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Smart Selling = Online Storefront |
I discovered the hard way that displaying your products on the web without a way for buyers to purchase them can be a big disaster.
Recently, I got an online storefront builder with shopping cart, to try to take my importing business a little farther. You see, although we were industry leaders in the dealing of imports from Afghanistan ten years ago, our lack of tech savvy has really let us down, and cause a loss of share in this industry. We have lost all kinds of business, and it took us a while to figure out why. All of our products could be seen on the website, along with prices, descriptions, and all manner of details. There was even a number, where orders could be placed over the telephone, so we simply could not see what the problem was at all. But the problem was simple. Because we did not have an online storefront with a shopping cart included, our customers could not place their orders online. Apparently, people are so used to the idea that they should be able to get anything they want over the internet, that several longtime clients chose to buy their imports elsewhere, rather than order from us.
The online storefront was pretty easy to set up and plug in. I am no web maverick, and we currently have no fully employed web designer, so I had to handle the setup myself. It really was not a problem, and the thing worked flawlessly, almost from when we first put it up. I was actually rather amazed with how well the online storefront worked, given my own lack of expertise and tech savvy. There is just one problem. The online storefront page looks completely different from the rest of the website. Normally, something like this would not bother me, as the only reason for an online storefront anyway is to make sure that they can purchase products online, but after the loss of business over only offering order by telephone, I am not willing to take any more chances. And aside from that, it is tacky and unprofessional.
I do not know how to solve the online storefront conundrum, but probably it will simply involve having to hire a new web programmer. Really, most of the business is run by my brother and my self as well as a few employees, and I am always hesitant to hire someone new. We take a very hands on approach to business, and it is always hard to find new people who you can work with, but the online storefront really must be fixed one way or another. |
