Ways businesses provide goods and services

Businesses provide goods and services in different ways Mobile business Shopping centre Local market Small independent store Online Remote community store

Ways of providing goods and services Meaning Shopping centre A complex of a variety of shops with interconnecting walkways, enabling customers to walk from shop to shop. Local market Provides a variety of goods and services in one place, usually an open area, and often only on weekends, or once a month. Mobile business This business comes to the customer to provide their goods and services. Online store Allows customers to buy goods or services over the internet. Small independent store Sometimes referred to as ‘the corner store’, this is the way of providing goods and services to customers from a single location, which is convenient for the local community. Remote community store Sometimes referred to as ‘the corner store’, this is the way of providing goods and services to customers from a single location, which is convenient for the local community in remote areas.

Advantages and disadvantages of the different ways goods and services are provided Shopping centre Advantages Rely on a steady passing trade, giving high exposure to customers Disadvantages Rent is very expensive Costly shop fit-out Local market Potential high exposure to customers Face-to-face trading Need to set up and dismantle the stall each day

Online store Mobile business Advantages 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week shopping Access to customers worldwide Disadvantages Potential problems with shipping and transport Mobile business Low overheads; flexibility Difficult to establish a customer base

Small independent store Remote community store Advantages Responsible for all business decisions; independence Disadvantages Difficulty attracting customers to the location Remote community store Easy access for customers to fresh foods, groceries and other essentials Expensive to transport goods

Slide image attributions morgueFile Local markets http://morguefile.com/archive/#/?q=market Shopping centre http://www.morguefile.com/archive/#/?q=mall&sort=pop&photo_lib=morgueFile Online store http://www.morguefile.com/archive/#/?q=cyberspace&sort=pop&photo_lib=morgueFile