E-Store: Identify The Right Solution
No distribution company today can afford to ignore the potential in online purchasing.
The online store is so popular with consumers that 80% of Web users pre-visualize products before purchasing them.1 Therefore, to meet these expectations, it is all the more imperative for these companies to develop an online store solution that will represent such a growing market2.
However, only 10% of Quebec SMEs, that have 20 or fewer employees, have an online store solution.The situation at the national level is not any better. A recent poll shows that only 22% of Canadian SMEs employ an online store.
This is due to the common belief that most SMEs cannot afford an online store solution or that they cannot find one that will suit their business needs.
Free online store: once downloaded, what’s next?
The market for free software (open source) is enriched by more than 1,000 new products per month. While this software may initially represent a significant cost saving for the company (as you are able to download it for free on the Web), this online store may soon prove to be a nightmare. In most cases, these programs do not provide any technical support to the user which makes it very difficult to fix a problem after you download the solution. What business leader has the time, skill set or even the desire to solve software problems? Even if this manager has a team of in-house IT experts, costs will still be disbursed to identify the problem and get the system running smoothly again. All to say, a “free” software, in the end, comes with hidden costs and headaches.
Note: as the developers of these open source software systems are volunteers, there is no guarantee that system updates and improvements will be made.
Customized Solutions
According to the latest available statistics, a software developer is paid more than $30 an hour3. It is therefore understandable that few SMEs have the sufficient budget to develop a custom online shopping solution.
The option of developing such a system therefore cannot be considered. It is especially less likely for Quebec companies that have 20 employees or less, where currently the majority of them are without an online store.
The integrated solution
In the field of online store applications, the best is one that integrates seamlessly with other business functions.
Such a system allows you to make changes in real time (the entered change is immediately replicated throughout the company, without manual intervention).
On the other hand, only the customer makes entries or changes. This procedure standardizes operations, saving employee time and eliminates the risk of human error.
Unlike free solutions, the integrated solution of our online store provides the appropriate technical support.
Our Online Store® solution allows buyers to:
– Pay for their purchases using PayPal and Moneris systems
– Consult a catalog of products available online
– Create a secure account that is quickly accessible
Initialized from the main erpwizard® system, it can be installed and activated without any data migration.
Rent or Buy Mode
The activation of the Online Store® simply requires a monthly subscription fee.
Hosted in the database of erpwizard®, the data from the online store is automatically shown to current or potential customers on the Internet upon activation of the system.
The company that so chooses can buy Online Store® at a cost that surely meets their budget.
To benefit from the many advantages that comes with our Online Store® solution, ask for our free brochure today.
1 During the first six months of 2012, online sales in Canada rose by 25% unlike in-store sales, where it only increased by 2%. http://www.votresite.ca/conferences-gratuite-francois-charron/branchons-les-pme/
2 In 2012, Quebec citizens have spent between 10 to 12 billion dollars on online purchases alone. http://www.votresite.ca/forfait-votresite/creation-boutique-en-ligne/
3Numbers for 2013, in the greater Montreal region.
