Local Retailers vs. Ecommerce Websites – The News Keeps Getting Better Everyday

by | Apr 18, 2016 | Technology Featured

For the first time ever, ecommerce sales have taken on a double digit portion of the total retail sales in the United States and based on momentum, those figures are set to climb higher by year’s end. According to the Department of Commerce, web sales are booming so that startups can be optimistic about capturing their share of the market given they opt for the right ecommerce platform for their business.

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The figures for 2015 are in and with such a huge jump in online sales within just a one year period of time, it is expected that ecommerce vendors will be giving local retailers a run for their money. However, local retailers are getting their online feet wet as well so the competition is stiff. Looking to take your business online? Check out the best ecommerce site builders. The news is good and getting better every day.

Newly Released Statistics from the US DOC

While you would expect the lineup to be pretty much as it is, it is still amazing to see just how highly Amazon scored this past year. Taking the lion’s share of online retail, Amazon grew by 16.3% against the average of 15% in online growth. In all, the total online sales (reported sales that is!) from 2015 totaled more than $300 billion with the Top 500 online retailers capturing 84% of that amount, coming in with a collective total of $286.2 billion. Let that sink in for just a moment. 500 ecommerce sites brought in almost $300 billion in sales last year. Wouldn’t you like to have a piece of that pie?

The Top Sellers Are Marketplaces

Now then, here is where it comes down to the nitty gritty of how those retailers got to be so huge. With Amazon naturally ranking in first position, you can see that a multi-vendor site obviously will do better. However, with the best ecommerce site builders there is no reason why a smaller merchant or marketplace can’t capture a large portion of the market. The best advice being given is to look at what platforms those sites are using in order to make B2C sales as smooth as possible for consumers. That’s the key to ecommerce and one you should take very seriously if you have any hopes whatsoever of competing in a high stakes game.

Local Retailers Claiming Their Share of the Online Marketplace

When you think of local retailers, the first companies that come to mind are obviously the big guys like Walmart, K-mart, Sears (well, Sears and K-mart are as one and a failing one at that) and perhaps high end stores like Macy’s and Nordstrom. Even so, smaller local retailers are getting into the action and are now setting up shop online as well as their brick-and-mortar storefronts. Whether you are simply intent on being an online vendor or have a local shop that you’d like to grow your market for, it is imperative that you carefully consider the platform and hosting you choose for your website. These can make or break your online efforts.

With ecommerce claiming an amazing 10.6% of all sales as reported to the DOC last year, up from under 10% at 9.7% for the previous year, small online merchants have high hopes for a digital future. The key is to find the right features in your ecommerce site builder so that you can make a smooth shopping user experience for visitors that will help to convert them to buyers without bouncing out again. Once you find that platform, the sky is the limit – so say the market analysts and there’s no reason to doubt the pros. The facts speak for themselves. If you are launching a startup, “Houston, it’s a go!”