Online store as a business

Is an online store a business? Many people think so, but not me.

In my opinion, considering an online store as a business is a big conceptual mistake that can ruin all of your endeavors at the root.

After all, what is a business?

Business – this is primarily the creation of the product, the formation of why customers will come to you in general and for what they will pay money: range, price, service and so on.

And an online store is just a virtual storefront that allows you to explore products, their photos, descriptions, characteristics, assemble products into a shopping cart and place an order with a certain degree of relative convenience.

Many people think that an online store is a way to run a business with minimal investment. I do not agree with this. Online store is not a small amount of work associated with the laying out of the range, its description on the site, preparing photos, researching the niche, which is necessary for remote consultation with customers.

The total cost of the average online store is commensurate with the opening of a retail outlet, and given the fact that the first requires a number of specific skills, it may be much easier to open a retail outlet.

However, there are a few “buts”:

• An online store can be opened without long lease agreements, renovation of the premises and purchase of equipment. Internet-shop can be made “on its knees” if the niche is really in demand, then sales will be, and then you can refine the business. This allows you to significantly reduce the risks and costs at the start. That is, you can still launch an online store with less investment.
• You can delegate virtually all the work of opening an online store to someone else, such as me. And it does not matter where you are physically located. But you will most likely have to open the retail outlet yourself.
• I think that even physical outlets are good to have an online store. And why not start your business with the Internet?

To summarize: online store – it’s just a showcase, just one of many ways to demonstrate the range of their products to customers, a method that has both its advantages, such as the ability to significantly reduce costs and risks at the start of the business, and objective minuses, including those associated with limited coverage (most sales are still performed offline).