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17/11/2009 -
Although ecommerce websites may seem to be the business of the future, Canadian retailers should not abandon their storefronts yet.In fact, Canadian consumers seem to be wedded to in-store shopping, despite the increased prevalence of ecommerce options, online entrepreneur Wehuns Tan told the Financial Post.
Tan estimates that nine out of 10 retail leads come from online, yet the consumer typically goes into the store to make their purchases.
"Canadians don't shop online because they have trouble getting information," Tan told the newspaper. "What we've seen is that we lag behind the U.S. We're where the U.S. was seven or eight years ago."
This is largely because online shopping can be a frustrating experience for consumers, as many retailers are based in the U.S. and therefore charge more in shipping costs and duty fees.
So while ecommerce and mobile payment options have seen a good amount of press attention recently, in-store payment processing may still be the most important, experts say.
Yet merchants cannot use this as an excuse to fall behind in customer service - up-to-date and secure POS terminals can still be the difference between making a sale and losing one.
