Taking your business online may be considered a hugely time and cost consuming affair, but this need not be the case. There are many advantages of selling online over those that exists for selling using conventional methods. Traditional small and micro businesses usually find it difficult to expand their business beyond the local market due to lack of money and resources. It is further affected by the proliferation of larger and giant supermarkets in every corner of the cities.

A small grocery store in Cubao, Quezon City no longer has to compete with hypermarkets such as SM Hypermarket, ShopWise, PureGold, WalterMart and Makro, thanks to the Internet that is not only cost-effective, but popular as well. 

Internet represents an immensely big virtual market, and by taking your small business online, your niche market will expand many folds because of its global magnitude. The following are 5 good reasons why you should bring your small business online.

Open 24/7. No need to worry about who’s going to man your shop. Your site will be virtually open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and your stuff is secured even when you’re at sleep. Visitors or, should I say, potential customer can shop anytime and anywhere at their convenience. Online shoppers can also review and check information of your product instantly. Payment is also made easy as it can be wired to your local bank or you can use a payment intermediary service such as PayPal which is preferred by most online shoppers.

Fast, cheap and quality service. Reputation is very important when selling online. One way to achieve this is to ensure that your product line can be delivered economically and conveniently through the mail or over the Internet. You don’t have to own delivery trucks to the deliver products. Courier delivery is a cost-effective way to bring your products to the doorsteps of your customer, even across the shores. In the Philippines alone, we already have FedEx, UPS, DHL and other international courier services plus the local couriers which are tied up with these international delivery services.  You should be able to find one in your area.

Instant advertising. With the advent of social media networking, you can now promote your brand directly to consumers with minimal to no cost at all. One benefit is the internet allows immediate publishing of information and content that is not limited by geographical location or time. Online advertising allows for the customization of advertisements, including content and posted websites.

Cheap expansion costs. Compare new “technology” costs to current bricks and mortar costs, e.g.: rent, labor, inventory and printing costs. You don’t have to build expensive additions to your business. You don’t need to add additional employees for this expansion as well.  All you need is a computer and a good internet connection. Intelletrace, Inc. offers cheap and fast internet services.

More visitors and more sales. Establish and grow alliances that will hotlink to your site for free. Having an online presence does not guarantee increased sales but it does not hurt. Remember that your market is the free world wide web.  Continue to promote your business online and you’ll have a better chance of making new sales and you’ll also make your business life easier.

In online business, there’s no such thing as big and small, it’s just big and bigger. Realize that the World Wide Web levels the playing ground—you can look like a big company by just having a great website… and now is the time to do it.

Joel Gacosta is a network support engineer and blogs about how to effectively use information and communications technologies of our age, including social media. He works with Intelletrace Inc., and is currently in SmartyVA training. You can follow him on Twitter at @jlowtek.