21 things Cape Cod retailers should know about online retailing

by Julie Brooks

Thinking of opening an online store?  Whether you already have a bricks-and-mortar store or not, take advantage of my 10 years of experience in the local Internet business by reading the tips below.   My company has made many successful e-commerce websites for our retail clients. 
Learn more about eCape Commerce Professional websites.

1.   Avoid the Brother-in-Law Syndrome.
Unless your brother-in-law is a professional, full-time web designer or web marketer, don't let him do your website or tell you how to make money online. This is your life and your online store is serious business. Would you really let your brother-in-law do your bookkeeping or merchandise buying just to save a few bucks? Do not do business with a web designer or marketer who does not have an office.

2.   The most beautiful words in the English language are "free shipping." Do what it takes to make free shipping happen (unless you're selling bowling balls. ) Raise your price to partially subsidize shipping and customers will beat a path to your virtual door,  so to speak. You'll steal all the business from your online competitors who don't offer free shipping because they'd rather lose $100 worth of business to you than pay UPS a measly $5.

3.   Lead a double life--one in your bricks-and-mortar store, and one in your online store. Get high-speed Internet access in your store and spend $500 for a computer so that you can maintain your online store during downtime in your physical store.

4.   Google is not in the business of giving away free lunches. Don't wait for your store to come up in Google's natural search results. It may never happen.

5.   Pay-per-click advertising is the greatest form of advertising to come along since TV. It results in instant traffic and instant sales, and is measurable beyond belief. Invest time and money in pay-per-click advertising on Google and Yahoo! if it seems appropriate, particularly if you sell products that appeal to a national, as opposed to local, customer base.

6.   Pictures are worth a thousand clicks. The success of a retailing website hinges on the quality and quantity of the photos.  Since most people who shop online have high-speed 'net access, load up your site with as many photos of your merchandise as possible. Invest in a good digital camera or hire a professional to take the best photos of your merchandise possible.

7.   You're warm and fuzzy. Flaunt it! As a small retailer, you have a distinct advantage over Amazon.com: You're a real person. You care about your customers. The more warm and personal you make your online store and email marketing, the more you'll sell.

8.  It's a fact, Jack. Every day you delay getting an online store you are losing potentially hundreds of dollars.

9.   Customer Email Addresses = Postive Cash Flow in January.  Make it a priority to get the email addresses of your customers so that you can email market to them in the off-season.

10.   Email and Search Beget Traffic. There are two thing that drive traffic to your store--email and search. Invest in ConstantContact.com for your email marketing. It's cheap and easy.

11.   Bag it.   Put a small flier or business card advertising your website and its special offers in every bag that leaves your store.

12.   'Net Only.   Put up Internet-only special offers on your website.

13.   Keep it Fresh.  Update your website at least once a week with new merchandise,offers, and pictures.

14.   Be Yourself.  Make your emails friendly, warm, funny, and full of product pictures and discounts. People like to feel they have a relationship with small online retailers and the more entertaining and personal your email marketing is, the more you'll sell.

15.   Clone Yourself Online.  Seek to replicate online every interaction that a customer has in your store . If you have in-store contests or drawings that customers can enter, make it possible to enter online. If you offer free gift wrapping in your store, offer it for online sales, too.

16.  Watch Your Back.  If you have competitors, check their sites and prices often and adjust yours accordingly.

17.   No Inventory.  Expand your online product line to sell as many things as you can in your online store. Rep merchandise that can be drop-shipped from the wholesaler to your customers so you don't have to carry inventory.

18.   Yahoo! and eBay.   In addition to your main website, establish a presence on Yahoo! stores and eBay stores.

19.   Froogle et. al.   Export/upload your product and price information to Froogle, Bizrate, Nextag, and other shopping comparison sites.

20. Double your sales.  Make it a goal to match your physical store sales with your online store sales within 3 years. If you're good enough, you may even consider not having a physical store--goodbye rent payment!

21. Shop, Shop, Shop.   Start doing as much of your shopping online as possible so that you can see the online world of retailing through the eyes of your customers.

Julie Brooks is the President of eCape, Inc. which has built more than 300 websites for Cape Cod businesses since 1996. She is the former President of the Cape Cod Internet Council. Prior to the Internet, she worked in specialty retailing, but now hates shopping in actual stores. She does as much procurement for her family as possible through online shopping.