Online business is thriving. It is easier to start your entrepreneurship journey with little experience. There are many guides and instructional content you can learn from, but if you want to choose the right path for yourself, you will first have to ask yourself this question: What is your primary field or interest? Are you more into selling a product or skills? There are two main branches of online business you can get into when considering starting a business.
That’s precisely e-business and e-commerce. These terms seem pretty similar, but do not be deceived by that. There is a significant difference between what these stand for. Simply put, e-com refers to selling a physical product, while e-business refers to selling anything that comes to your mind. This is a significant difference, but there is much more to cover, and we’ll go over everything in this article. If you’re a beginner and hungry for knowledge – keep reading, and you’ll be more than competent afterward.
Difference in websites
There’s no difference between these two. E-com aims for a simple website, showcasing the product and its features. This is often done through a product page, which is supposed to be informative, valuable, and with quality descriptions. Most e-commerce stores tend to amplify their brand identity via branding, logos, and design.
On the other hand, most online business brands such as agencies, coaches, or freelancers have a different approach to presenting their services. First and foremost, they’re selling a service, not a digital product, so their website tends to have different components. These are often sales pages, funnels, and many testimonials to present the value of their work or knowledge.
That being said, no matter which type of entrepreneurship you would like to run, your website needs to be neat and as close to perfection as possible. There are many solutions, one being headless e-commerce, which ensures many customizable options and optimization conveniences. If you have ever wondered about the meaning of headless commerce, it can be easily simplified. It’s a structure that allows you to create a website tailored to your needs and customers’ expectations, no matter what niche. One benefit of such architecture is your ability to make a unique site to differentiate your brand.
Differences in reaching customers between e-commerce and online business
Most e-commerce businesses advertise on social media, relying on cold traffic and catching people’s attention. This is a perfect way to test new marketing campaigns and various video/image creatives. This strategy has its downsides, though. It often results in reaching the wrong target or simply having a small cost per click. That’s why many e-com stores rely on genius marketing and headless architecture, as they need to turn heads and grab attention. Others rely on user-generated content or influencer marketing to raise brand awareness and boost sales.
Most online businesses tend to have a much different approach to creating leads. Especially personal bands, such as gurus or coaches, usually build personal relationships with customers. They achieve that through informative content, providing free value, and slowly earning the client’s trust. This can sometimes be lengthy, but once mastered and planned perfectly, it gives a great return on investment.
Other e-business owners, such as marketing agencies or freelancers, prefer to look for clients by themselves, researching the market for potential prospects. Later, they begin doing outreach, presenting their brand and what services they provide. This is a challenging, mundane process, but once you land your first couple of clients, things will get much easier.
Differences in client relationships between e-com and e-business
This goes back to what we mentioned above. Since the marketing strategy is significantly different for these two, their customer relationships tend to reflect that. Some e-commerce businesses rely on new impulse buyers and tend to run many ads on social media for that reason. Examples include clothing stores and digital device providers since their products often last for years. Other branches, such as the beauty niche, rely on providing a valuable product that runs out, and satisfied clients usually want to buy more. There is no right or wrong, but every e-com owner should know which strategy is the best for their sales model.
E-businesses have much more in-depth relationships with clients, sometimes lasting years. Hence, they are more eager to work for a small amount and then scale the revenues. Another great sales option is through subscriptions, for example, for streaming platforms or masterminds/workout programs. What makes them so powerful? The fact is that a satisfied client will keep billing every month for the same service as long as it provides them with value.
Conclusion
Now that you are well aware of the main principles of e-commerce and e-business and the basic differences between them. You are ready to begin your business adventure of creating your brand and making your first sales.
And while doing that? Keep in mind all the essential lessons we’ve mentioned, including the role of creating solid and lasting relationships with customers, utilizing website design and headless e-commerce, as well as where to find your ideal clients.
With all that theoretical knowledge, we encourage you to start planning your next business steps to ensure you have just as much experience in taking action. We realize that things can get quite confusing at first, just like the differences between e-commerce and e-business. But do not be discouraged, since all the necessary information can be found and obtained online! That’s the true power of the internet, and you will appreciate it even more, when you make your first sales online!
