As a whole, eCommerce contributes around £693bn to the UK economy annually.
And with a projected growth rate of nearly 35% by the end of 2023, accepting online payments and being present for customers who shop online has never been more important, regardless of what size business you have.
Social selling through platforms like Facebook and Instagram have become more and more popular in recent years.
About one third of shoppers in the UK now buy items directly from adverts or posts they see on social media.
Similar numbers of customers also complete purchases directly from email promotions.
This means they’re buying online, without ever going to a company website.
Which means setting up a method of payment that allows them to make these purchases in as easy a way as possible.
By far the simplest way to set up payments for selling on social media or via email is Pay by Link.
Here are some of the main benefits of using Pay by Link when you want to sell online.
1. You can increase your potential pool of customers
Consumer shopping habits are constantly evolving towards ways that make buying more convenient, and online shopping is highly convenient.
On top of that, when selling online you’re not limited to the footfall walking past a brick and mortar store.
Instead you have access to any customer, anywhere, who might be interested in your product – so you have a much bigger pool.
Plus, social media platforms allow for highly targeted advertising of shoppers based on browsing history and their interests, which means you can get your products directly in front of your ideal customer.
With around a third of customers now buying directly from links in social media posts, that’s a huge customer base you can have access to.
2. Pay by Link makes it easy for customers to buy and pay
Every stage of the buyer’s journey is another opportunity for them to opt out of making the final purchase.
A difficult payment process, any unnecessary steps or any kind of ‘friction’ in the purchasing process presents a potential loss of sales.
Selling on social media is a great tool for increasing revenue, but only if you do it in a way that makes it easy for the customer.
Showing them an item they want on Instagram, but then making them go to your website to pick the size or colour, and then pay, is just adding more steps to the buying process, and giving the customer an opportunity to change their mind.
Pay by Link removes these risks, because the customer can choose the item they want to buy directly from your social media channel (or email), then all they have to do to complete the purchase is follow the link you send them to a payment page.
It’s that simple.
3. You don’t need to invest in an eCommerce website to sell online
While many businesses that sell online do so through a full eCommerce store, it’s not essential.
It can be very expensive to build and run an eCommerce website, and if you’re only a small business with limited resources, this might not be the best way to invest your money.
Instead, by using Pay by Link you simply set a secure payment page, and then you can send a customer a secure link to go through to the page and complete their purchase.
It means you can accomplish the same sales as you would with an eCommerce website, without the expense of building one.
4. Pay by Link is easy for business owners
A great thing about Pay by Link for business owners (apart from being able to make more money) is you don’t need any technical expertise to use it.
You simply enter the payment details for the transaction, and a link is automatically generated through an online portal linked to your merchant account.
This link will send the customer through to a secure payment page.
As soon as the customer has paid, you’ll get a notification that the transaction is complete.
Simple.
5. Pay by Link is very secure for both businesses and consumers
Like all online payments, security is a major consideration.
Pay by Link is an extremely safe and secure payment option.
Pay by Link is built with the same level of enterprise security that is built into eCommerce websites.
As well as being PCI DSS compliant and SSL certified, Pay by Link has built in encryption to ensure your customers’ payment information remains secure.
Increase eCommerce success with Pay by Link technology
Limiting the way customers can shop and pay for your products is only limiting your ability to make money.
The more options customers have to pay, the more avenues you have to generate revenues and profits.
Direct selling through social media – and even email – is a highly effective strategy for your marketing and sales.
That’s because – thanks to the specific targeting you can use for ads – you’re engaging directly with your target audience.
Even when selling directly through email, you’re selling to people who have actively engaged with you and agreed to receive emails.
Whether it’s social media or email, Pay by Link gives you a secure means to accept payments.
Considering the huge challenges businesses have faced in the last few years, can you really risk cutting off such a potentially lucrative revenue stream?
