Shopping has changed in the last ten years. Once a novelty, the act of ordering goods online has become the new norm. Shopping online is convenient, fast and offers you a world of choices and options at your fingertips.
Perhaps inevitably, corporate monoliths have risen up. Certain companies have come to the forefront of the online shopping landscape by offering faster delivery, cheaper prices and more choice.
But all of this comes at a cost. A cost to the community, your community.
In recent times the importance of shopping local has come to prominence, perhaps in response to the rise of aforementioned global online retailers who have come under fire for poor conditions for workers, tax avoidance and other criticisms.
Whilst highlighting these concerns, shoppers have also sought a positive solution. One of the most convincing arguments for helping your local community is to shop locally. Shopping locally benefits your community. It also benefits the environment. And, perhaps most importantly, shopping locally means that the money you spend stays in the community.
When e-commerce really came into mainstream consciousness, shops on the high street struggled to compete. E-commerce was new, untested, unproven. Small local businesses didn’t have the time or money to invest in such a venture as setting up their own website for online shopping.
Nowadays, all that has changed.
Myriad local businesses, from butchers to bottle shops now have online ordering. Where before it wasn’t even a given that a local shop would have any kind of online presence at all, nowadays it’s becoming increasingly common for you to be able to order locally produced goods straight to your doorstep. It’s a marriage of the convenience of shopping online and the ethical benefits of shopping locally.
If you are a local business owner contemplating a foray into e-commerce and taking orders online, it’s easier than you might think. Just as setting up your own website has become a much easier and more accessible endeavour in recent years, so too has setting up your own online shop.
If you’re dipping your foot into the waters of e-commerce and feel daunted by all of the considerations, our friendly experts are standing by to help. We can help get you set-up so that your business has a reach that extends beyond the high street, giving your customers the option to shop online and shop locally. To learn more about getting your business online, please do not hesitate to get in touch, we’re ready to help!