Online businesses have become the most talked about subject in the industry since the introduction of smartphones. The ease and accessibility of running an internet business with the help of outsourcing, freelancing and cloud services mean that almost anyone with an internet connection, the will to succeed and an idea can turn their motivation into pure hard cash.

Photo by Pexels

But while internet businesses have had their time in the spotlight, other companies are taking advantage of the retail and physical sector of their businesses. Just because internet businesses are popular it doesn’t mean we never go out to a store anymore. After all, unless you get all of your groceries delivered on a regular basis, then chances are you’ve also been visiting the store for basics such as bread and milk.

So let those internet businesses dominate and fight over virtual space. Here are four tips to help you expand your physical business so that you don’t need to compete for digital space.

1. Expand your reach

There are many ways to improve your business’s reach with the help of third party services. For starters, offer delivery services to locations that are further away. If you run a coffee shop or a restaurant, then offer to deliver your products to further locations. You don’t personally have to deliver them thanks to services like Uber Eats that enable any food service business to have home delivery, and you can always merge the service with online marketing.

2. Offer more space

One of the most common frustrations for people that visit a physical business is space. Whether it’s an optician you run with no waiting room or a diner that only has a couple of tables, you need to try and expand your floor space. You can use steel buildings to construct extensions on your building or merge them with your existing construction to create more physical space for your customers. Not only will it give your customers more space, but it will also give you more space to store products.

Photo by Pexels

3. Run local promotions

If you care about the longevity of your physical business, then you need to start merging with the local community if you haven’t already. You can create flyers or posters and invite people around town into your business for special events or offers. For example, you could offer people free coffee on Mondays if you run a cafe, or you could host sports nights if you run a bar to attract sports fans and families.

4. Consider moving to a new location

There are many things to consider before you move into a new location. For starters, if it’s too far away from your old place then you might not see your regular customers anymore. If you move into a location with more competition, then you might be worse off than you were before despite moving into a larger property because there just isn’t enough demand for your business. Make sure you do enough research before you make a big decision like moving your business to a completely new location.