Dynamic Business

The cost of inertia
With companies like  Tinos and The Meat Boutique forging ahead, why are some small businesses still  holding back on their web activities?

A quick online search of the retailers and service providers along any main street will find that perhaps one in ten has a website comprising more than an address, phone number and details of opening  hours.

Imagine, then, just how much business they could be losing without realising it— the camera that has been ordered online from Dixons instead of being bought locally; the haircut that needed to be booked for the next day but could not be scheduled out of hours other than by the salon in the next town; the Indian restaurant whose phone number is always engaged at peak times.

Traditionally, small retailers and service providers have resisted developing their own websites because of the perceived cost and complexity, as it used to cost between $5,000 and $10,000 for a specialist web design and hosting provider, leaving the retailer with no control over any future updates to the site content.

Web design
Thankfully, this is no longer the only option. A rise in hosted DIY web-build solutions means that even the tiniest business can create a highly professional and comprehensive online presence.  For example, eCorner and its partners like Netregistry offer full ecommerce online stores. Every site comes complete with shopping basket functionality, SSL encryption, secure managed hosting, free web analytics, a wide range of design templates and free support.

“Our goal at eCorner is to reduce the  barrier to entry by making ecommerce as easy and affordable as possible, which  allows more Australian businesses to experience the benefits of having a  professional online store,” said Mr Debrincat.

With the availability of easy-to-use web design packages and professional  website templates that have been pre-customised for particular business types,  (such as hairdressers, hotels and restaurants), retailers and service  providers can now design and easily update their own impressive online  storefronts — without any skills or training — in two to three days.

This is a significant development for small businesses trying to mark out a safe path through the impending recession. It offers them an affordable and immediately accessible additional marketing and sales channel — and one capable of extremely high impact.

Professional websites have now entered the mass market and it is now easier for small businesses to match their larger counterparts, regardless of how modest their budgets are.

Whether you choose to allow customers to complete transactions online will be down to you and your business model, but few companies can afford to persist in ignoring this critical sales channel. 

John Debrincat is CEO of eCorner, an Australian eCommerce provider. For more information, please visit www.ecorner.com.au

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