Buying Online Beats High Street Tax!

High Street shoppers are being penalised for buying instore rather than online. Proof enough that the big commercial shift of business to the web is now established as the key cost-effective, time-efficient place where we are all supposed to be. Woe betide if you’re not!

According to shopping comparison website PriceRunner, a recent study suggests that the high street consumer may be paying a ‘high street tax’ of up to 70 per cent more for purchasing instore. The findings indicate that a staggering 95 per cent of all prices could be beaten online!

The consumer reality now is that it is cheaper to purchase online, which of course, includes home delivery of your order! Good news for eCommerce and a vindication of the tremendous time, effort and investment many businesses have made to create a user friendly website experience which secures customer conversion to purchase online.

Establishing a web presence is now the norm. As the demand for website accessibility expands into the mobile internet and eReader platforms, no one can afford not to keep up with the fast forward march of emergent, communication channels.

The competition for consumer attention on the web is without historical precedent! The availability of an ever growing arsenal of web tools, such as SEO and PPC Adwords, for businesses to run effective online marketing campaigns, now extends to social media networking content on Twitter and Facebook, and the explosion in user created mobile apps.

Consumers are now used to the speed, ease and convenience of online purchasing. Use of price comparison sites, user reviews, forums and social network exchange of information and opinion means the instant accessing of a wealth of company product and service knowledge before purchasing, that would just not be available in the high street or elsewhere.

With high street retail markups on internet prices between 50 and 70 percent on branded goods, potential customers have the ability to instantly shop around online, capitalising on the daily discounts, vouchers and promotions potential customers now receive by email marketing newsletters, Twitter feeds and mobile text alerts, etc.

Businesses know of course, that price comparison and value for money is always key to customer buying behaviour – but they also know that converting is based on more than just price. Transparency and close customer engagement are key to website design and usability with the highest standards of customer service, speed and convenience, essential for maintaining competitive edge on the web.