If you have a small business with one location where you sell your products, then you understand that you can only draw potential customers from a fairly small local radius. This can be very limiting, and seriously hurt your sales to inventory ratio, resulting in lower profits than you would like. There are several ways to combat this, but the most obvious and simple solution, as you might have already guessed –  sell your products online!

The widely accepted term for this fairly recent concept is Ecommerce.  A lot of small businsses shy away from this opportunity, due to fear of the unknown, lack of technical knowledge, or a simple loyalty to the old-fashioned traditional methods that got their business off the ground.  However, times have changed.  While the traditional methods still have their value, they are simply not enough to survive the receding economy.  What a lot of small business owners should realize is that although Ecommerce is not yet a tried and true solution for them by experience, it has been, and continues to be a highly successful source of revenue for millions of small businesses all around the world.  It is a proven method!

Of course, one of the biggest reasons that some small businesses do not take advantage of  an online store is due to a lack of funds in the budget.  This is an understandable concern, since you can’t get something for nothing.  However, there is a slightly skewed perspective of the cost involved in this endeavor, and as the times are changing, there are now more affordable solutions that you might not be aware of.

One of the most effective Ecommerce solutions that does not require a huge expenditure is to take advantage of an online shopping conglomerate that already has a system in place, a secure website and a ton of traffic ready and waiting for you.  All you have to do is input your store and product information and you’re ready to start selling online!  There are not too many of these aggregators out there, but the number is growing and becoming a more and more attractive alternative to small businesses that do not have the resources to hire a team of programmers, graphic designers and internet marketing consultants to create an entirely custom website with an online storefront.

The Small Merchant Retail Association understands this need, and has partnered with CaribeBay Mall to help small retail owners to market and sell their products online. CaribeBay is designed specifically for small merchant retailers and is a much more powerful and profitable alternative to eBay by far. There is hardly any cost to set up your store, and no monthly fees or extra charges for photos. You are automatically given your own login to your private back office where you can upload photos, add product descriptions and edit your store information at your leisure.

If you are interested in surviving this economy and coming out on top when the market returns, then you must join the ecommerce marketplace as soon as possible. Contact the SMRA for more information or go to CaribeBay.com and see what all the fuss is about!