While online shopping is yet to be fully accepted by all Nigerians as a medium of commerce, it has grown significantly in recent years to the extent that it not only rivals the brick and mortar shops for sales, but it also threatens their overall existence as a medium of trade.
With its current growth and acceptance rate, online shopping is poised to lead commercial transaction in Nigeria. This hypothesis is drawn from the fact that we are currently witnessing an ever-increasing number of internet users (with over 48 million internet subscribers, we currently have the largest share of internet users in Africa, NBS). Going by this trend, it is only a matter of time before virtually everyone accepts and use the internet as the main medium of purchasing virtually any commodity in Nigeria.
What Is The Projection for Online Shopping By 2020?
Does the above in any way connote that having a virtual presence automatically guarantees regular sales? Far from it! Just like every other facet of our lives, the algorithms keep getting better and the techniques required to make an e-commerce website visible at all times keep changing. Keeping an e-commerce website afloat now requires more than keywords stuffing for visibility. The e-commerce Website must also be properly optimized for accessibility as this makes it faster for web crawlers to find and go through the website contents and recommend them where appropriate.
With the current growth rate and increasing acceptance of e-commerce website as a medium of commerce, it might eventually take the lion share of the retail industry. This also creates an opportunity for traditional retailers to explore. Shop owners who intend to increase sales and adopt the current reality can combine the gains of e-commerce with that of the traditional stores by having an online medium well optimized to drive traffic to their physical stores and also include delivery in their modus operandi. More importantly, shop owners who intend to benefit from this window should always be on the lookout for the latest strategy designed to perfectly integrate e-commerce websites with their physical stores or seek professional assistance.
For new traders intending to maximize sales in an ever-changing market, there is a need to deprioritize the need to have a physical store (not that they are irrelevant) and focus more on having a strong digital presence. We can help you build the e-commerce store that will always remain relevant. By regularly monitoring clients’ website and familiarizing with the changing realities, you Should know when a particular strategy becomes out-dated and the quasi-perfect method it should be replaced with.
With the highly competitive nature of e-commerce website in the Nigerian cyberspace, you will need more than paid Ads or optimization to continue to stay relevant. Good content will always be relevant. How web visitors are engaged and the kind of content they get will go a long way in determining your sales prospects.
How effective are your Audio and visual contents? Can buyers relate with them?
These questions and many more should be your guide when you are creating web contents for web visitors.
With the introduction of new technologies like voice search and virtual reality tools among others, the requirement to succeed as an online retailer in the Nigerian cyberspace will continue to be dynamic.
To stay abreast with the new wave of requirement you need to be acquainted with in 2019, 2020 and beyond as a Nigerian online retailer or B2C trader, your best chance will be to get a professional web developer/designer. They’d be available to give you free consultations geared towards improving your online business.