Small shops are struggling against e-commerce – Göteborgs-Posten

Ulrica Westerdahl like to meet clients in reality and want besides have an online store also have a physical store. Photo: Björn Larsson Rosvall, TT

Finance Local small shops are becoming tougher opposition from large e-commerce sites. To meet the competition, reaching customers and not die out required that even small merchants acquire an internet site, says Jonas Ogvall CEO of Swedish digital commerce.

He believes that a store in the future do not have a website may have to close their business.

– It requires new skills of traders today. They need to learn social media for their survival, reaching no customers if they are digital, he says.

Erik Wästlund, senior lecturer in psychology at Karlstad University, says even he to the little local store are facing a new reality today.

– They have it very tough now. For many years they have encountered stiff competition from a number of chains, but now the price pressure increased further with the competition from foreign e-commerce sites, he says.

Even Wästlund believes that the local dealer must make sure to have a website where you can go in and check out the products available in the store. He also says that if the small shop can not compete with the price the trader must find other competitive advantages.

– They may try to compete on service, expertise and the personal attention, he says.

Business owners and web shop

Ulrica Westerdahl started a shop with children’s clothing in central Alingsås five years ago. When she started a physical store, la, she also publishes a website that customers would find the shop and read about her business. A year later, she opened an online store.

– For me it was natural to have even a physical store. I think it is important to have contact with people. I like to meet clients and do not want to just sit and package orders, she says.

To be on the internet, she thinks is important and a matter of course.

– I know that I myself Googling of everything: directions, images and how things look. That as physical stores also have a website that tells about the store, I think should be a given in 2016.

To meet the competition

She says she notices of competition from both large and small e-commerce sites, and explains how she tries to meet larger competitors.

– I believe in a personal approach, even if it is via the Internet. I respond quickly to e-mails, I’m doing fine package and if anyone asks if I can take pictures of anything and send, I do it, she says.

Westerdahl also believe that the merchants who have a physical store, and who want to keep up with the future, be sure to be on the Internet.

– the young generation is very much at home and click on different sites. Located man in bed or sitting front of the TV and check on various products in the mobile phone, it can be tempting to order quickly if it is offered free shipping and free return, she says.

Facts Ecommerce

The retail sales last year of 726, 6 billion including VAT.

Last year, e-commerce 6.9 percent of the retail market. Counting away food are e-commerce for 12 percent of the market.

E-commerce grew by 19 percent in 2015 and the traditional with 4.7 percent for the same period.

according HUI Research is growing e-commerce much faster now than in the traditional trade.

Source: Swedish digital commerce and HUI Research.