Consumer behavior during the pandemic is very different from what we were used to, leading to an increase in online sales and a decrease in sales at physical stores. How do we deal with this?
In this article, produced from a live session with the founder of the Younik channel , Fernando Vitolo, I present some solutions to the topic. I discuss details of digital transformation in e-commerce, the anxiety of starting an online business, the new normal in retail, and much more. Check it out!
- Read too: "My e-commerce has grown, now what?"!
STARTING TO SALES ONLINE
There are many companies in the market that are (or were) 100% in the physical world, but with the pandemic and its periods of quarantine, resulting from the closing of stores and malls, etc., need (needed) to explore e-commerce. It's a necessity. But how to take the initial step to start selling online?
It's true that, in a normal world, many business owners have chains of physical stores, but they don't venture into this "new world," the online world. This is understandable, since in a normal world sales are happening offline and the business is thriving. But now, with the stores closed, there aren't many options. The only way forward has been to prioritize digital transformation , which includes creating an online store.
Tips for selling online
Here at e-Plus Agency, we've been assisting many entrepreneurs who are trying to start in e-commerce. Several entrepreneurs we had spoken to in the distant past have contacted us again. In addition, entrepreneurs and companies we hadn't yet interacted with have also reached out. Even those who already have e-commerce businesses have sought our agency to integrate sales channels, create customer service systems via WhatsApp, etc. But some precautions are necessary.
The big problem is that now everyone wants an online store "yesterday." However, you can't just do it any old way. Ideally, you should plan first, test each implementation step, and integrate everything correctly so the business works well. In fact, I talked a lot about this topic in another interview with Fernando Vitolo, which is available in the article " Setting up an e-commerce business " (click and check it out).
ABOUT THE ANXIETY TO BUILD BUSINESS ONLINE
Research published regularly in the media indicates a significant increase in online sales, leading to a rush to create e-commerce websites. There's an eagerness to start a business and learn how to sell things online as quickly as possible.
In anxiety, many entrepreneurs embark on the idea of doing everything themselves. However, one of the first steps to creating a successful business (along with good planning) is having a team.
What I mean is that it's impossible for a company to be run by just one man or one woman, a "one-person company," unless you're a self-employed e-commerce micro-entrepreneur (MEI ). But even micro-entrepreneurs sooner or later start to grow, and then they need to hire a team.
The fact is that creating an e-commerce has many details. You need to think about the product catalog and which products make sense to sell online or not. There are also issues of logistics, dissemination, there has to be a high investment in the media.
It is still necessary to find the consumer public. And after that, many customers will buy and will certainly complain, which will require a SAC. All this requires employees, many of whom are from third-party companies and others hired via CLT.
Delegate tasks to grow
I recently read a book called “The Entrepreneur Myth” that addresses precisely this topic. A person is very good at something and wants to start a company. And then she wants to do everything. She especially loves doing the technical part, but the company is much more than that.
The owner needs to encourage people, he has to focus on the strategic, make decisions that will influence the lives of many employees and also their families. And then, when we started to think about all this, we came to the conclusion that it is necessary to learn to delegate tasks. In this aspect, having the right people is the secret to the success of any business.
BRAZILIAN IS FORGED IN DIFFICULTY AND ALWAYS FIND A WAY
Brazil was one of the countries that most adapted to the conditions of the pandemic, in terms of trade. This may be due to the fact that we never had peace at any time. We are forged in difficulty. Brazilians are a very creative people. Very hard worker. And it makes me very proud to see what we've been able to do in such a short time.
In the history of online entrepreneurship in our country, there are cases of people who started with very small businesses, registering only one product and selling on Instagram, Facebook , etc. Gradually, however, they adapted and grew. It's very interesting to observe how Brazilians manage to do this.
When we at Agência e-Plus started, for example, it was a “eugency”. That is, it was just me. I always had the idea that if you have the money to hire, then you have to hire. But at that time, I didn’t have that.
So, I went to learn HTML, CSS, SEO and started to set goals for what I wanted for the company. One of those goals was that by the time I got three SEO contracts I would hire one person. That's what I did.
In fact, the first person I hired was my intern and she is with me to this day at the agency. Today we also have a person for HR, another for legal, accounting, there are a lot of people and a lot of things involved.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO LAUNCH VIRTUAL STORE
A project to create an exclusive layout, thought of the client's business, with all the details, ERP system integrated with the platform focused on e-commerce can take 4 to 5 months to be ready.
But it all depends on the customer too. If it has to be yesterday, then it will be. We have already gone up stores in 30 days for customers who asked for urgency. However, these customers had to give up many things, because in this space of time it is not possible to go through a quality creation/approval process.
NEW NORMAL IN RETAIL
Large operations have closed their physical stores and directed investments to digital, which has made many people wonder if physical retail will disappear. It is worth remembering, a decade or two ago when e-commerce started to accelerate, this was also the great fear, “the physical store will die”, we used to say.
In fact, when e-books appeared, we started to say that the physical book would die. When the TV started to rock, we said that the radio was going to die. And when the internet started, then pretty much everything was going to die (ironically speaking). However, we are in the middle of 2020 and I still like to read paper newspapers. Well, I think I was born at 60. But anyway, the truth is that one way or another, physical retail will survive.
Be that as it may, I believe the future of retail will be a great hybrid model. I think that for public health reasons we will have smaller stores. Even with a vaccine, nothing prevents us from having new epidemics and pandemics. So imagine a store where people try on an outfit, leave it there and someone else picks it up. So you will have to have a cleaning time. Well, many things will change and we will have to adapt to that.
- As soon as you can, also click on “Types of online businesses” to read a companion post.
