The Internet is crucial to communication today because it helps us reach different parts of the world for free any time, anywhere. It is the primary reason why despite the social restrictions brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, people are still able to communicate and run their businesses because several technological advancements have made it easy for us to convert some of our regular routines digitally. Although some companies weren’t fortunate enough to continue because they weren’t ready and did not have the resources to afford virtual business operations right away, it still forced the others to adapt and eventually find ways to shift completely.
The pandemic has significantly affected the sudden influx of eCommerce businesses in the market because communities are required to adhere to the government’s protocols. Since the most effective way to sell products and services nowadays is through online selling, the internet is a crucial factor in making it happen.
The Internet is the number one key to running an eCommerce business because eCommerce will not be called a process of buying and selling online without it. Apart from the internet, there are other smaller factors that you have to pay attention to so you will have a smooth process of online selling, and one of them is internet speed.
A slow internet connection can cause catastrophic results to retailers, ranging from angry customers to lost revenue. This is something you have to avoid if you want to establish an excellent online presence and boost sales conversion. So to help you understand this further, here are the top five ways slow internet connection can disrupt your eCommerce business:
1. Slow Down Your Progress
Time is of the essence, especially to online retailers. Since most tasks are performed online to give service to customers, you need to be cautious with time as it can either make or break your business.
Having a slow internet can slow down your progress towards online tasks, exposing you to risks of getting more angry customers due to delayed responses and delayed progress on urgent demands.
Angry customers can then create a bad reputation for the business because some of them will make it a point to leave feedback to let you know how disappointed they were with the service.
2. Lessen Employee Productivity
A slow internet connection does not only affect the progress of tasks, but it can also demoralize or discourage your employee’s enthusiasm because of how it can affect their delivery of service, which can result in lesser productivity.
A slow internet connection can cause your browser’s tabs to lag because of the slow download speed. This can deflate your employee’s energy to provide service on time because the main service platform is not coping.
3. Unable To Access Applications Quickly
ECommerce businesses use several applications every day to give service and connect with their customers. A slow internet connection can be a nuisance as it can prevent you from accessing applications as quickly as you need to. Even if you manage to open the application, it will still take longer to allow you to do your job.
Remember, online customers have shorter attention spans compared to those who shop in brick-and-mortar stores, which is why having unreliable internet is a considerable risk, especially to starting businesses.
4. Decrease Response Time And Increase Stress
Internet users have a low attention span, so they expect your page to load fast. Otherwise, they will jump to the next available page if yours will not load as fast as they expect it to be.
Having a reliable and stable internet is essential as it enables you to respond to your customer’s demands as soon as possible.
Apart from decreasing response time, a slow internet connection also increases stress. It will cause stress when you notice that your workload is piling up because some tasks get delayed. After all, the internet is too slow to provide service to your customers. An increase in stress in the workplace may create a hostile atmosphere among your workmates, which also adds to the demoralization of their employee morale.
5. Lost Revenue
Response time is very critical in eCommerce. Having unstable internet can make you lose potential revenue due to the service you could have provided to customers, which was instead spent on loading time. There is also a study that slow pages can result in a revenue loss of 61%, and if your goal is to earn a profit, then it will be a disadvantage to have an unstable internet connection.
Conclusion
A fast and reliable internet connection is the bloodline that helps you run a business. Without it, it would not be easy to meet your goals for the company and gain customers since you will not be able to put your business out on the internet where many people can find it.
If you worry that a reliable internet connection is expensive, you must worry about how a slow and unreliable connection can make you lose profit. Always choose the best for your eCommerce business.