Running Retail vs eCommerce Biz
Welcome to my cafe!
What is the difference between retail and eCommerce business? What can eCommerce do to your retail business?
Retail:
- Costs. For example, my cafe had to have a big area and real estate costs in Singapore is really high.
- Manpower. We have two full time staff working in the cafe and a chef. You need to make sure you hire capable people.
eCommerce:
- All about driving traffic. It’s not just about having a website. You need to generate leads in many ways.
If you ask me, I favor eCommerce more because of the freedom and flexibility in running your business. However, it doesn’t just end there. You can use your eCommerce business to drive more customers to your retail business. In our cafe, Coffee: NowHere, we sell coffee beans, so we have an online store apart from the physical ones at the store, and we also do online delivery.
Retail is tough because you need to be conscious of your operating hours, unlike eCommerce where you can work anytime of the day and no matter how long or short you want. If you want to have a retail store, make sure that you tie eCommerce to it.
When you do business, you need to think of ways to attract people to you and learn to engage them so they’ll keep on coming back. in psychology, I learned that you must refresh your customers every three months so that they’ll remember you.
eCommerce is always easier, but you need to always consider where you are getting your customers, and how to generate leads.
Retail is tough, but you can be successful if you are active and is always having new launches, new arrivals every 3–6 months so people can always be attracted to you and not get bored.
Live life at your own terms!
