The stats say that Kiwis are likely to spend $2.7b at online shops this year. That makes $1400 per person shopping online this year. More than a third of that will be spent offshore.
Online shopping is expected to grow 12% per annum to a stunning $4.2b by 2015. The big attraction is clearly lower prices, a much wider range to choose from and convenience. A massive growth in mobile devices including phones and tablets, means that people can shop online wherever they are - on the bus, at the park - anywhere.
So, with these figures, you would expect an enormous growth in the economy? Perhaps, but let's not forget that nearly 70% of businesses in New Zealand don't even have a website. According to an article from TVNZ, the economy could grow by more than 5% per annum if all NZ businesses owned a website. Only 2% of businesses have 'gone online' in the last year. We would need to see a far more extreme change in the number of businesses investing in a website to be able to transform our economy.
Businesses with a website have reported a significant increase in new business. Some businesses who we have worked with have reported as much as 70% of new business is generated through their website alone. Even a larger percentage can be achieved by using various other tools in conjunction with the website such as blogging, social media, SEO and SEM etc.
Is the reason for this vast number of businesses not engaging in the web due to a lack of knowledge, expense, afraid of technology or simply unaware of what advantages there are by owning a website?
Any of these phobia's can easily be addressed and overcome. If it is the initial investment that is the deciding factor, our clients have reported anything between a 3-12 month ROI. Clients with a 3 month ROI are generally the type who have embraced the web and used all the tools such as SEO to ensure that they rank well on Google and other search engines. They are also the type of client who have professional branding and well written copy.
To sum up, the process of designing and building a website need not be daunting, and if done properly, your return on investment could be under one year. So if you want to be online, especially if you're in retail, take the leap and enjoy the rewards.
