More and more companies are asking themselves this question, as the company website has to be created and maintained and the online shop has to be regularly updated and serviced. The digital business card requires resources, and these must be available. A checklist helps you choose the right website.
Up until now, it was easy. A company starts up and of course needs a website. At first it was only intended as an extended "digital" business card, but it quickly becomes clear that there is more to it. Over time, more information is added that you want to share digitally with your target group. And if you haven't done it yet, you have probably already thought about an online shop as an additional sales channel.
The website - no longer a minor matter
These days, a web presence is no longer an insignificant thing. Thanks to Google and the like, you should "always" be found. Ideally, the customer can buy the product they want directly online or book the service directly. And we have already grown beyond a "digital" business card function.
But how do you decide whether a website is sufficient or whether an online shop is the better choice?
New founders from a wide range of industries in particular have a hard time answering this question. There are a thousand and one tasks that need to be completed in order to make a newly founded company successful. The website is just one of many to-dos on the list. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs forget that, especially in recent years, a website and thus a direct view of the "company" has been available to anyone with just one click, and that the "evaluation" of the brand takes place online. Every new user on the website could be a potential customer. This makes it all the more important not only to have the right letterhead or business card created by a designer, but also to plan a professional web presence from the very beginning.
Various factors are crucial for the choice:
The business model factor
Basically, digitalization is now affecting all industries and all areas of life. However, I also keep coming across business models whose customers are still not online enough to be able to convince them to buy the product or service via an online shop. That's why the business model is an important factor in the decision whether to use a website or an online shop.
The cost factor
The acquisition costs of a website or an online shop are often underestimated, especially at the beginning, and once it is "live", you don't want to give it up or change it so quickly. Constant adaptation is not only important from a technical point of view, Google punishes "doing nothing" just as much as the customers themselves. It is therefore important not only to budget start-up capital for the website, but also further development costs, license fees and marketing budget for Google Ads and other digital marketing activities.
The time factor
The time factor has several aspects. Firstly, I am referring to the resource time that you want and can invest in your website for the launch and regular maintenance. Secondly, it is also the time in relation to the other 1000 things that need to be done in order to run your company successfully. This is easier to do with employees and other resources.
The care factor
To ensure that your website remains up to date and that you use your valuable time sensibly and effectively, an easy-to-use and secure system is important. A web shop can be successful with just one product - see remarkable.com, for example - but this type of product sales is not the norm. Normally, you have a wide range of products and change your range depending on the industry, for example. A lot of automation is possible here, but it also has to make sense.
Click here for the checklist - website or online shop
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