Why Utah Merchants Are Selling Online
Wednesday, June 14, 2017Lindsay Hampson
Utah, more specifically Salt Lake City, is becoming an expert in eCommerce shopping in the region.
Local merchants and entrepreneurs who would have sold their wares exclusively in-store in the past, today now opt for omni-channel strategies to meet their buyers where they live.
Even a quick job search in Utah for the word “eCommerce” returns 760 open positions.
A good percentage of 20 of the fastest-growing companies in Utah have one or both feet in the world of e-commerce.
“Utah has seen an impressive growth of the economy in the past decade, becoming a magnet to some of the top companies in the nation while also providing fertile ground for startups to grow. Countless publications routinely list Utah as one of the best states to do business. You could even say entrepreneurs are swarming to the Beehive State like Mormon Crickets. Why? For lots of reasons — enough to fill another article, even...,” states KSL.com
One merchant specifically –
Vista Outdoor, Inc – headquartered in Utah, pushes nearly anything outdoor enthusiast would desire (cycling accessories, outdoor cooking solutions, etc), out through Amazon.com – for example.
While many merchants are opting to sell on marketplaces such as ebay, Amazon, others are standing up their own eCommerce stores using BigCommerce, Magento, WooCommerce, Shopify, or MIVA – to name a few.
Resources for Utah entrepreneurs
Utah incubators and resources:
http://business.utah.gov/start/starting-your-business/business-incubation-resource-centers-co-working-services/
Entrepreneur Luanch Pad: http://www.elpnow.org/
Start-up Connectory: http://www.growutah.com/connectory
Meet-ups in Salt lake City: https://www.meetup.com/topics/entrepreneurship/us/ut/salt_lake_city/
What to consider when beginning to sell online?
• Pick your accounting or ERP package – where you’ll start counting your money
• Pick your eCommerce platforms – where your customers will buy
• Make sure the two systems above connect, so you don’t have to take on manual data entry related to online orders
Interested in learning more about eCommerce Integration?
Reach out to us and we can answer any questions you might have. We can even show you a live eCommerce and ERP integration in action.