Getting a foot on the e-commerce ladder is proving difficult for small businesses, but a new UK website is set to change that.
Big businesses with highly recognised names can easily create a web presence, however for smaller establishments it's harder to get noticed on the web. Imagine an infinitely long high street with massive superstores, and being a tiny shop tucked away somewhere.
The same can be said in regular retail, however, where large store chains often crush smaller competitors, which may well offer unique products and better service. In some areas of retail, this has been fought by small shops grouping together under a single name to increase brand familiarity and also boost their buying power, allowing products to be sold on at more competitive prices. It's harder still for even smaller businesses, which perhaps make their trade at craft fares or similar places.
Launching today is a new website, notonthehightstreet.com which aims to help out those independant businesses looking for that e-commerce foothold. Notonthehighstreet provides a single site on which the products of over 100 small businesses can be found and purchased. The products on offer are said to be "unique, stylish things".
As part of the launch, Notonthehighstreet has published the results of a survey it conducted, in which it asked a number of businesses about e-commerce and other ways of keeping small businesses running.
Half of those quizzed said that getting an e-commerce operation running was a difficulty, with a similar proportion seeing the service provided by Notonthehighstreet as a means of saving time and money while selling online.
Products on offer on the site fall into eleven categories: home, garden, art and ceramics, children, mother and baby, jewellery, accessories, clothes, health and beauty, stationery and pets. Given the size of the businesses it might not be surprising to get a more personal level of service, but might some businesses using the service fall victim of higher demand than anticipated? Time will tell.
