It has been predicted for decades that technology would finally reach a point where people rely completely on our technological devices rather than going out and experiencing the world. Now, with the population isolating in families, shops closing and friends social distancing, we are quickening that pace and adapting to the idea of an online society much more suddenly than expected. People of all generations are developing their online skills, learning how to communicate with friends and family over FaceTime, Zoom, Skype and even text. We are taking a back seat and watching the world and its community evolve through screens from the comfort and safety of our homes.

However, we are not only using our technology to keep up with friends and the world, we are also using it to order essential items, medication and groceries and, stats would show, more recently to build up our morale. Online shopping for clothing, books and gardening and home improvement sectors have recorded a 200% increase from the previous year and this is not just for the big name retailers. With the promotional stickers asking users to remember small businesses on platforms like Instagram and Facebook, users are sharing and tagging small businesses, encouraging other users to shop local and support their local community.

The ongoing threat of the coronavirus and the fact that we must social distance every time we leave our homes means that users are more likely to keep purchasing their goods online, even after the lockdown is lifted, rather than risk queuing in the unpredictable British weather for items that are readily available and just a click away. Users are also taking more time to browse online shops with a 75% growth in page views.

Now is the time to invest in an e-Commerce system that will grow with your business. Users will be looking for an easy way to purchase their favourite items from their favourite shops without having to social distance or go through a long winded way of ordering, paying for and receiving their items. Developing an online shop within your business’ site is a great way of marketing your products in a way that is pleasing for your customers so that they can find what they are looking for quickly and easily from products to gift cards and vouchers. Making sure your e-Commerce system appeals to your audience and functions well on desktops and mobile devices is essential as well as making sure the transaction runs as smoothly as possible from start to finish for your user. A positive experience for the user guarantees a higher percentage of returning customers.

At Retox Digital we can offer you systems that accept multiple payment methods, reminders for when users leave items in a basket and close the page and emails that will notify customers when a popular item is back in stock. With everything from a basic catalogue site to a fully functioning, beautifully designed e-Commerce system we can build you a system that is perfect for your business needs and can be managed through an easy to use Content Management System.