interesting possibilities for analysing the exact impact of your investments. Which products are viewed the most? Which products sell best? Which categories are viewed by most of my visitors?
By analysing the performance of your webshop, you can make targeted investments. It will not surprise you that data driven investments will pay off more in the long run.
Selling online is cheaper
The cost of your new web shop pales into insignificance when compared to the investment required for a physical location. Moreover, your webshop will always be scalable. The most popular web shop platforms constantly offer new possibilities to improve the functioning of your web shop and to provide better service to your customers.
Extra sales channel
Investing in a webshop provides an additional sales channel. With a minimal investment, you can quickly reach a target audience that is many times larger.
Larger range
Make clear agreements with your suppliers. This will enable you to offer a wider range of products without having to make any additional investments. Large investments in storage space are no longer necessary.
Create a community around your brand
Social media platforms offer a lot of opportunities to increase the engagement of your customers. Reviews, ratings, competitions and shareable content are just some of the possibilities you have to build a community around your brand. The most well-known webshop platforms also offer extensive possibilities to link your social media channels and your webshop.
Hulp nodig?