Benefits of online store and why every business should have one

Key takeaways: 

• An online store helps your business reach a wider audience, increase visibility, and sell products anywhere, anytime.
• It reduces overhead costs and boosts profit margins while giving customers better prices.
• Built-in e-commerce tools help you understand how customers shop, so you can make smarter marketing moves and grow sales over time.

Nearly 3 billion people now choose online shopping, with consumers increasingly skipping physical stores and the brick-and-mortar store experience. This shift says a lot. It clearly points to why the benefits of online store ownership matter so much for small businesses and many businesses trying to stay competitive and easy to find.

As shopping online keeps growing, online stores should start with a domain. A branded domain gives online retailers a trusted website where online shoppers can buy online, purchase online, and shop anytime through an e-commerce site, instead of relying only on a physical storefront. It’s a simple move, but it makes a real difference in how customers find and remember your business.

Why sell online?

Selling online gives your business more breathing room. You can reach customers outside your local area and take orders even after store hours. That kind of reach is hard to pull off with a traditional brick-and-mortar store. An online store also works for customers who would rather shop on their phone than walk into a physical storefront.

Here’s what’s pushing more businesses to sell online:

• Shift in consumer behavior toward online shopping
• Growth potential of an e-commerce store
• Competitive pressure from large retailers like Amazon
• Online presence as a trust signal

Shift in consumer behavior toward online shopping

Shopping habits are changing fast. In 2025 Q2, in-store shopping grew by 9.2 percent while e-commerce sales rose 6.24 percent. This implies that people now shop wherever it’s most convenient. Online shoppers use their phones like mini storefronts to browse, check reviews, and compare prices before deciding to buy online or visit brick-and-mortar locations nearby.

What began during the COVID-19 pandemic has now become a new normal. Shoppers like the convenience of buying from home but still visit stores for items they can’t purchase online. For small businesses, it’s an opportunity to strengthen customer retention through consistent presence across both channels.

Growth potential of an e-commerce store

When you sell online, you’re not dealing with the same headaches as traditional stores. Starting an e-commerce business and online business means lower costs upfront, you can sell from literally anywhere, and boost sales without worrying about rent or keeping a full staff at a physical storefront. This setup lets you experiment with different ideas and reach new customers without piling on extra expenses.

Competitive pressure from large retailers like Amazon

Big online retailers like Amazon and Walmart have raised the bar high. They sell everywhere and make online shopping easy and convenient. Many businesses now compete for retail sales not only with local shops but also with what an online store provides.

Small businesses still have an edge, though. You can win over customers with personalized service, unique products, and that local trust factor. And honestly, that’s often enough. You don’t need a huge budget or some massive operation. You just need to connect with customers where they already are. That could be when they shop online or when they visit your actual store.

Online presence as a trust signal

People trust what they see. Customers expect every business to have an e-commerce website where they can browse products, read reviews, and shop securely. A visible presence on Google, directories, and social media helps you look trustworthy and drive traffic in just a few clicks, while giving existing customers an easy way to find you again. Your own domain or a premium domain strengthens that trust by giving customers a clear place to find your brand beyond marketplaces.

Not only that, your e-commerce site also connects what happens online and offline. When shoppers find the same information and quality in your in-store purchases and online listings, it helps your brand earn trust. Why? Because it proves your business is real, reliable, and ready to serve customers wherever they choose to shop.

Now that you know why selling online matters, check out our guide on How To Make an Online Store: A Step-by-Step Guide for 2025 to see how you can start building a smooth online shopping experience.

Key benefits of an online store for customers 

Shopping habits have evolved, and customers now expect speed, flexibility, and a wide range of choices. For small business owners, understanding what keeps buyers coming back is the key to achieving better customer retention and stronger loyalty. Prioritizing these benefits of online shopping helps you create experiences that keep your brand at the forefront of your customers’ minds and ahead of competitors.

Here’s a quick look at the main benefits customers enjoy when shopping online:

• Convenience and 24/7 accessibility
• Price comparisons, discounts, and deal hunting
• Product reviews, ratings, and social proof
• Personalized shopping experience
• Avoiding crowds and low-pressure shopping
• Saving items for later or wishlists
• Access to niche and specialty products
• International product access

Convenience and 24/7 accessibility 

An online store never closes. Brick-and-mortar stores have set hours, but online? Shoppers can browse, compare, and purchase products at 2 a.m. if they feel like it. This flexibility keeps your business going while you’re asleep and helps turn one-time buyers into regulars.

Price comparisons, discounts, and deal hunting

Shoppers love hunting for deals. Before they purchase products, they hop between tabs to check online reviews and compare prices. The price comparison market hit $29.6 billion in 2023 and is expected to reach $59.5 billion by 2033. Upfront prices and visible discounts help consumers decide faster and feel good about spending their money. And here’s the thing: many consumers will pick whoever makes it easiest to find a deal. Give them that experience, and you’ll likely see more money coming in.

Product reviews, ratings, and social proof

Today, checking reviews is just part of how people shop online. Only about 3% of consumers say they never read reviews. That means roughly 97% check them at some point before buying. Most shoppers want to see real experiences and star ratings before they feel good about their choices. When people compare prices or look for a brand they can trust, they want honesty and transparency. Fresh reviews help them see real value, spot good deals, and figure out if your business is worth buying from.

Personalized shopping experience 

Personalization keeps shopping online interesting. Instead of a generic shelf like in a physical store, your online retail space can greet each shopper differently. When a site remembers what someone looked at and shows relevant product online recommendations on the homepage, it saves time and actually helps instead of feeling pushy.

So if a customer keeps buying skincare items, you can feature new products in that category. Or if someone browses winter coats, showing matching scarves or boots works well. These little things help you connect with your customer base and keep them coming back.

Our E-commerce Website Builder has integrations and add-ons that give you the ability to set up personalized recommendations for your store. When shoppers see products they actually want, they’re more likely to purchase items. And that usually means bigger orders and customers who stick around longer.

Avoiding crowds and low-pressure shopping

Crowded malls and long lines are no longer appealing. Many people now enjoy the convenience of online shopping, where they can browse and buy without the rush. A recent survey found that nearly 60% of shoppers prefer to shop online rather than visit physical stores. With an e-commerce platform, it’s easier to compare options, take your time, and check out comfortably from home. Even those who still enjoy occasional in-store visits like having the choice to shop quietly and conveniently whenever it suits them.

Saving items for later/wishlists

Online shopping lets people shop anytime without pressure. Shoppers can save items they like, compare prices, and come back later when they’re ready to buy online. In a traditional store, you might walk away and forget what you wanted. Online wishlists solve that problem by keeping everything saved. E-commerce platforms let shoppers return and pick up where they left off. Many stores send reminders about those saved items, and that usually leads to more sales.

Access to niche and specialty products

Shopping online gives people access to products they won’t find in most physical stores. Your online store can have a dedicated corner for hard-to-find pieces that people love, so they can browse without sorting through unrelated items. It might be small-batch snacks, artist-made goods, or tools for a specific hobby. Grouping these items in one place guides online shoppers toward the items that interest them and keeps the feeling of discovery alive. It also helps customers enjoy the same spark they get when they stumble on something special in person..

International product access

Online shopping opens your store to the world. The key advantages are easy to see: buyers in other countries can discover your catalog, compare options in their own language, and make purchases directly without waiting for a local reseller. To make that experience stress-free, show total costs and delivery times upfront, support local payments, and offer clear return policies. Real-time tracking and realistic ETAs reduce worry about shipping delays. As your audience grows, consider cross-border tools inside your platform for taxes, translations, and localized checkout so that many customers feel like you built the store just for them.

Key benefits of an online store for businesses 

An online store helps customers, but it also gives your business more room to grow. You can reach customers, manage online sales, and work at your own speed without needing a big team or physical stores. For small business owners, this growing trend of going digital means lower costs, easier growth, and the ability to connect with more customers whenever you want.

Here’s how having an e-commerce store gives your business a real advantage:

• Global reach and market expansion
• Lower overhead and operational costs
• Product and inventory flexibility
• Centralized inventory and unified channel management
• Real-time data, analytics, and customer insights
• Personalization and targeted marketing
• Scalability and growth potential
• Omnichannel shopping experience (online + in-store integration)

Global reach and market expansion 

Taking your business online helps you reach people wherever they are. Customers can find you whether they’re nearby or across the country. A local fashion boutique, for example, can sell a weekend’s worth of orders to shoppers in other cities without opening new branches.

Do you run a small fashion business? Create an online store to sell your apparel beyond your brick-and-mortar store and bring in extra sales.

Lower overhead and operational costs 

Running an online store costs far less than maintaining a traditional retail setup. You save on rent, utilities, and the cost of hiring several sales associates or a sales assistant. For many small sellers, this helps keep expenses in check. Someone who makes candles at home, for instance, can run their shop online without paying for mall space or a storefront. Those savings can go toward marketing or stocking up on better inventory, so your business stays competitive with larger online retailers. Lower expenses also make it easier to keep prices fair and profits steady, which is especially helpful for startups and side hustles that want to grow without heavy overhead.

Product and inventory flexibility

For many e-commerce companies, flexibility keeps them competitive. Instead of being stuck with fixed stock in a physical store, businesses can test new products through dropshipping or a hybrid setup to manage inventory more easily. This helps you react fast to what customers want. A craft seller, perhaps, can try a few new designs in small batches and see what sells before going bigger. You can play around with trends, adjust what’s selling, or bring in new products without worrying about unsold items.

Centralized inventory and unified channel management

Modern online retail works best when everything is connected. Omnichannel tools help you track stock across your website, social media shops, and POS all at once. You manage inventory easily and avoid selling items you don’t actually have. Take a small pet supply shop. They list products on their website and Facebook Shop, and inventory updates happen automatically. They can still walk through their stockroom when needed, but everything updates digitally in real time. Less chaos, fewer mistakes. Online shopping becomes easier and more dependable for you and your customers.

Real-time data, analytics, and customer insights 

For online retailers, data is gold. Most e-commerce dashboards show your top sellers, where your traffic comes from, and which carts people abandon, all in real time. This helps you boost e-commerce sales because you see what works and what doesn’t. Say you run a coffee roasting business. You notice one roast flies off the shelf. You can shift your marketing to push that product immediately. Good analytics help you make better business calls, tweak your marketing on the fly, and stock what customers are really buying.

Personalization and targeted marketing 

Strong customer relationships start with knowing your target audience. Modern e-commerce companies use data from past purchases and behavior to send offers and recommendations that match each customer’s interests. A skincare seller might notice a customer buys mostly serums or gentle formulas, so they highlight moisturizers that fit that routine. With tools like email automation and CRM integration, you can reach customers at the right moment and keep them engaged. The payoff is marketing that feels personal and brings better ROI without burning through your budget. Plus, one of the many benefits is you can offer lower prices through targeted promotions that actually convert instead of blanket discounts that eat your margins.

Scalability and growth potential

Running your store on an e-commerce platform makes growth easier to handle. The global e-commerce market continues to grow, with Statista projecting revenue to reach $3.66 trillion in 2025. That gives small businesses more chances to capture more sales and scale up. With the right setup, you don’t need a big team or extra space to grow. A homemade snacks business can take on a holiday surge in orders because automation tools handle many of the tasks behind the scenes. This kind of support helps improve profit margins as your store expands.

Omnichannel shopping experience (online + in-store integration)

Most shoppers switch between online shopping and in-store shopping experiences. For small businesses, connecting your online shopping site with your brick-and-mortar store is one of the smartest moves you can make. A small bookstore can let customers place an order online and pick it up in-store. This creates a smoother experience across both channels. People can browse and buy online whenever they want while your business stays connected at every touchpoint. You can offer in-store shopping pickup or shared rewards. This approach builds trust, convenience, and loyalty that big online retailers struggle to match.

Building customer trust online 

You don’t need to be a big name to earn trust online. Set things up right and your online business can look just as legit and secure as any major brand.

What helps you build trust from the first click:

• SSL, HTTPS, and secure payment processing
• PCI compliance and fraud protection
• Trust signals: Reviews, return policies, transparency, and UX

SSL, HTTPS, and secure payment processing

The biggest worry in online shopping is whether customer data is safe at checkout. SSL certificates and HTTPS encryption protect every transaction and make your online store look trustworthy. And unlike a physical shop that closes after working hours, your online store processes secure payments anytime without you watching over each sale.

This is how SSL and HTTPS build confidence in your e-commerce platform:

• Encrypt sensitive data, such as payment and login details, so that hackers can’t intercept it.
• Show visible trust cues such as the padlock icon or“https://” in your store’s URL.
• Protect your reputation by preventing browser warnings that drive shoppers away.
• Support secure payment gateways to keep transactions fast, safe, and reliable.

Strengthen your store’s protection with our SSL Certificates and SiteLock Website Security.

PCI compliance and fraud protection

Handling online payments means keeping your customers’ trust. PCI compliance (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) is a set of global rules that protect cardholder information whenever people buy from your e-commerce store. Whether someone uses a credit card or debit card to purchase items, following these standards helps prevent fraud, data breaches, and expensive penalties that could hurt your business.

PCI compliance matters because it:

• Protects customer data with encrypted transactions and secure storage.
• Stops chargebacks and fines from non-compliance or fraud.
• Shows buyers your business follows global security standards.
• Catches unusual activity and verifies each purchase through fraud detection tools.

Learn more about protecting your online store with this guide to website security.

Trust signals: Reviews, return policies, transparency, and UX

Trust grows when shoppers see proof and honesty. Verified reviews give real insight into what others experienced and help customers feel confident when shopping online. Clear return policies and contact details add to that sense of security, showing that e-commerce companies value transparency.

Good design also builds trust. Fast-loading pages, simple navigation, and ADA-compliant features make an online retail store more welcoming to everyone. When your site looks polished and easy to use, people are more likely to stay, explore, and buy again.

Overcoming e-commerce challenges 

Running an e-commerce business isn’t always easy, but most problems have simple solutions. Once you identify the root cause of common headaches, you can turn them into wins that keep customers coming back and help your brand grow.

Here are some common e-commerce challenges and what usually helps:

• Handling returns, delays, and hidden costs
• Competing with market giants: Differentiation tactics
• Technical complexity and integration challenges
• Inventory and order management

Handling returns, delays, and hidden costs

Late deliveries, unclear return policies, and surprise fees are the top reasons shoppers hesitate to buy again. According to AlixPartners’ 2024 Home Delivery Survey, 92% of consumers say free shipping impacts their purchasing decisions, and nearly one in four will switch retailers if expectations aren’t met.

Simple fixes make a big difference. Add clear refund pages, show upfront prices for shipping and taxes, and offer real-time tracking to earn customer confidence.

Providing local delivery or in-store pickup options also helps. Customers appreciate having choices, whether they prefer in-store shopping or online shopping. When you keep the process smooth and transparent, you protect both the shopping experience and your brand’s reputation.

Competing with market giants (differentiation tactics)

Competing with giants in online retail can seem tough, but small businesses have an edge that money can’t buy: connection. While e-commerce companies like Amazon focus on size and speed, you can make an impact through personal service and genuine care. Share your story, respond quickly, and show customers they matter.

Simple touches go a long way. Create loyalty programs, offer discounts to repeat buyers, and celebrate milestones with your shoppers. Big brands may win on volume, but small businesses earn loyalty when every interaction is honest and sincere.

Technical complexity and integration challenges 

Many small business owners hesitate to enter online retail because they think it’s too technical. But creating a store today is easier than it used to be.

Most platforms now have drag-and-drop tools, built-in payments, and plug-ins that work together smoothly. You don’t need coding experience to start e-commerce sales or manage day-to-day tasks online. Even better, e-commerce platforms like ours offer support that helps you launch and grow without the tech headaches.

Inventory and order management 

Keeping track of products and orders is a big part of running e-commerce sales smoothly. Smaller businesses often begin with easy-to-use tools, such as spreadsheets or store dashboards, and later transition to inventory software that integrates with POS systems. Features such as stock alerts and order-tracking apps help avoid overselling and missed shipments.

In online retail, staying organized behind the scenes builds customer confidence and encourages repeat purchases.

Is an online store right for you? 

If you run a physical shop or sell products through social media, this quick checklist can help you determine if starting an online store makes sense for you.

Ask yourself:

1. Do you want to reach more customers?

An online store opens your business to shoppers outside your neighborhood and connects you with people who search and buy from anywhere.

1. Do you want simpler daily operations?

E-commerce tools can handle payments, inventory, and order tracking so you can focus on growth instead of manual tasks.

1. Do you want stronger customer loyalty?

Shoppers appreciate convenience and trust. A smooth online experience can turn casual browsers into repeat buyers.

1. Do you want to lower overhead costs?

Selling online can reduce rent, utility costs, and some staffing needs. You can redirect more of your budget to marketing or new products.

1. Do you want a store that grows with your brand?

A professional website gives you more control over how you sell, how you present your products, and how you scale over time.

If most of these sound like a yes, then an online store could be a strong next move for your business.

Ready to bring your business online? Try our Website Builder to create your store in minutes. 

Frequently asked questions 

Building an online store with Network Solutions 

An online store helps you reach more customers, stay open 24/7, and grow beyond the limits of a physical shop. Still, many small business owners hold back because of setup costs, security worries, or fear of falling behind the competition.

You can set up and manage your online store in one place. We bring together everything you need, including domain registration, hosting, website design, SSL certificates, and marketing services, so you can run your online store with confidence.

Start your e-commerce journey today with Network Solutions and take your business online with ease.