Rising from a fad to the fact of the business world, online business is booming across the globe. In the United States alone, more than $200 billion is spent online every year, and that number is only expected to grow as time goes on. In fact, American eCommerce levels are expected to eclipse $440 billion by 2017. Globally, more than $1.25 trillion is spent shopping online each year. Subsequently, businesses are scrambling to optimize their web content for search engines and make themselves more available to the ever-increasing number of mobile web users out there.
What Are We Buying?
Purchases made online truly run the gamut from daily necessities to entertainment to truly strange goods and services. The most popular items sold online? Kitchenware and homeware products. 48% of these products are bought online. Entertainment, encompassing video games, online streaming companies, and the like, are purchased online 26% of the time. Netflix, the world’s most popular streaming service, has over 29 million subscribers, earning just about $1 billion a year. One could go on forever highlighting all the different purchases made online to highlight the continued shift toward digital storefronts, but the point is this: whether you’re an entertainment firm, a homeware retailer, or any other kind of business, being online means more revenue.
Why the Huge Growth?
As you might imagine, the growth of online spending can be tied directly to our increased attachment, some might say addiction, to the internet. Americans spend an average of 100 minutes, almost two hours, on the internet everyday, playing video games, checking social media, and engaging in the endless list of activities the web offers. When you’re constantly connected to the web, it only makes sense that it’s more convenient to shop online than to disconnect and head to a more traditional brick-and-mortar store.
Likewise, increased mobile usage plays a huge role in eCommerce revenues. The average 18 to 44-year-old American keeps their phone on them 22 hours a day. Like desktop users, buying from your phone is just more convenient than going to the store. Mobile users generated over $25.4 billion last year in sales made from their mobile devices. As time goes on and mobile becomes the dominant force in how we connect, sales will only grow.
What Can You Do to Improve Your Own eCommerce Revenue?
Tapping into the growing digital market means making attempts to improve your website and reach out to all web users, regardless of whether they connect on an iPad, an iPhone, or a traditional desktop computer.
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Get Social- Creating a genuine, human persona on Facebook, Twitter, and other platforms is a great way to put yourself in the eye of two billion social media users. Even though your intention is to use social media as a marketing tool, attracting people to your business is all about sharing content that matters to them, not just to your business.
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Build a Website for All Users- In an increasingly mobile market, nothing is going to hurt your sales like a website that mobile users can’t access. 79% of mobile users are less likely to shop with a business if they are dissatisfied with the website. Using responsive web design, you can build a website that works across all platforms, whether it’s a MacBook or a Windows phone.
Online spending is only going to grow as time goes forward. Taking steps now to optimize your website and your internet advertising as a whole is crucial if you want to find success online.