24/7 shopping: Most eCommerce websites allow shoppers to peruse products and make buying decisions at any time, day or night. This makes shopping easier for customers, and that kind of accessibility is a huge competitive advantage. As a business owner, this also allows you to bring in sales while you’re off doing something else (even while you’re sleeping). Meet customers where they are: Having an online store gives you more channels to engage with customers. Integrate with social media and let people shop from their feed, help customers find you in Google searches and make purchases as as soon as they are ready, and send out newsletters to customers with products that they need based on their purchase history.

Widened scope: A physical store is limited to selling to customers who are in the area. Many eCommerce websites extend businesses to people all over the country or around the world, vastly expanding their customer base and potential revenue. Selling online also offers the ability to broaden or increase inventory — the number of items a business can sell online doesn’t need to be limited in the same way as a physical store, which might be a consideration to increase cash flow.

— With love