As the fourth quarter of 2010 rolls around small business owners all over Canada are trying to end the year on a positive note. One of the fastest-growing ways to increase profits and gain exposure is by making sales on the internet. The online world has given retailers and other business owners a brand new outlet to sell their products and gain more customers than ever before, But it can be a daunting task to get started and many are left to wonder, how can I jump on the bandwagon before competition leaves my business in the dust? Many Canadian businesses are ready to reap online fourth quarter sales - are you?
The first important thing is to have a way for customers to register for your website. Getting people to give information about themselves can help a company learn as much as possible about the people who buy products from it. But not all customers are comfortable giving out this information. At DocNet.com, Gareth Cutter suggests that giving customers incentives for signing up and registering can be a good way to increase profits.
"While no self-respecting marketer would go out of the way to not add a customer’s details to a database, the sale is, ultimately, more important," writes Cutter. "Barriers to the sale might be reluctance to give up these personal details, or not enough time to register. Remove these barriers: Provide an incentive to encourage as many visitors to register as possible, but allow them that choice."
Another thing that can help a business when it comes to selling its products on the internet is to make those products available through smartphones. The devices are quickly gaining popularity and more and more customers have been turning to mobile technology to do their shopping. By always have the technology at their customers' finger tips, companies have more ways than ever to get their message out there.
According to GoMo News.com, mobile technology has changed the Canadian small business game.
"Mobiles allow you freedom to move ... having a mobile allows the seller to be much more useful to their client from any location. Instead of just taking a call and saying' I can check that for you when I get back to the office,' the salesperson can now have an entire suite of applications and information at hand through their phone. Smartphones have enormous connectivity. When you step away from your desk, you can take all of your connections with you. You can access your email, voice, messages, IM, Skype (or other VoIP) and SMS from your pocket."
Another way to drive customers to an online platform is by having a presence on social media. The advantage to getting on sites like Facebook, Twitter and foursquare is that they are easy to set up and that they can immediately bring new followers to a site. If a person notices that one of his or her friends is a fan of a product, then it can often spark their curiosity. As they follow the links on the social networking sites, a whole new market has been opened up and the results can be exponential from there.
With the year coming to a close, small businesses are gearing up for an end-of-the year push. Online sales can bring an important added source of revenue as Canada comes out of the recession. When companies use the latest technology available, the sky's the limit for the future of small business.
