One method for going green is to grow your business from a traditional brick-and-mortar store to have a more virtual, online presence.
The principal benefits for setting up your business online would be reduction of dependence on natural resources, energy and carbon-based products.
An online store would eliminate the need for a power generation source, lighting, water consumption, and may eliminate the need for a physical presence whatsoever. The cost-savings from an online business alone would be tremendous, besides the aforementioned environmentally-friendly key benefits.
Many may think that setting up an online store would be difficult, and may be costly. The truth is entirely different from perception.
More and more socially responsible corporations have realized the growing consumer trend of shopping online and shopping on mobile devices, and have begun to open online store-fronts in a bid to increase their market coverage onto demographics that were previously inaccessible via their physical retail or business outlets alone. Shopping online is deemed environmentally responsible for the consumer as it eliminates a huge pollutant and resource waste: travel and logistics. Eliminating the need for a consumer to travel to a physical location via a carbon-fuel based mode of transportation, consume time parking their vehicle, choosing an item, and ultimately carting in back to their vehicle for the return trip home, is a major help for the environment already. A consumer who purchases an item from an online store only bears the carbon footprint of the logistics from the retailer to their physical location. This would eliminate close to half the carbon fuel consumption in the purchase and delivery logistics cycle alone.
Setting Up Your Online Store
Your Retail Storefront – Listing Your Products for Sale Online
Online Commerce Software & Platforms
- WordPress & WooCommerce
- Shopify
- Magento
- Zen Cart
- OS Commerce
Accepting Payments Online
Accept payments for your products sold through your online business without the need for a cash register.
Payment Gateways and Processors – accept payments online
Making Payments Online
Make payments to your suppliers, employees or even pay your bills and taxes online without the need for multiple physical bank accounts, foreign bank currency accounts, or even having to travel to a bank or leave your home. All you need is an active and secure internet connection.
Payment Gateways and Processors – make payments online
Popular payment gateways for making payments and sending money online:
Inventory & Stock-keeping
Supply Chain Management
Order Fulfillment