4 reasons why you need to take your business online

This day and age it is imperative that every business has a website. Each year it is becoming more and more popular for consumers and businesses to search a product or service online rather than in phone books or in brick and mortar locations. The information age is growing and if your business is not part of it you are losing out on a growing trend. So here are some reasons why we need a website.

Online sales are growing faster than offline sales

Consulting firm Deloitte forecasts a 14% increase in non-store sales, driven largely by the web. In contrast, overall holiday sales are expected to increase just 2.5 to 3% over last season. 

The web influences almost half of offline purchases

More shoppers are than ever are checking a store website before heading out to the physical location. Forrester Research predicted in its U.S. Online Retail Forecast, 2009 to 2014 report that the web would influence 48% of 2011 in-store sales.

Holiday shoppers research more online in a shaky economy

Consumers use the web to research price and availability of products to purchase both online and in stores. According to the same 2011 NRF holiday survey referenced above, the average holiday shopper plans to do 36% of their shopping online – whether they’re comparing prices, researching products, or actually making a purchase.

Online is a major source of inspiration for gift shoppers

When beginning the hunt for holiday gift ideas this year, our own research – just released Halloween – reveals that 21% of U.S. shoppers browse retailer websites for inspiration while 29% peruse physical stores.