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Many businesses nowadays are shifting more attention to online operations, but there are still many advantages to having a brick-and-mortar location. If you’re planning to start a business, you should consider the advantages of opening a physical location instead of doing everything online, as this may eventually increase your profits significantly. Here are 10 advantages of a brick-and-mortar business.
No Lost Orders
When customers buy products from a brick-and-mortar business instead of ordering them online, there won’t be the risk of losing these orders in the shipping process. Customers will be able to simply complete their purchases at your physical location and leave with their items in hand. You also won’t have to worry about getting calls from angry customers who want to know why their orders haven’t been received yet through shipping.
Greater Payment Security
As some experts point out, many eCommerce businesses are faced with credit card and other types of payment fraud that can negatively impact their profits. Online fraudulent activities could also put customers’ confidential payment information at risk. Performing transactions at a brick-and-mortar business reduces these risks and can give customers greater peace of mind.
Better Product Displays
You can display products in your business that may get better recognition than online. People are sometimes hesitant to buy products online because they don’t know if they can trust the product images that they’re seeing, and having items displayed at a brick-and-mortar location will let people know exactly what they’re getting.
Greater Trust
Face-to-face contact still goes a long way even with today’s advancements in online technology. People who enter your brick-and-mortar location will be able to see and ask questions of sales representatives in person, and this can help garner better trust. If your business is able to deliver the personable service during face-to-face meetings with customers, more people will be likelier to remain loyal to your brand.
Faster Responses
Doing business online could cause delays in responding to customers’ inquiries or complaints. Customers who experience long delays while waiting for responses to emails or online chat requests may be more inclined to take their business elsewhere. By having a physical location where customers can visit, people will be able to get quicker responses, which can make solving problems much faster and easier for your staff.
Better Brand Showcasing
Even with the best website, your business could get lost in the abyss of the many other online businesses that are vying for visitor traffic. With a brick-and-mortar business, you’ll be able to showcase your brand better by finding innovative ways to get attention from passersby. As Heritage Signs, an experienced dealer of custom business signs in Jacksonville explains, owners can benefit from eye-catching designs that will be noticed for all the right reasons while providing a brand appeal that can’t be replicated digitally with the same effect. Unique window displays, signs, posters, and other physical media are sure to get more attention from curious onlookers.
Designated Place of Work
Trying to operate your business just online from your home or another off-site location may be difficult because of the numerous personal distractions that you could face. By having a brick-and-mortar business, you’ll have a location that’s designed specifically for work, which can help keep you and your staff more focused on your jobs.
Better Monitoring of Customer Interactions
You’ll want to do everything possible to ensure that your customers have the most positive experiences when interacting with your staff. If any of your employees are rude to customers or could otherwise improve the way that they provide customer service, you’ll be able to see these interactions for yourself better at a brick-and-mortar location than you would if all customer interactions were managed online.
No Middleman
With an online business, you’ll always need some type of middleman to make it possible for you to do everything over the internet. Having to use outside payment processes or selling platforms that aren’t part of your company can create additional hassles for you and your customers if things go wrong. You won’t have to deal with many of these middlemen if you do business at a physical location.
Better Chances of Impulse Buying
People who casually visit or pass by your business may be more inclined to make impulse purchases if they see something that catches their eye. Shopping online sometimes takes more effort and requires people to think more about what they’re buying, and this can limit the number of impulse purchases that are made.
Opening a brick-and-mortar location may be one of the best things that you can do as a business owner. With all the advantages that come along with starting one of these types of businesses, you’ll likely be happy with your decision if you make this choice.
