Although It Is Depicted As The Best Way Forward in Advertising, Is Online Marketing Usless
The media would have us believe that the web is the new marketplace, Online Marketing companies and sellers of Search Engine Placement services advertise on the basis that with no a web presence that is optimised and visible on page one of all search engine initial pages there is very little point in being in business. There is of course a different belief, and one that is based on sitting website marketing into an overall approach and using a competent Website Optimization Company to supplement traditional sales methods.
I can imagine at this point the Online Marketing experts would ask, what is the point in being on the web if no-one knows you’re there? Very true, but then my argument is that there are traditional sales techniques that will raise your company’s visibility on the Internet and feed Internet trade whilst making sure that the bill from your chosen Website Optimization Company is at the lowest.
Indicative trading info for the UK this Christmas period (2009) show that less than Ten percent of all retail sales were made over the web. What makes this figure even more unexpected is that there were a number of things that should have made the web a much more attractive option. The UK was in the midst of the worst winter for 30 years and also still in the depths of a recession. Additionally, there has never been more quality internet businesses available and uncertainty caused by the postal strikes had been overcome by the majority of web based traders.
So why are the Internet trading numbers not a much more considerable part of the retails sales figures just published?
There are some products that sell well on the web and there are those that do not. Entertainment and digital items (DVD’s, music etc) plus hardware and gadgets sell without much effort. The vast majority of goods do not – food, clothing etc. I would even argue that no matter what you invest in Search Engine Placement the vast bulk of services ( as opposed to products) do not sell well.
Why is that? With website design methods which allow interactivity and visual experiences developing all the time one would expect any product to sell. Not the case. It comes down to behaviour and human nature. The practice of browsing in the real world and purchasing in the virtual is as common as ever ( although interestingly not as well publicised as it used to be), buyer habits haven’t changed for years and the vast majority of retail sales are made by women (genetically programmed to browse, touch and feel before making a purchase). The Internet shopping experience simply isn’t satisfying enough for us.
Is the answer therefore, for those goods and services (which are in the majority), a high street marketplace presence? With traditional brand development through promotion and a website that supports the high street. As the brand develops then organic searching requirements will become minimal (I suspect very few people key in “trains to London on the West Coast” now that Virgin Rail is so well known).
Get a shop I say.