Technology advancements have bridged so many gaps and changed the world in so many different ways. As a result, it has given rise to different opportunities: an online web-based business is one of the biggest ones. Starting a business was never so simple and is now possible because all of the necessary information can be found on the internet, but running an online business swiftly and affordably is a different story.
This era focuses mostly on technological breakthroughs. As a result of technological advancements, the world is expanding even more, and we are seeing the world more connected. In today’s time, people from all over the world can trade with each other in real-time. It was only made possible by technological and e-commerce advancements.
It is now a requirement for businesses to have an online presence, and every startup company has a strategy in place to emphasize its online presence. You may improve your internet presence by using a variety of services and channels. There are plenty of things you have to think and figure out before you start your online business.
Advantages of Online Business
It was reported by Statista that E-Commerce has risen to 300 percent in the last few years and is projected to make 17.5 percent of global retail sales by the end of 2021. Without a question, we live in a digital age where being online is vital. The importance of online business for a company’s success is enormous. We saw a dramatic increase in the total number of internet users in the last 20 years or so. Businesses may now sell their services all over the world because of the internet’s limitless possibilities, and there are various advantages to operating an online business.
The rapid growth of the internet has resulted in a huge increase in the number of online business prospects. Customers who used to have to drive to a store or business to buy items or services can now do so from the convenience of their own homes or offices. In comparison to a more traditional business model, an online web-based startup business offers various advantages to new entrepreneurs.
Low Operating Cost
Many of the overhead costs connected with traditional businesses are reduced or eliminated with an online Internet-based business model. You don’t need a warehouse, inventory, carrier vehicles, or employees to operate your business online because online business allows you to work from home and use resources that you already acquire. For starters, all you need in the beginning is a decent internet connection and a device to connect to the internet.
Around the Clock Service
It is nearly impossible for businesses to operate 24 hours a day. Online business is flexible and lets your consumers visit and learn about your services at any time from anywhere in the world with the help of an internet website. With an offline business, this is impossible. Your clients and consumers can browse about your products at their leisure and place orders.
Consider how valuable you are to your customers to be able to buy products whenever they want. Especially during the holidays when traditional marketplaces are closed. In the long term, you will see growth and generate more profits.
Customer Service
The internet was built for commerce, and if you’re an opportunist, you need to take advantage of it. The undeniable benefit of having an internet business is that it allows you to respond to consumer questions and address their problems without taking up a lot of your time. As a result, the internet allows you to provide superior customer service to your potential customers. You can simply make a video with instructions or a tutorial to assist clients in finding solutions to their problems. Which last forever on the internet.
Aside from that, you may also add a customer service component to your internet website. It will be there to help your consumers in real-time.
You can give your consumers exactly the information they desire with an internet business. It saves both you and your customers time because they can simply watch a video, resulting in a reduction in the number of calls and messages about the product query. The most crucial benefit of having a website for your business is that it allows you to communicate with your audience at any time and from any location.
Unlimited Reach
Traditional stores are only accessible to local customers, but this is not the case with internet stores. The value of an online business is that it allows you to reach customers all over the world. Because the Internet has such a broad reach, your items or services might be sold to people all over the world. You’ll also have a lot of flexibility in terms of targeting specific markets.
Flexibility to Operate from Anywhere
One of the prominent advantages of running an online business is that you are not restricted to a certain location and gives you the flexibility to operate and manage it from anywhere. Not all only that it also reduces the amount of documentation you have to do, since most of the business activities are digital and automated, you don’t have to manually record all of those.
Why Starting an Online Business is a Better Idea than Offline Business?
Now that we have talked about the advantages of online business, let’s also take a look at how online businesses stand out and even better than traditional offline businesses.
Unlimited Business Ideas
We are seeing a wave of change in the business world. Everything is being digitalized and moved online, from grocery shopping to movies and television shows. There is a huge demand for a variety of goods as a result of the rapid increase in internet users all over the world. Online tutoring and other skill-based businesses are the untapped markets that you can take advantage of.
Ease of Setting up Business
The exceptional quality of online businesses is how easy and simple it is to start any of them. Compared to the traditional business models that take a lot of work and finance to set up, most of the online business models do not require a lot of finance and take a few steps to set up. Most of the businesses do not require any huge registration or licensing fees, and in most cases, you don’t have to rent any kind of property. Not only that there are so many resources and help available on the internet to help with your troubles. Where else in the offline world it is extremely difficult to find help. Most of these resources have little to no cost attached to them and many are free.
Easy and Cost-Effective Management of the Business
The adaptability of business the board is another perspective that steers the result further for online businesses. On account of online new online businesses, observing clients, orders, stock administration, and so forth, everything is mechanized, making business the board extremely simple and cost-effective.
Gathering this large number of information, which gives you the necessary bits of knowledge to figure future business systems, will without a doubt take a ton of time, labor force, and exertion in traditional offline business. Likewise, client administrations are overseen on the web or on-demand much of the time, which makes far-off help conceivable, further diminishing business costs.
Enormous Reach and Better Future
This is very online business completely outshines the offline business, the range of online businesses is unparallel. The biggest companies are the online doing business in the online industry, Amazon, Google, etc. Even if you look at the companies which are considered smaller in the online world, they are doing so much better than their offline counterparts. The pace at which all these businesses have gained so much success is amazing and all because of the internet boom. The public general attitude has shifted towards online shopping. This makes it easy for you to reach your targeted audience anywhere in the world through the internet. With proper market strategy, it is pretty simple to connect with your customers and see success at a rapid speed.
Important Things to Know Before Starting an Online Business
We just explained how beneficial online businesses can be in today’s age and how they can surpass offline businesses. But it there are a few important factors you need to consider and process before starting your own online business. As the online business market has become quite competitive you need to think plan a few things beforehand. Such as, what kind of product or service you want to offer, your target customers, marketing, platform, and so on.
Research and Survey
The importance of reach about the type of business and market you want to jump into is extremely important. Similar to when you start an offline business you survey and understand the industry. Which companies are already offering the product or services similar to yours, who are your target customers, what are these businesses doing well and where are they lacking behind and how can you stand out from your competitors. You need to research all these things and formulate a strategy before you set up your business.
Business License
After you’ve determined what you want to offer your target customers, the following step is to get your online store up and running. The most important step here is to secure a trade license so that your company can function legally in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). There are different trade licenses, depending on where you propose to run your business (location) and what your business operations are. The license permits are offered by the Department of Economic Development (DED) for each free zone independently. After the procedure is done DED will issue you a license. The procedure for applying for the license is as follows:
- Choose your license type.
- Prepare all the documents required.
- Submit the application and the documents.
- Pay the registration fees.
Website Registration
After you’ve gotten your legal affairs in order, the most important thing you can do is start working on your website. If you have a proper technological background, you can dive right in and build the site, but if you don’t, you can hire someone to do it for you. So, after the core pieces of your website are up and running, you’ll want to start thinking about the layout of your online store. Sales are influenced by factors such as how the product is organized and how consumers interact with the website.
Register Domain Name
After you have finished building your website, you will need to choose and register a domain name. A domain name is your company’s online address, so you should pick one that is easy to search for and remember. It is necessary to register the domain name and you will have to pay a separate fee for this service.
Before you establish your business, keep in mind that there is no unified e-commerce license on the mainland. A basic trading license is required for a specific business, and a general trading license is required for a general e-commerce license.
Riz & Mona Consultancy
Whether you’re looking to start a new business in Dubai or you need services for your existing business. It’s always recommended to consult with a reputable consultancy firm like Riz & Mona to avoid any mistakes or legal issues.
We provide a complete range of corporate services across the UAE and have clients from all over the world. Our services include LLC Company Formation, Business Setup in Dubai Mainland or in any of the Free Zones of UAE, Offshore Company Formation, Business Support Services, Business Licenses, Product Registration, Pro Services, Bank Account Opening, Visa Services and much more.
Get a free consultation from our experts. Contact us on Whatsapp: +971 54 582 1012 or email: info@rizmona.com. Book your free appointment to get professional assistance as per your requirements.