{"id":24144,"date":"2022-11-11T15:55:25","date_gmt":"2022-11-11T10:25:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.instamojo.com\/blog\/?p=24144"},"modified":"2023-05-23T12:25:38","modified_gmt":"2023-05-23T06:55:38","slug":"how-to-shift-your-business-from-offline-to-online-the-ultimate-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.instamojo.com\/blog\/how-to-shift-your-business-from-offline-to-online-the-ultimate-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"How to shift your business from offline to online: The ultimate guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Whether you are the neighbourhood Kirana store or a small business selling handmade products, who doesn’t want a wider customer base? Shifting from an \u00a0 offline to an online business can have a wide variety of advantages from higher revenue to more versatile customer touchpoints.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In fact, the pandemic was the biggest proof of how significant digitization could be for the MSME industry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Already have a physical store but don’t know how to switch to an online presence? Here’s a guide.<\/p>\n

Benefits of shifting your business from offline to online<\/b><\/h2>\n

From the agricultural sector to pharmacies, going online allowed them to continue their business operations and sustain their livelihood. Even though the dangers of covid are now receding, having your own online store\/website continues to have a massive potential for your business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some numbers that can convince you:\u00a0<\/strong><\/h4>\n
    \n
  • 87% of shoppers like doing online research before shopping\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • 97% of consumers find local businesses through online searches<\/span><\/li>\n
  • 9% of the world\u2019s population (and growing!) is now online\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • India has the second largest internet user base with close to 933 million people using the internet\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • A livemint survey <\/span>showed 64% of the SMBs that went online were seeing their sales double or increase by five-fold\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Delta Charms<\/a>, a small business selling jewellery on Instamojo saw their sales go up by more than 500% in the past year itself!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

    \"\"<\/a>
    Instamojo online store: Delta Charms<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Are you hesitating because it is a difficult and exhaustive process? On the contrary, going online can be done in a week, if not a few days.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Getting your own free website can take you less than 5 minutes. Try it out with Instamojo.\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

    Here\u2019s a step-by-step guide when going online with your offline business.\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

    Choosing your eCommerce platform<\/b><\/h2>\n

    Since you already have a product that you are ready to sell online, you first need to set up a system in place that helps you. An eCommerce platform can help you with all the functions that your business would need to have an online presence.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    You will hence need to first choose an eCommerce platform that will help you with:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Setting up your website – in other words, your online store\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Integrate payment gateways\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Manage your back and front end so that you don’t have to worry about coding\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
    • Security and privacy\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      A good eCommerce platform<\/a> will also have marketing features integrated that will enable your best performance.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      Setting up your online business<\/b><\/h2>\n

      Now that you have a system in place, it\u2019s time to get your online business up and running.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      Choose a domain<\/strong> <\/span><\/h3>\n

      Before you can reach out to customers, your online store<\/a> needs to have a name. For consistent brand awareness online and offline, choose a domain name that is the same as your offline business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      Organizing your products<\/strong> <\/span><\/h3>\n

      Thoroughly vet your products when organizing your product catalogue. Some products will be easy to sell online, some will have limitations. For eg: Food items will probably be shipped only to certain locations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      Inventory management<\/strong> <\/span><\/h3>\n

      Create a centralised tracker of ALL your products so that you have overall visibility when some products are running low on stock. <\/span><\/p>\n

      Invest in a smart inventory management system. Now that you have an omnichannel business, you will need to keep track of which products are sold online and offline. An IMS will help automate these processes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      Licences and registrations\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

      If your business has the potential of earning more than Rs 40 lakh, then you will have to get a GST registration for your business with the ministry of corporate affairs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

      Need help with your business registrations? Enroll in our free course on mojoversity.com.<\/a><\/p>\n