The past decade has seen a phenomenal boom in the e-commerce business as more and more sellers have realized the importance of going online. Internet, computers, and mobiles have become the way of life and this is what online businesses are capitalizing on. Whether it is fashion, healthcare, manufacturing, or hospitality, there is no industry vertical which has been untouched by the e-commerce revolution. The FMCG Industry, in particular, has experienced a major influence of the online boom. Most of the big retail runners have moved online to avail the benefits of this way of selling.
1. Shopping At A Click
Nothing is as convenient as shopping at a click, a concept that e-commerce has introduced to people. Shoppers no longer need to step out and spend hours in the market. Every single product they need is accessible at online stores, right within their budget and sometimes, with attractive deals. Buyers get the additional advantage of having the complete range of products delivered right at their doorstep. From the business point of view, the easy and enjoyable on-the-go shopping experience serves as a crowd puller as potential buyers come and become regulars at online stores.
2. Omni-Channel Reach
With e-commerce selling portals, retailers avail the advantage of omni-channel reach. This opens a massive opportunity for FMCG businesses as they can expand their markets to diverse segments of the society. Additionally, they can present themselves to computer, mobile, and tablet users. A bigger customer base means increased revenues and achievement of long-term goals.
3. Smart Marketing
As FMCG brands diversify into e-commerce digital marketing strategy becomes a part of the big picture. They can avail the advantages of social media reach and online branding to increase their popularity. Consequently, the overall image of the brand is improved and physical stores avail the benefits too. Smart branding strategy also gives them a competitive edge as the market is flooded with brands selling similar FMCG products.
4. Automation Of Processes
As FMCG sellers experience the technology boost, conventional selling techniques are augmented with automated processes. When the business adopts online selling, it usually maintains the store on the company web server itself. This means that regular e-commerce processes like product orders, inventory management, logistics, payments, and accounting can be integrated with the operations of the physical stores too. As a result, the overall operational efficiency of the business increases without any extra investment.
E-commerce has already reshaped the global FMCG sector in the last few years and it is here to stay. Online sellers are gaining on clientage as customers are overcoming the technological block as well as becoming confident with the concept of online shopping. The gap between the shopping basket and the mobile phone has already been narrowed down and very soon, these are going to be synonymous.
