Here are a few ideas about how to get started:
Ask yourself what your customers need - how could you make their lives easier with an e-commerce-enabled site? Could you reach new customers and expand your business? Are you losing customers to online competitors? Would you need to carry a lot of extra inventory to service online customers? Are there any other cost implications?
Not every small business will have a business case for e-commerce. Asking yourself the questions above will help you determine if e-commerce is a good fit for your company.
Also, take some time to investigate the costs of running an e-commerce website and ensure that you don't over-invest in design and technology.
Solutions such as Sage Online Tools allow you to build a website of your own quickly and easily, without needing access to a designer or programmer. They also offer tools that help you market your business using social media and email. There are many choices today, and some of them are surprisingly customisable and affordable.
Social media, blogs, and content on your website can all help you rise in the organic search ratings on search engines. You might even want to take some pay-per-click ads on Google - these text ads on Google search pages can be affordable and effective. Also be sure to put your website address on business cards, till slips, shop signage, your vehicles, invoices, newspaper advertisements, and so on.
With about 16 million internet users, e-commerce in South Africa is starting to gather critical mass. Users' trust in online commerce is growing by the day, and research from the likes of World Wide Worx shows e-commerce retail sales growing in excess of 25% a year. SMEs have an opportunity to position themselves at the forefront of this trend.