The COVID-19 crisis surely accelerated the need for businesses to move to the digital realm, but it was a trend that was taking place long before the pandemic happened. While most businesses quickly pivot to online processes once the lockdowns and quarantines were announced, a study from early 2021 found that 28 percent of small businesses still don’t have their own website. That’s still a significant number of small businesses that haven’t quite found their footing in the digital realm.
If businesses big and small want to ride out this crisis, they cannot afford to neglect the online and digital world. Here is a roadmap for how businesses can transition to digital:
Set up a website and online store
We live in a time when consumers expect instant results, and their shopping habits reflect that. Businesses across the world were quick to provide so many options, but not everyone has been able to pin down how and where they can deliver and the best tools and channels they can use to provide customers with their needs. Some platforms are more effective than others, and here are some pointers for how businesses can ensure maximum quality and excellence in their online and digital channels:
- Create a high-quality website that’s easy to navigate and has all the information your potential customers could need. Consider partnering with web development services to help you develop a website that can give your audience the kind of perception you want them to have about your brand. A good website is key to not just attracting customers but keeping them. Studies found that 42 percent of people will immediately leave a website due to poor functionality. In comparison, 38.5 percent of web designers believe that visitors are more likely to leave when a website design is outdated. So if you want your company to slowly transition to digital, having an excellent website is your first order of business.
- Your website must also include an online store, especially if you have inventory that needs to get out as soon as possible. Your website developer can also help you with this since they know how to customize your store in ways that are true to your business’s aims and goals. More than 2.14 billion people are getting their goods and services online now, so a massive chunk of your customers will surely want an online option.
Invest in cloud computing software
Transitioning your business’s processes to digital need not be a complicated process; cloud computing is simply the act of storing your data all in one place so that anyone from your company can access it from wherever they are in the world. The three major kinds of cloud computing services are:
- Software as a service is all about your business accessing your files and data through the Internet, eliminating the need for bigger hardware and more complex software management.
- Platform as a service allows your business to gain access to tools and services like Java development and application hosting. Other services include development team collaboration, information security, app design and development, and database integration.
- Infrastructure as a service, on the other hand, can provide businesses with computing services. It is a more comprehensive package that can help smaller businesses cut back on information technology (IT) infrastructure costs.
Cloud computing services can also help your employees boost their productivity. You would be outsourcing day-to-day operations, giving your team members more time and energy to focus on bigger tasks and some of the business’s more pressing goals or objectives.
Build more business partnerships
With almost every business in the world pivoting to digital, more and more firms are growing more reliant on each other, building a symbiotic relationship that makes suppliers and distributors, specialized consultants and sub-contractors, come together to give consumers their diverse product and service needs.
Suppose you want to create a digital process for your company that you know will last for a long time, if not forever. Creating fruitful partnerships with digital service agencies will help you stay ahead of the curve since you will have consultants advising you on the emerging trends of digital technology.
Pivoting to digital is no longer a matter of preference; it’s a matter of survival now. Businesses of all shapes and sizes cannot afford to stay in the traditional and physical realm if they want to stay relevant during these treacherous times. Give your business a fighting chance today by slowly but surely moving to the digital realm and reaching more customers than you ever have before.
