We’re often asked if Ecommerce will ever replace physical retail completely. Even though the high street seems to be shrinking, new shopping centres are continually springing up, there is clearly still a big demand for ‘touch and buy’ shopping. Large retail businesses do still have a major physical presence and many are expanding, just not necessarily on the high street.

Most retail businesses do have an Ecommerce presence, and we would suggest that Ecommerce provides added convenience to their clientele. Take clothing for example, who would have thought that clothes would ever be bought online – surely you have to touch and try the garment before purchasing. Well if you know your size, you trust the brand and particularly if you have bought before, online provides a time-saving option.

We see the relationship between Ecommerce and physical retail getting stronger. Of course there are now many online-only businesses who would probably never conceive of owning a shop-front, what with the added costs involved, and other complex management issues, but there are few traditional retailers who haven’t gone down the E-commerce route yet.

Ecommerce adds cost-effective sales to a business and now with the ability to synchronise operations between electronic point of sale (EPOS) and the website, retail business owners can benefit from Ecommerce as an added store location, rather than a separate entity. EPOS allows more efficient purchasing, facilitates lean stock management and adds an extra arm to management information, with highly detailed reporting and analysis tools.

With bespoke website development and E-commerce websites, existing EPOS systems can be linked very easily to achieve exactly what the business requires in terms of data synchronisation, enabling the website and store management to operate succinctly.

Ascensor build bespoke Ecommerce websites and help retailers to grow online.

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