Helping Birmingham’s e-Commerce Businesses to Thrive

During this year’s recent International Trade Week, sales businesses based in the Midlands were able to attend an event aimed at helping them to improve global exports through an e-commerce platform. As businesses compete for custom both at home and internationally, more are focussing on enhancing their online presence and turning to the business to business (B2B) e-commerce market, currently worth 5 times more than the business to customer (B2C) market.  Birmingham’s traditional retailers, luxury brands and start-up entrepreneurs are also being encouraged to make greater use of technology by gaining access to the expertise offered by major financial and legal companies through an initiative facilitated by SuperTech. With digital transformation, an improved internet presence and a more data-driven approach, retailers not only provide a better service for their online customers but they could also see an increase in their local and international sales. 

Enhancing Website Design to Boost Sales

Birmingham was one of the top locations for the establishment of e-commerce businesses last year.  While London saw the greatest number of online startups, over 1,000 e-commerce businesses were launched in Birmingham in 2021, an increase of over 20% when compared to the previous year. With these growing numbers of online businesses, standing out from the competition becomes increasingly important. A buyer’s first interaction with an e-commerce retailer is via its website and, with the right design, their online experience can be improved. Businesses based in the West Midlands have access to expert advice on how to create and maintain an efficient website that can help them to improve their online presence, meet their marketing goals and ultimately boost sales.  

Marketing Strategies to Attract and Retain Clients

There are several designers and luxury brands based in Birmingham, ranging from well-known names such as Gymshark and Lounge to other smaller and independent retailers. In response to the demand of an increasing number of online consumers, all have embraced e-commerce, but they have also found sales improved by fine-tuning their e-commerce strategies in other innovative ways. As well as building more efficient websites, many have also found that sales are improved by engaging with influencers and gaining large numbers of followers on social media.  This can help businesses to make more informed decisions determined through the collection and interpretation of valuable consumer data. In uncertain economic times, luxury brands in particular need to work hard to attract new customers, but special offers such as online VIP programmes can help them to maintain contact with previous buyers and further develop valuable relationships with both clients and brand ambassadors. 

With an increase in e-commerce businesses, retailers that develop an engaging online presence are more likely to stand out from the competition and boost their local and international sales. To help them take a more data-driven approach, local companies in Birmingham can also take advantage of expert advice from major firms and established brands which, in turn, can support them in optimising their performance even in uncertain economic times.