Over 3 billion people (over half of the world’s population) have access to the internet today and to put that in perspective just a decade back only about 1.7 billion people had access to the internet.
Not too long ago, the internet was a luxury afforded by the upper class, and that too only in the developed nations. However, the boom in technology and infrastructure in recent years has made the Internet accessible to all classes of society all around the world. Moreover, internet rates are cheaper in developing countries like India than in nations like the United States and Canada.
Well, what have we achieved with the internet?
Apart from letting us connect with anyone around the world and giving us an unlimited amount of information, the internet has allowed us to know and understand the world around us better.
Almost all of us check for reviews and details online nowadays before making any purchase. We also use the internet to get to know the place we live in and also to find places of interest near us.
Not just individuals, but even businesses can make huge benefits from the internet, especially new and small-scale businesses.
If you own a business that is in its budding stages and want to know how to make the maximum utilization of the internet, today we bring you a detailed article on the benefits of internet services for small businesses.
How Does the Internet Influence Small Businesses?
Regardless of whether you own an offline or online business, below are some of the ways an online presence for your business can boost sales and profits.
Provide Personalized Customer Support
The success of any business lies in bringing back existing customers rather than gaining new customers. Therefore, customer satisfaction needs to be the No. 1 priority for any business to keep existing customers happy and loyal.
Regardless of how perfect your product or service is, customers will often face grievances and will demand to get the issue rectified as soon as possible.
Having an online presence allows businesses to easily and quickly react to customer queries and provide them with the most appropriate help. Companies focusing on customer satisfaction will always have a dedicated support team that is still present to help out customers.
Low-Cost Option to Market to Target Audience
The internet boom, combined with the global popularity of social media and networking platforms, has provided businesses with a new, cost-efficient, and high-yielding method to market their product or service to a specific target audience.
Unlike traditional marketing techniques, online promotions and marketing provide better results in terms of sales and reach because you can choose exactly the type of people to whom you wish to reach out with your product.
Build Trust Amongst Potential Customers
As mentioned in the beginning, online reviews play a very influential role in our decisions and purchases these days. We, as customers are more likely to choose a service or a brand if they have a generally positive image online, even if we haven’t seen or used the product/service before.
Generating reviews from social media influencers, trusted review websites, etc. can help in building a positive image for a brand or service in the minds of interested customers which will then later convert to direct revenue.
Complete Sales Without any Hassles
An online marketplace will allow businesses to manage an efficient and cheap inventory as they do not have to rely on offline stores for sales entirely. Customers can directly place an order from the business without relying on any middlemen.
Moreover, the utilization of online payment gateways can ensure smooth and secure transactions between the business and customer without having to worry about any extra charges.
Reduce Workforce and Operational Costs
The main goal for any small-scale business is to reduce operational costs and improve profits. By having an online presence, businesses can significantly cut down on workforce and operational costs, which would otherwise be required to function the business.
Final Words
With the introduction of new technologies such as IoT, the influence of the Internet on businesses is changing. However, there is no doubt that the utilization of the Internet can contribute to the success of a business in today’s world.
We hope you found this article informative and in case you wish to add your views on this topic, feel free to leave them as comments below.
