EB Cyber-shop

A web based on-line retail solution, in stand-alone or mall format dedicated to SME’s seeking to launch e-commerce operations, including shopping cart and postage and packing auto computations.

Statistics show that on-line shopping internationally is continually on the increase. Even locally, with e-government, on-line banking and various on-line stores, e-commerce is becoming more of an option to many retailers in Malta and globally. International research has shown that the areas of on-line shopping that have shown consistent growth are those that include goods were confidentiality is a concern, and standardized goods that customers do not particularly enjoy shopping for. Many consumers love going out shopping, walking down the aisles and choosing from amongst the wide variety of products on display. To others, going out shopping, particularly for the more routine requirements is not their idea of fun. It is a tedious and time consuming chore that has to be carried out in the most effective manner. This seems to be a growing market segment. This is the market segment that is interested in on-line services. In general, they know the products, there is a low risk in their purchase and the purchase is repeated frequently, weekly or monthly etc.

These are the consumers who value their time and look for more convenient ways to deal with chores that give them more time to spend on other activities. The convenience of shopping from home or from any point with Internet access, at any time of the day or night, is attractive to many. The challenge is for the retailer to provide an on-line service that will win over existing customers, reducing queues and attracting new customers thereby driving up revenues and profits. The technology is here and challenge is real!

Like everything in life, there are the pros and cons to having an on-line retail operations to supplement the physical retail or wholesale operations. The old adage that the customer is the king is as true as ever. In a very competitive environment, especially given the local situation, where everybody seems to be competing in terms of price, on-line operations provide an added stream of business.

Certainly, not everybody is going to be interested in on-line shopping for their goods. But then not everybody is interested in phoning in or faxing a shopping list and then collecting the goods, or having the goods delivered. But some people do. The customer will choose the option that suits him or her most.

Essentially an on-line retail operation will enable the retailer to:

1. add a new outlet that will be a source of revenues with relatively little capital investment
2. improve the utilization of physical and human resources that are already committed in store
3. increase sales and improve margins on the products sold
4. provide added service to a customer group that is generally less price sensitive being more concerned with the convenience of the service
5. improve the promotion of products that may not be performing so well in-store
6. attract new customers that are comfortable with Internet purchasing and who would normally not bother to go out of their way to find the retail outlet
7. build better relationships with customers that will increase customer loyalty and improve profitability in the long term
8. attract suppliers that want to be promoted with state-of-the-art systems to reach the more affluent market segments
9. reinforce the image of the firm as a progressive and professional firm that caters to the customer that want convenience and added value for money