Transitioning to a digital landscape has long been a necessity for several businesses. Whilst in the past, a business could perform well without the use of digital channels, today, with increasing competition, an organisation without an online presence risks a lack of exposure and subsequent failure.
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated digital adoption and several businesses have shifted their operations online, in a bid to keep the wheel in motion when customers were forced and encouraged to stay at home. Many businesses including those in retail, hospitality, and various other sectors had to shift their businesses online as customer walk-ins diluted. In this article, we shall discuss some of the things you need to keep in mind to launch your business online.
A proper website
The term “proper” is key here. In order to engage with an online audience, your website needs to be optimised and up to speed. The user experience needs to be catered for and an easy path must be created for the customer to arrive at the stage of action that the business needs him to. One would also need to invest in a responsive website which is adaptable to all devices. The time where business owners can rest on their laurels simply because the website looks “ok” on a desktop computer is long gone. Most users today view websites on their mobile phones and would immediately discard it if not optimised. One other essential component is the loading time. A few seconds for a website to load may be enough for a user to get frustrated and never visit the platform again. In this regard, it is essential to ascertain that the uploaded items are of a certain size which is compatible with the website, to ensure no unnecessary loading times.
E-commerce
In a time where online transactions have boomed, it is important to equip your website with e-commerce functionality, so that online visitors may purchase the products you offer. In this regard, it is essential to create a platform where customers may execute secure online payments and that the product showcase is updated and that all items which feature are actually available.
Social media channels
Although having an optimised website is an important step, it is not enough. With more time being spent at home, people play around with social media like there is no tomorrow. Your business needs to interact online on these platforms as well. Depending on your business, you will need to decide which social media channels you may focus on, and in today’s competitive landscape, many options are available. With the options available on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and TikTok, this is an entirely separate project!
If you do not have these in place during this pandemic era, you are already late! Speak to MYC by sending an email on info@myc.com.mt to optimise your digital channels.
