Online sales: an open door to the world

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"If it's not on the internet, it's because it doesn't exist." This is the line of thinking of almost the entire population and should also be the key point in planning business models for the digital age. In the current context of a paradigmatic change in consumer behavior, businesses face almost insurmountable challenges, driven by the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. From a strategic perspective, organizations are rethinking and readapting their business models with a focus on online sales .

This concept of online sales has seen increasing evolution with a significant impact on the global economy. It is a business model based on an operating structure based on the online environment that digitalizes two basic business processes: sales and customer relations.
The growing trend of online sales
With digitalization and easy access to digital media, confidence in new purchasing methods has also arrived. If a few years ago consumers did not make purchases online , today, e-commerce is no longer just a passing trend and has become a solid business model that offers a range of opportunities to the new era of consumers.

And to consolidate online sales , the COVID-19 pandemic has had a positive impact on this italy whatsapp number database of consumer habits and companies' business models. According to data from Sociedade Interbancária de Serviços (SIBS), the pandemic crisis has led to significant increases in the online purchase of services and products, with an average value of 18% during the state of emergency.

e-Commerce: from online stores to marketplace
The question arises when planning an online sales strategy : online store or marketplace ? The growing trend of e-commerce brings new demands and challenges with regard to the resources available when choosing and using a sales channel. But what is the best option?

Online Store
E -commerce breaks down all geographical barriers and has given companies the great advantage of easily accessing global markets through their own brand's online stores . Through online stores , companies have a greater ability to engage with consumers in a closer and more personalized way, with the advantage of being able to sell products geared towards the previous purchasing experience.

However, the logistical challenges and operational costs of distribution can become very significant when it comes to a smaller business with little notoriety.

Marketplace
This is an online sales platform that brings together several sellers in a single location. Unlike an online store , a marketplace offers the opportunity to outsource logistics and quickly launch a business, thanks to the possibility of placing the brand or product in front of a large audience.

However, while on the one hand it simplifies logistics management and involves lower costs in terms of resources used in online sales , on the other hand the profit margin is lower , taking into account that there are commissions for each sale made.

Investing in a mixed online sales strategy
Why invest in a singular online sales strategy ? Focusing the business model on just one sales channel reduces the brand's growth possibilities and creates absolute dependence on that same channel.

Although it is important to consider the resources available to invest in the various sales channels, the ideal would be to invest in a mixed strategy that allows you to improve results and increase profitability.

The advantages of online sales : a world of possibilities
The amount of information available and the ease of searching are two of the aspects that make digital purchases increasingly intuitive, quick and, often, impulsive.

This new paradigm challenges organizations in any sector to have a command of knowledge and skills in the strategic and operational implementation of online sales . However, investing in this model is the first step towards optimizing sales results, which is represented by several advantages:

1. Attract new customers
This is the great benefit and specificity of the online medium : reaching new and large audiences that are unreachable in traditional commerce. The online medium boosts the increase in brand visibility and notoriety, combining these characteristics with good usability and communication power that elevate promotion and dissemination strategies to another dimension.

2. There are no geographical limitations
E-commerce knows no geographical barriers. The truth is that a physical store is limited to a geographical space, something that does not happen in the online world and represents one of the great advantages of this business model.

3. Lower costs involved
Although there are costs associated with creating and maintaining an online store or presence in a marketplace , not having to pay rent for a physical space is a factor that significantly impacts the brand's budget.

4. Invest in targeted communication
E-commerce offers companies great opportunities to monitor digital consumer behavior in real time. This makes it possible to identify the most sought-after products, sales history and present the market with proposals that are more tailored to each customer's preferences.

5. Overcoming time constraints
As with geographical limitations, online commerce eliminates all the time limits imposed by traditional commerce, which depends on a physical space and opening and closing times. In the online world , sales take place seven days a week, 24 hours a day.

How to simplify administrative management and optimize results?
Among all the challenges that the digital era has brought to business, e-commerce faces great opportunities for expansion, not only through online channels , but also through omnichannel distribution , which implies challenges in logistics and integrated communication between physical and various digital media.

And the most efficient response to this demand from the digital market is based on investing in tools that guarantee the optimization and simplification of processes, ensuring integrated management of all sales channels in a single place.

To respond to these growing needs, PRIMAVERA provides a technological solution , developed from integration technologies, which allows the creation of a set of connectors that connect online stores , e-commerce platforms and digital marketplaces in a single backoffice .