{"id":1009,"date":"2014-02-24T09:47:20","date_gmt":"2014-02-24T14:47:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nationaltransaction.com\/credit-card-merchant\/?p=1009"},"modified":"2014-02-24T09:47:20","modified_gmt":"2014-02-24T14:47:20","slug":"ecommerce-vs-commerce-whats-the-difference","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nationaltransaction.com\/credit-card-merchant\/ecommerce-vs-commerce-whats-the-difference\/","title":{"rendered":"Ecommerce vs. Commerce: What\u2019s the Difference?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"mcommerce<\/a>

Credit: Flickr<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

When someone asks what business you are in, how do you typically respond?<\/p>\n

For many online sellers, the answer is likely I sell (name of the product), I\u2019m an ecommerce merchant or I\u2019m an online retailer.<\/p>\n

Make the focus of your business your customers and its value proposition, not the fact that you sell online. It\u2019s time to simply answer the question of what business you are in with a response that is more or less, \u201cI am a (distributor, retailer, reseller<\/i>) of (name your products<\/i>) for (name your market<\/i>).\u201d<\/p>\n

Back then, most business owners who sold products online described themselves as \u201cecommerce businesses\u201d or \u201conline retailers,\u201d to differentiate from brick-and-mortar or catalog retailers. Most operated their own pure-play online stores. Some sold products on eBay. Amazon\u2019s marketplace was mostly comprised of larger retailers. There\u2019s an evolution in how e-commerce owners describe themselves.<\/p>\n

Today, you will still hear many online sellers describe themselves as \u201cecommerce businesses\u201d or \u201conline retailers.\u201d But, in 2014, those terms don\u2019t really apply. Whatever you sell, you are delivering a set of products to meet the needs of a specific market. \u201cEcommerce\u201d or \u201conline retailing\u201d is simply a technology and a sales channel.<\/p>\n

There is now no difference between \u201cecommerce\u201d and \u201ccommerce.\u201d It\u2019s time to get rid of the \u201ce\u201d in ecommerce. Most businesses participate in ecommerce in some fashion. You engage your customers in many different channels \u2014 your own e-commerce site, brick-and-mortar, online marketplaces. Regardless, you and virtually every other B-to-C or B-to-B company are selling goods to customers across those channels.<\/p>\n

Why Worry about Labels?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Today, commerce is multichannel and highly competitive. It\u2019s done online, on the phone, face-to-face, and on desktop, mobile, and tablet devices. Make sure your business has an omnichannel strategy, so your shoppers can find you. Make sure the information about your company and products is consistent regardless of the channel. Focus on whom your prospective customers are, what they want to buy, and how much they are willing to pay.<\/p>\n

Business owners should think strategically. Part of strategic thinking is focusing on the bigger picture, such as having the right products and ensuring that your buyers can find them.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Omnichannel Focus<\/strong><\/p>\n

Think about omnichannel commerce every day. Get your brand and products in front of your target customers regardless of where they are shopping. Below are some things to consider to facilitate an omnichannel strategy.<\/p>\n

Chat and phone.<\/strong>\u00a0If you don\u2019t offer online chat or take phone orders, consider doing so.<\/p>\n

Marketplaces.<\/strong>\u00a0If you aren\u2019t selling your products in marketplaces outside of your own online store, consider doing so.<\/p>\n

Mobile.<\/strong>\u00a0If you don\u2019t have a mobile strategy, you need one.<\/p>\n

Payment options.<\/strong>\u00a0If you only take credit cards for payments on your website, add alternative payments like PayPal, Google Wallet, or Amazon Payments.<\/p>\n

Social media.<\/strong>\u00a0If you don\u2019t have a social media presence, your market share is likely declining.<\/p>\n

Customer Focus<\/strong><\/p>\n

Twenty-five years ago, if you asked a brick-and-mortar retailer or a catalog vendor what business she was in, she would likely respond as, say, \u201cjewelry retailer,\u201d \u201cmen\u2019s clothing store,\u201d \u201ca department store,\u201d or \u201chardware store.\u201d She knew her target customer niche, how to reach them, and what products they wanted to buy. Those businesses that did the best job of (a) matching products to the consumer, (b) offering low prices, and (c) utilizing the right distribution likely won most of the business.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s time to get back to that focus. It\u2019s more challenging than it used to be because the purchase cycles are far more complex than in 2002. There is no longer a straight path from identifying the need to research to purchase. Consumers typically identify a need and purchase intent, research products, research prices, research products further, conduct social media research, and then purchase a product and demand instant gratification and free shipping.<\/p>\n

To be successful in 2014, commerce – not just ecommerce – requires the following.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Emphasize your value proposition.<\/b>\u00a0Regardless of how a shopper finds you, be sure he can quickly find out that you are a leading retailer of products in your market. Being clear on what your business is will also help establish trust with your shoppers.<\/p>\n

Execute the\u00a04 Ps of sales and marketing<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 \u201cproduct,\u201d \u201cprice,\u201d \u201cpromotion,\u201d and \u201cplace.\u201d<\/p>\n

First, make sure you\u00a0know your target customers<\/b>\u00a0and what problems they are trying to solve or the need that you fulfill with your products. Know their demographics, their buying cycles, price tolerance, and where they research and shop.<\/p>\n

<\/b>Know your competitors.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When someone asks what business you are in, how do you typically respond? For many online sellers, the answer is<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[122,60,264,50,450,449,31,1236,41],"tags":[1411,42,156,1426,1434,236,1433,1429,350,683,1423,1430,1078,1431,1424,1234,1427,1432,1428,1425],"class_list":["post-1009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-credit-card-processing-2","category-digital-wallet-privacy","category-e-commerce-m-commerce","category-electronic-payments-2","category-internet-payment-gateway","category-mail-order-telephone-order","category-mobile-payments","category-small-business-improvement","category-smartphone-2","tag-alternative-payments","tag-amazon","tag-brick-and-mortar","tag-catalog-retailers","tag-catalog-vendor","tag-commerce","tag-credit-cards-for-payments","tag-e-commerce-site","tag-ebay","tag-ecommerce","tag-ecommerce-merchant","tag-mobile-and-tablet-devices","tag-omnichannel","tag-omnichannel-commerce","tag-online-retailer","tag-online-sellers","tag-online-stores","tag-phone-orders","tag-sales-channel","tag-sell-online"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nationaltransaction.com\/credit-card-merchant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nationaltransaction.com\/credit-card-merchant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nationaltransaction.com\/credit-card-merchant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nationaltransaction.com\/credit-card-merchant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nationaltransaction.com\/credit-card-merchant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1009"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.nationaltransaction.com\/credit-card-merchant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1009\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1133,"href":"https:\/\/www.nationaltransaction.com\/credit-card-merchant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1009\/revisions\/1133"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nationaltransaction.com\/credit-card-merchant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nationaltransaction.com\/credit-card-merchant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nationaltransaction.com\/credit-card-merchant\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}