An Online Existence.

The modern world is full of useful online widgets, constant online integration and a range of online retail options for customers of all tastes and preferences. This has been a growing trend for several years and if anything it's becoming more apparent in recent years.

Largely due to the fact that this is where your customers are these days!

• Numerous large supermarkets have provided an online grocery delivery service.
• Many retail outlets have provided a reserve and pick up service.
• Home delivery on just about anything and everything is often available.
• Car insurance, credit card and other applications are easily done online.
• Many banks, loyalty card and cash card services have online account functionality.
• And this just highlights a few of the many things out there.

As an organisation what does this tell us?
Well, in the last five years or so it has become an increasingly popular idea to interact with customers where they already are. Long gone are the days of trawling high street stores for hours at a time or looking for a store that sells what you want- it's all digital. It's all accesible. And there's a lot of money in it.

In fact, the entire principle of online networking comes from the fact that your consumers are online and that's a good place to talk to them. Or network, as the case may be.
But why? Why would someone want to go online rather than in the stores?

• Prices are often lower or comparitive to the high street.
• Some items are only available online where they aren't otherwise.
• Rare, imported or specialist items are not so hard to get.
• The ease of use factor where you don't need to do much to buy items.
• Delivery is often as cheap, if not cheaper, than going via transport or car to pick the items up.

Although, on the other hand- there's a number of disadvantages to it as well.

• You can't preview items before purchase (wear clothes, check mobile phones etc.)
• Online information can be purposely or accidentaly limited.
• Even the internet sells out of products sometimes.
• There's a high risk of impulse buying addiction where it's so easy you do it repeatedly.

Now the point of all this is to highlight a few things about what online consumers will expect from you as an organisation and how best you can serve them.
Knowing what they want and how to give it to them goes a long way in sales.
Not to mention with so many consumers online there's no better way, especially in combination with other services, such as online networking and so on, to reach these consumers and deliver information straight to them. Not that it poses much of a problem these days.
Many online services have adjusted to make sure that it's as easy to use and as simple as possible as is humanly possibly. So that everyone may benefit from this range of opportunities.

What are your best online experiences? Do you have a winning strategy? Or are you an organisation looking to break into the online market?

Thank you for reading!

All information presented here is © copyright Carkean Solutions Ltd., 2010 - Not to be used without our permission - The views expressed here are the views of an individual not the corporation