After a few golden years and even decades, footwear, clothing and fashion accessories stores, as well as large department stores in the world (primarily in the US) have been experiencing a significant decline in revenues for the first time this year. Reports are being written, analysis are underway, red alerts are triggered – but what`s that all about, what’s the problem?
Is it that people have no money, or maybe they have decided to buy elsewhere and how is it possible when everyone is experiencing the same problem? Money might be the issue, because the first such trends were noticed during the recession and in the first years afterwards. And it would fit perfectly with this balance in terms of falling revenues.
But maybe it is not – this year` online sales marked a highest jump in revenues from their modest beginnings at the end of the last century. So, there they are – on the Internet. We have no doubt that a developed market, such as the US; will use this information for positioning according to new circumstances.
So we have come to the next question – where are “our, Serbian” customers? Of course, having in mind that our “recession” lasts much longer than theirs (in the US) and that sole nature was and still is much different. The quickest and most complete answer would be: right here, or more precisely, here and there. Some of the retailers have a website, some have a website and a Facebook page, and only a small number has all of it and an E-shop, where you can directly order and pay for goods. Interesting – lack of confidence in online shopping in Serbia appears in all previous studies as a key factor of insufficient development of this area.
Facebook, the vanity and entrepreneurship fair
Some might say: how is it possible, here – just type clothes, shoes on Facebook and you come up with 1000 suggestions. You are right, some of the pages lead to sites of registered businesses that legally operate and pay taxes. But, many others do business in the grey area. These people do not sell their personal belongings, what they are entitled to, but provide more items, sizes and patterns. And in case you buy something in this way, there is no legal option of a refund or a complaint. You are not legally entitled; it all depends on the entrepreneurial spirit of the respective seller.
Shopping through Facebook is one of the risky categories of online sales, because you are buying in uncharted waters because you are purchasing from no reputable or reliable seller. Additional confusion with running online business through popular platforms such as Facebook or Instagram brings the fact that you can easily be left with nothing – and without explanation. Well in fact, there is a very simple explanation – it’s SOMEONE ELSES` platform, not yours. If the owners of those platforms dislike something about your business, or it jumps out of their interests, you can easily be removed; unrelated whether it’s just a fan page or an entire online shop. We had a famous case here in Serbia – you may have read about the case of Mile, a carpenter who made and gave baby feeders to all parents of newborns, who did not have the money to afford it.
When he received about 2000 orders and became very appreciated and popular, Facebook untwisted the site without explanation, and he lost all the valuable contacts and the whole correspondence he had with his “clients”.
So if you want to build your online business on solid basis, avoid subscriber status. Register your own domain, create your own presentation – it’s really safer and cheaper in the long run.
Ever bought a pig in a poke?
For example, you are now a new entrepreneur in Serbia – or just want to consider new business options. What would be the main prerequisites for getting in online trading?
- Sales Increase – higher earnings
- Time and resources saving
- Direct and secure payment
- Clear business rules
Now, you would say – what would we get what we do not have now? People call, we come to a deal; they come to the shop, try things on – and not like this “unforseen”? We have excellent coverage, salespeople … and who will sell it to me online?
Or, we have found a platform, we have a site, but how can I train my associates to supervise it? Or do I need to learn all of that now?
Perhaps these bunch of questions are the reason why many people gave up right at the beggining. Let’s remember, at the beginning of this section and under No. 1, we had „Sales Increase – higher earnings“. Let’s explain quickly – if someone expresses the need for your product and money to buy it, will he always have a chance to satisfy that need / desire? Maybe he cannot leave the house, or working the whole day, or maybe he’s the same as you – always pursuing more profit and another gig. How many times can someone visit your online store (unlimited) – and how many times does he actually come to your store to try something? We also have young people, pregnant women, women just had babies, or elderly fellow citizens (believe us, they are all online) honestly, how many of them often have time to visit you?
One or two trained workers can run the whole online shop, with transparent data and a clear path from purchase to realization. The business regulations and ToU are even more clearly shown on your website – and you can read more about the specific legislation of doing any business including online businesses in our next E-Commerce blog.
Never hesitate to find out about the next step on your way to success!
