HulaHangout.com shakes sales up over 100% with ProStores
Other online stores don't have half the features of ProStores. You get everything you need.
Shaun Kilkenny, Owner of www.hulahangout.com
Entrepreneur makes a splash with tropical tiki party store
Walk into a tropical-theme party and you know you're in for a good time, but shopping for supplies to throw the party can pose a challenge. Enter Shaun Kilkenny with Audible Visions HulaHangout.com.
Kilkenny first got the idea for HulaHangout.com a few years ago when his own search for island-inspired products proved difficult. "I noticed it was hard to find fun, unique tropical-themed gift items," he says, recalling trips to out-of-the-way souvenir shops and visits to web sites with questionable security. "I knew I wanted to bring everything together on one secure ecommerce store." That dream became a reality when he opened his ProStores web store in early 2007.
HulaHangout.com gets the right vibe from ProStores
Kilkenny knew he had a solid business idea: an online destination for party supplies and decor inspired by the tropics, offered at affordable prices. But it took trial and error to match his vision to the right eCommerce solution. "The first online store I tried wasn't all there," he remembers. "It didn't have half the features of ProStores and I couldn't easily get started."
Undeterred, Kilkenny began exploring other options. "I looked on Internet discussion boards to find out what was working for other people." ProStores seemed to stand out, so he delved deeper. "I did some research and it looked like ProStores had everything I needed. Everything to get started quickly."
Having full control over the look and layout of his store sealed the deal. "I wanted something easy to use, but was really stuck on design. I didn't want my web store to look cookie cutterish," Kilkenny explains. "ProStores let me customize everything. I had a friend in the UK, Jim Chalwin, do the design and got the exact look I wanted."
Increasing traffic and sales over 100%
HulaHangout.com has more than 300 tropical, tiki, beach, and Hawaiian-theme products available at any given time, ranging from tiki masks to coconut candles, even some pirate-themed products. Kilkenny takes advantage of automatic sitemap generation and submission to Google and Yahoo! to attract new customers and also uses the tools in ProStores' marketing manager.
Search engine optimization (SEO) has been especially effective. "When I was still getting ramped up, I wasn't using the SEO tools. Then I started and the difference in traffic was like night and day," he says. "I definitely got a lot more hits. It easily increased traffic 100% and my exposure is constantly improving."
The increased traffic is translating to sales, too. "We're only halfway through the year and we've almost hit what we did last year," says a pleased Kilkenny, noting that the majority of his business is now coming directly from other businesses. "It's not even the holidays yet."
To build awareness of his brand, Kilkenny also sells on eBay under the HulaHangout.com name. "I sell the basics on eBay to get the name out and have everything available at HulaHangout.com."
Friendly advice from the in-crowd
Unlike his other online store experience, Kilkenny found ProStores both easy to open and easy to use. "ProStores is very easy to navigate. Everything's together on one screen," he says. "I'd definitely recommend it, especially for people starting out."
When questions do come up, Kilkenny knows he can count on other ProStores merchants to help. "I use the ProStores discussion boards to get answers really quickly," he says in admiration of the community forum. "You can find solutions fast from other users who have had the same experiences."
Keeping the party going strong
HulaHangout.com continues to evolve to keep things fresh. "It's a work in progress," Kilkenny says. "You constantly get new ideas and want to move forward." He often sources new products to offer, based on his own interests, to find out what works, and looks forward to exploring new opportunities. "In the future, I plan to try some third-party tools to see where they can take the business."
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