Do you know that 40% of worldwide internet users have bought products/goods online from an eCommerce business or eCommerce store?

People are increasingly looking to shop online for an easier customer experience. And, they’re even shopping from the smaller screen, because of better mobile networks and bigger mobile sizes.

Still not convinced about the small business opportunity that a digital marketing strategy presents?

Then look at the findings of this 2016 report by Forrester Research:

• Online sales from commerce platforms are expected to rise at an average rate of 9.32% annually over the next five years. US consumer spending will reach $523 billion online by 2020.

• The number of consumers browsing E-commerce businesses and E-commerce stores, and buying online is expected to hit 270 million (mainly driven by mobile).

The E-commerce website boom is already upon us.

If you have always wanted to sell your own products online and build a successful E-commerce business, then now is the time to hone that marketing strategy.

The best part is that there are numerous online business tools that will take care of the technology. So, you’ll only need to focus on building a brand and taking care of the real business aspects.

Let’s start with the obvious options for starting an E-commerce business or E-commerce store:

Becoming a seller on shopping experience sites like eBay and Amazon.

While you can earn a lucrative income from these huge e-Commerce platform brands, it’s tough to market for sales on these commerce platforms. You’ll face problems with differentiating yourself among the plethora of sellers and resellers that reside on these commerce platforms and sell the same products as you.

That’s why I emphasize building a personal E-commerce business brand boasting a better customer experience. Sure, you might not become as huge as Amazon, but you won’t have to fight solely on price.

What can building a loyal audience that emotionally connects with you mean for your small business?

You can have hundreds of thousands people waiting for your E-commerce web products, even before you launch them. And, you’ll get a free viral marketing strategy for your brand when your fans share your brand story on social media.