The time has come to present your business online if you haven’t done it yet! Take Poland, for example, here only about 48% of businesses present themselves online. Time for a change! Recently PMR communicated that online retail is growing in Poland, like it is growing everywhere. Combined with the increase in online banking and the amount of people that have access to the Internet, the market is getting ready for the next online sales increase. Retailers and small businesses (SME) should be aware of that. Decide for yourself why you would like to (not) join this trend. Although this article is based on data related to Poland, the advise provided is applicable to all retailers and SME’s.

PMR reveals that in 2008 Poles spent PLN 4.5bn (€1bn) on shopping via the internet. The average e-transaction was worth PLN 850 (€190.6). In addition, the proportion of customers of online banking services increased from 29% of Internet users in 2007 to 35% in 2008. In 2008 around 93% of companies and 48% of households had access to the internet. This clearlyshows that the market is ready for online sales. Unfortunately,  it seems like a lot of businesses are still not online!

The local search space is going to change

It is already happening, but for sure it will become more visible in the upcoming time. The local search space is facing a dramatic transformation. An increasing amount of consumers will move online to find everything they need, from food up to a new home.

Today, many locally-based, small businesses might not even be aware of the fact that they need to move their marketing efforts online. And if they are aware of it, most of them probably don’t know how to get round to it. Based on the statistics, the Internet is, for at least half of the business, still a rather new phenomenon. Since business in Poland used to be very locally-oriented, marketing was not really that needed. Due to  the increasing mobility of people and the availability of the Internet, online sales will definitely increase. Big brands and shop chains are already far ahead of this trend. These companies are copying the strategies from abroad and adjust them to the Polish circumstances. To survive this “attack”, Polish businesses, will have to fight back.

Social networks start dominating the communication

To be able to join this competition it is important to realize that we are in an age where social media are setting the trends and become the main way of communication. Just think about networks like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, nasza-klasa, GoldenLine and Blip. These are the places where (younger?) people will meet. Communities focusing on niches of our society will tie people with common interest together.

Advertising will no longer be the same

With the increasing amount of online activities of your potential clients it is no longer sufficient to think about advertisements in your local newspaper. You will have to think more out of the box, you need to surprise people, preferably online. You will have to learn how to use AdWords, Yahoo! Search Marketing, and adCenters. You can use online webinars and podcasts to spread your message. And almost everything is self-service, meaning you are responsible for creating, managing, and optimizing your online presence yourself.

Look for reliable advice

For most of the companies, especially retailers and SME companies, this will be a non-core activity. Something they didn’t do before. You will probably not only be confused, but very hesitant about pumping a lot of money into an online marketing channel. And to be honest, maybe you shouldn’t. Or at least not all at one go. Look for somebody you can trust to support you with the proper knowledge.

Bring your business online and experiment

Undoubtfully, it is useful to bring your business online. Starting from a website with some simple pages up to a full swing web shop, linked to all kind of social networks. Be aware that many companies offer “solutions” to bring your business online. Currently, this is becoming a real price fighters market. Please be careful. There is no such thing as ”one best solution”. What is best for you is not necessarily the same  best for your neighbor. And what looks “cheap” at first glance may turn out to be  rather expensive a few months later.

Start with a nice web page

It’s best to start with something rather simple and just dare to experiment with it. Try some things that are different from the things the competition is doing and steal their successes. The core of an online strategy is the web presence, the first impression to your potential customers – is your website. This might sound simple, but it isn’t. Especially not when you treat the web site as the stepping stone to something bigger.

Soon we will post an article about the web development process.

We are looking forward to hearing your opinions about this post. Feel free to leave your comments or questions below by using our comment form.