It's not enough to offer low prices and quality products. Today, this minimalist vision of business is doomed to failure.
In the 21st century, a business that wants to stand out from the competition has to pay attention to areas as diverse as making processes more flexible, understanding customer profiles and adopting disruptive technologies that provide a satisfactory shopping experience.
In Presente, buying is more than acquiring a good or product, it's an extension of each consumer's personality.
We buy from those who demonstrate social and environmental concerns, those who communicate with greater transparency and those who add value to the purchasing experience.
As you can see, the "commercial" balance between companies and consumers is currently clearly tipping in favour of the latter, and the trend is for it to become even more so in the future thanks to digital technologies.
With digital gaining such a vital foothold in our lives in the form of mobile devices and applications that continually bombard us with real-time information on a vast panoply of subjects, it becomes vital for a company to adopt processes that mitigate this state of "Digital Darwinism" where technology and society evolve faster than the market.
Like the natural selection proposed by Darwin, the only thing left for companies to do is adapt their business model to the challenges posed by society.
The focus should therefore be on quality of service, ease of choice, speed of contracting, simplification of procedures (less bureaucracy), flexibility and transparency in communication, the main competitive differentials of a business model geared towards the 21st century.
Examples of this transition can already be seen in television channels which, following Netflix's example, are betting on streaming platforms, in taxis, which have reinvented themselves to compete with apps such as Uber, or even in financial institutions, which are transforming themselves into technology and service centres to compete with the likes of the Internet. Fintechs.
As you can see, the change required by this new business paradigm has to come from the company itself.
In order to gain an advantage over its competitors, a company must anticipate market movements and be alert to any threats so that it can act in good time.
And, of course, paying particular attention to consumers by creating communication channels to understand their needs more quickly and effectively.
E-Commerce and online payments at the forefront of the revolution
One of the most paradigmatic examples of this change in relations between companies and consumers is the E-Commerce.
As we've mentioned, the 21st century has seen the birth of a digital consumer who, using their computer and smartphone, searches online for everything they need, be it a job application, apply for a personal loan or the purchase of a product.
A business model that neglects this aspect is putting itself in danger.
According to ACEPI (Digital Economy Association) estimates, in 2020 alone, the value of B2C e-commerce in Portugal may have reached eight billion euros (two billion more than in 2019), reflecting an increase in the intensity with which the Portuguese made purchases over the Internet.
This requires businesses to bet more than ever on acquiring and developing technology that keeps pace with consumer needs.
Betting on online sales or combine the face-to-face channel with a digital sales channel - Omnichannel one of the growing trendsIn this century, a business model that wants to be competitive has become a fundamental strategic pillar.
The confluence of technological mastery and an orientation towards a shopping experience that meets the profile and habits of consumers is not complete without a commitment to cutting-edge technologies in the area of online payments to accompany this digital migration.
Therefore, looking for a partner with the ability to understand the market momentum, who provides the necessary technologies to leverage critical areas of the company's operations, such as the means of payment, and preferably has experience in the field of digital transformation, is extremely important.
With this new business ecosystem in mind, REDUNIQ has developed adapted and differentiated payment methods that not only meet the needs of companies, but also make life easier for consumers by providing them with a faster and more convenient check-out.
REDUNIQ@Payments: payment by link
One of these payment methods is REDUNIQ@Payments
Whether your business has its own website or sells remotely via social media marketplaces, @Payments allows you to do just that. accept payments by WhatsAppwith Visa and Mastercard, without the need for integration.
The entire payment process is simple. This solution for receive payments online provides a platform, optimised for smartphones and tablets, where the trader creates a link that can be sent by email, SMS or WhatsApp.
The consumer receives the link, clicks, and goes to a secure REDUNIQ page, which guarantees the merchant has no access to the card details at any stage of the payment.
Payments for Services: payments by Multibanco reference
In the course of this article we talked about the need for a business model in the 21st century to be flexible. This also applies to payments. In Portugal, digital consumers often choose to pay for online purchases by Multibanco reference.
In order to meet this need, REDUNIQ presents the solution Payment for Services This allows payments to be accepted by Multibanco reference and MB Way.
For merchants selling online, it's simple generate ATM referencesYou can access this payment solution via a REDUNIQ platform, regardless of whether you sell via a website or social networks, without any need for integration.
