Over the last 20 years, business and commerce has been slowly shifting from the bricks and mortar stores to online e-commerce platforms.
The craze over the last few years has been that every bricks and mortar store needs to have an online presence. This is true in some respects, but not in others.
For example, there is no point a small local retailer attempting to sell their products online when they are competing with a multi-national company selling the same products. The small retailer will be lost in the millions of other small retailing websites that just don’t have the advertising power and dollars to climb the Google Search ranks and get in front of potential customers.
Plus, the small retailer really doesn’t have the buying power to compete online with a larger franchise operation.
So, what can the small retailer do?
If you have a niche product, a unique product range, that is not necessarily offered by the larger companies, then you certainly have an opportunity of succeeding in the online e-commerce space.
A perfect example is one of our latest clients, Country Farm Perennials.
They are a plant nursery. You would not think, a plant Nursery in South Gippsland, would be able to create an online Nursery and successfully compete against the larger companies. However, the key to their online success is that they offer a niche service to their customers.
Besides their online presence, they advertise regularly when they’ll be at Plant Shows and when they have Open Days at their Nursery and Gardens. Their customers trust their knowledge of drought resistant and hardy plants.
They have stayed connected to their customers, and even offer the opportunity to purchase your plants online, but then visit the Nursery to pick them up … and get to talk to the experts while they’re there. No doubt, they add a few more purchases to their bundle after a conversation, cup of tea and some cookies.
You can checkout their website at www.countryfarmperennials.com.au , and take note of the personal connection they offer along with the ability to make your plant selections online.
