Online Business vs Traditional Methods: Consider Migrating To The New Normal Methods Of Doing Business

Every business wants to make a lasting impact. To do better than competitors are doing. To be the best company in its particular industry and influence the choice of a client when they are looking for a particular product or service. The purpose of this article is to educate you on what constitutes both, web based and traditional methods of doing business and which one of these methods is ideal for your existing or potential business.

Traditional methods are based on the physical aspects of the business. If the business is highly product oriented, then the client will have to travel to its location to get a glimpse of the products on offer. If the business is based on service then it will highly depend on face to face interactions between the client and the service provider. For example Bank enquiry services. Marketing through physical mediums such as TV, radio, road shows, newspaper adverts, banners, posters and fliers, amongst others is a characteristic of traditional methods.

Many businesses, especially in developing countries such as Zimbabwe have thrived over the past decades through solely relying on traditional methods of doing business. Their energy focused majorly on their products and services improvement and success on the ground. Web based methods of Marketing and doing business have been, either, under utilized or neglected altogether.

Web based methods are based largely on the internet of things. Product awareness is done in a quick and easy way through the internet to reach a broader spectrum of potential customers. Web based marketing, also known as online marketing, is highly digitalised. All product promotions and new product awareness are advertised through the internet using methods such as Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) or Search Engine Marketing (SEM) to reach the actual clients looking for the service.

SEM and SEO can be utilized in most web based applications such as websites and social media applications to reach more and more potential customers.

Now that you have had an idea of what Web based and Traditional methods are about, the question now would be, which one of these methods is the better option? I will provide the upside and downside of each method.

Advantages of Traditional methods

● Higher levels of face to face interaction with the customer than Web based methods, which in turn leads to higher customer satisfaction.

● Bigger chances of repeat business and referrals from satisfied customers which will result in more customers.

● Higher prioritisation on optimising product quality based on the interaction and feedback from repeat customers.

While Traditional methods can be effective, there are also drawbacks associated with it such as high costs of rental space or infrastructure. Setting up posters, TV adverts and other physical means of advertising are also very expensive and do not guarantee immediate awareness.

Advantages of Web based methods

● You have the ability to target the exact customers who are looking for your particular product and filter out the rest.

● No need for physical infrastructure which means that it is way cheaper than traditional methods. All you need is a domain name and Web hosting if you are creating a website or just a free Social media account.

● You can measure the success of your marketing efforts using analytics.

The downside of Web based methods is that, now the internet of things is becoming more and more sophisticated because all businesses are going online. There's so much more fierce competition on the internet now and due to the fact that more people are now aware of shopping on the internet, local companies are having to compete with much more established international companies.

In conclusion, the business efforts of a company should encompass both the traditional offline and the trending online methods. These however should be used simultaneously where relevant. However, the Marketing efforts should be more inclined towards online Marketing efforts to reach a bigger market. Research and development should however be the main focus to beat competition and gain prestige amongst clients.

Author: Tanaka Matsvai