ProStores Revs Up Sales for Motorcycle Merchant
The tools, designers, support and learning center – it all comes together to provide a great custom eCommerce solution at an unbeatable price.
Mike Hauke, Owner of Power-Barn
Building a Web Store, Part by Part
Mike Hauke has been interested in motorcycles since he was a child. "When I was a kid, I took apart my dad's chainsaws and lawnmowers – sometimes I got them back together, sometimes not," he laughs. "When I was 17 I got my first motorbike and started working on it." In the next 10 years, he got a job in a motorcycle shop, became a test engineer for Harley Davidson, and fixed up bikes on the side. In 2009, he lost his job and figured, "If I put some real effort into what I've been doing all along, maybe I can make a go of it."
It started small with the items he already had in his garage. "I had about seven bikes already sitting around, and I began parting them out." He then listed those parts on eBay. A year later he decided to interview web developers to help him start The Power-Barn's online store. "I was worried that I grossly underestimated what it would cost," he recalls. "I thought I could create a web storefront for $3,000, but they started quoting $15,000."
Luckily one of those developers recommended ProStores. "I was shying away from pre-packaged eCommerce solutions because I was worried about a lack of control and customization." But after getting a closer look at ProStores at eBay: On Location event, he realized "it was going to give me the customization I needed."
eBay + ProStores = Success
Once he chose ProStores as his eCommerce software, Mike was able to get his web storefront up quickly and easily. "We had 600 items on eBay, and ProStores saved us a ton of time by allowing us to import our inventory," he explains.
That easy relationship between eBay and ProStores has also helped The Power-Barn drive traffic. "eBay makes people aware of us. We list primarily used parts there. A lot of that traffic then goes to ProStores, which is a great place to advertise new items—it has a simple format; it lays product out well; it looks more bona fide and professional."
ProStores automatic product feed to Google base has increased Power Barn traffic exponentially. When Mike first turned it on, traffic tripled from 75 visitors to 200 within a week. Now The Power-Barn gets 6,000 visitors a month.
Whenever he has questions, Mike finds step-by-step guidance online at the ProStores Learning Center. For more challenging issues, "I give kudos to the support team," says Mike. "They have a hard job, and those level-one guys are always willing to escalate to level two to get your answer. I call ProStores support; I get a hold of them right away; and I don't have to pay extra. If not for them, I would be spending a lot of time waiting for a developer to get back to me, and I'd have to pay for him."
The Makings of a Motorcycle Franchise
Those resources have left Mike more time to build his business and fine-tune his most popular product -- pre-calibrated carburetor kits.
"We add parts that other people just don't include, like extra jets so you can re-calibrate later. With other stores, if you need to recalibrate in, say, six months, you have to pay extra."
That commitment to quality and service has led to happy and loyal shoppers. "Last month we did over $25,000 in sales. That's more than a 350-percent increase compared to the same month last year."
Mike is now hoping to extend that success to two more ProStores web storefronts selling Harley Davidson and bicycle parts, respectively. This summer he also plans to partner with a custom motorcycle builder to open a brick and mortar in Milwaukee. "You can't limit yourself in this economy," he explains. "A lot of accessory and replacement part sales come from servicing motorcycles." Eventually, The Power-Barn could turn into a franchise. "Just like you have auto parts stores in every city, you could have a motorcycle parts and apparel store in every town," muses Mike.
He attributes much of his dream to ProStores. "ProStores allowed me to get into this business," he says. "The tools, designers, support and learning center – it all comes together to provide a great custom eCommerce solution at an unbeatable price. I'm glad we signed up. We wouldn't be here now if we hadn't."
Other featured success stories
