The internet is revolutionizing the world – including the all-important world of business. Change can be downright terrifying, sure. But it can also be a phenomenal tool for growth, management, and revenue generation. At no time in history has it been easier for the average joe to start their own business. With just a little extra cash, any entrepreneur can build a website and get their online business going. At SDI, we have helped thousands of clients to both start their own online business and to get their brick-and-mortar business online. The digital era offers a plethora of tools to help a business in all facets, for any industry. Custom software; eCommerce websites, mCommerce apps, Big Data analytics – more tools that can be easily summarized. But there are other reasons beyond just the actual apps, websites, and software. And, while we are an online business development company, we’re also a tech marketing company. We don’t just create and walk away. We build, nurture, and help our clients grow. Let’s take a closer look at three tools that can help your online business, plus a couple advantages from the marketing perspective. 1.Big Data a. Big Data Analytics is an essential tool for any business. Any SMB owner or startup CEO can tell you that a business – online or otherwise – produces mountains of data. This isn’t something new; after all, CEOs have been trying to use numbers and other data to streamline their businesses for a couple of hundred years. When SDI’s developers build custom SaaS-PaaS, Analytics is always a fundamental pillar of our approach. We automatically code in a process for collecting, crunching, and reporting upon the countless gigabytes worth of information produced by your industry. We even closely tailor our process to offer unique analytics for specific industries. This allows business owners to get truly accurate and helpful reporting – and to improve business efficiencies. 2. eCommerce a. If you haven’t heard about eCommerce, I must how that rock you’ve lived under for the last decade has been treating you! Seriously though, eCommerce is one of the quickest, easiest, and least expensive ways to get a business online out there. eCommerce platforms like Shopify, Magento, and WooCommerce are all excellent tools for any online retail business. They contain thousands of themes allowing users to create unique, wonderful designs. When combined with almost as many plugins (packets of pre-written code for specific purposes), our online business developers can build robust, unique, and marvelous eCommerce sites in just a couple of weeks. 3. mCommerce a. The MobileFirst movement is taking over the world; now everything not only needs to be online, but it needs to be mobile – and (duh) mobile-first. mCommerce is merely the extension of the oh so popular eCommerce (discussed above) industry. We say ‘merely,’ but in reality, mCommerce is a multibillion-dollar industry, well on its way to becoming a multi-trillion industry. 80% of people globally who access the internet do so via their mobile device. In the US alone 25% of internet users never actually use a PC or Mac to do so. Globally, about 11 billion apps have been downloaded onto mobile devices. ‘Nuff said. 4. Global Markets a. In my early college days, I worked for a retail company that shall go unnamed (let’s just say it’s sometimes called “tarjay”). My store was pretty busy, often seeing tens of thousands of customers. Nationally, the customers were in the millions. Those are pretty astounding numbers, right? Can you imagine the services, HR requirements, and general infrastructure that requires? Then take a look at the market access an online business has: 3.17 billion. Every single day. And the costs of online business requires are absolutely negligible in comparison. The possible potential of an online business far outstrips that of any brick and mortar business. The trick is reaching that potential; the good news is that digital marketing is another great reason to get your business online. 5. Digital Marketing a. So you got your eCommerce site up and running. Now how do you get your online business noticed? Well – the web can help us there too! SDI’s marketing team has mastered strategies and techniques for everything from User Acquisition and Revenue Generation to outright marketing and SEO/SMM. Digital marketers are a disturbing combination of a marketer, anthropologist, developer, designer, and salesman. We need to not only understand our market but understand: I. what the market wants and needs; II. How to code for SEO and RWD; III. How to make a design that is sticky and engaging; and IV. How to actually position the product so that it sells. These are just 5 small reasons why you need to get your business online. There are many, many more reasons. The internet is an equalizing force: the obstacles that once prevented people from running their own business are removed. Entirely new paths to making money and starting, running and growing a business. Your Online Business Development Company SDI is a conglomeration of developers, designers, marketers, and business growth specialists. We’ve worked with companies around the world in dozens of countries. We have our fingers on the pulse of the tech market – and we want to help you get your online business going. Check out our portfolio to see some of the projects we’ve worked on. For more information, call 408.621.8481 or Feel free to contact us at any time.