High-end garden tool retailer creates a professional-looking web store on a budget
With the help of ProStores Setup Services, my website looks very professional. It helps me compete against the big guys.
Tim O'Brien, Owner of www.unionjackstable.com
Online retailer finds fertile growth in garden, stable and vineyard tool sales
Tim O'Brien wanted to start an online business, but he didn't want to invest thousands just to set up his Web store. He opened his ProStores Web store in April of 2006, and is now the exclusive distributor of unique stable, garden and vineyard tools imported from England.
"I didn't want to sell commodity products," says Tim. "And I didn't want to spend $10,000 building a website. I liked the fact that ProStores had setup services I could use at a very reasonable price to achieve the look I wanted.
"My typical customer is highly educated, with good disposable income. I wanted a clean, uncluttered website. I went to local companies, and was quoted prices from $5,000 to $15,000 to build a website. I heard about ProStores at a trade show for the Photographic Marketing Association. I liked the fact that a big company like eBay was behind ProStores, it gave me confidence in my choice."
ProStores Setup Services helps keep Union Jack Stable and Garden looking sharp
Managing a website and running a business is a big job, but ProStores Setup Services, which helps merchants setup their store using template-based designs, help Tim achieve the look he wants without slowing him down.
"I take my own photos, and write my own copy," says Tim. "I set up my store myself using the templates. But I don't have the time to do programming and design updates for my website. I use ProStores Setup Services regularly to update my site. Each month I give them a list of different things I want them to do, and they do a great job for a very reasonable price. It's definitely a big part of my success-my website would not look as good as it does now without Setup Services. In fact, Setup Services was one of the things that sold me on ProStores. With their help, my website looks very professional. It helps me compete against the big guys."
ProStores lets Tim reach a highly targeted market
Tim doesn't sell a commodity product, and he is trying to reach a select audience. His ProStores Web store helps him reach his clientele, even though they are spread over a wide geographical range. He primarily brings in customers using online techniques, such as search engine optimization, product feeds to Google Base, and a few paid search ads, as well as a heavy emphasis on public relations. Tim writes up his new and unique offerings in press releases, which he sends to several publication associations that often find them newsworthy. Tim or the association distributes the releases to its members, who are writers for magazines and editorial websites. Tim has received a lot of free advertising this way, in magazines such as Better Homes and Gardens, Organic Gardening, and Western Horseman, along with numerous websites.
ProStores lets Tim track how his customers find him
To measure the success of his promotion efforts, Tim goes into his ProStores Store Administration dashboard every day to see where his customers are coming from. The ProStores tracking tools help him identify what's working, and how his customers are finding his site. For example, Tim noticed he was selling a lot of rubber matting forks. He followed the links to an equestrian blog where they were talking about his product. The ability to track his customers' paths to his site is especially useful for paid advertising, because it shows how well the ad is working.
ProStores tools help boost traffic and optimize sales
Tim uses ProStores Search Engine Optimization tools to help customers find his products online.
"I'm very careful about what names I use for products and categories, and I check what terms customers are using to find my items. It's important to use the most popular term for the product name. For example, when I changed 'Mulch Forks' to 'Mulch Fork' my item appeared higher in search results." Tim also feeds his products to Google Base to attract new customers, and plans to take advantage of Shopping.com and Shopzilla soon.
ProStores makes managing inventory easier
Union Jack Stable and Garden imports their products from England in large quantities, which takes time and careful planning. ProStores tools help Tim stay on top of his orders and plan accordingly. "I frequently run lists of all my inventory in Store Administration," Tim explains. "If I have a large quantity of an item, I may run a sale to help move the inventory. If I only have a few items left, I may raise the price."
Saving time and money while growing a business
Starting up a business can require a lot of capital, but ProStores helps make it more affordable. "I saved about $10,000 in setting up my business by choosing ProStores," Tim reports. "And as my business grows, I'm realizing just how much time and money it saves to conduct business online. The cost of doing business is less when someone orders online rather than calls, because I don't have to enter all the information. My margins are much better on my online orders. When I started out, I thought dealer wholesale orders would be the bulk of my business, but my online retail sales through ProStores are growing much faster. I'm seeing sales increase by 20% every 3 months. So now I'm focusing on growing my ProStores online retail channel instead of dealer wholesale. I just never thought it would be so easy to reach the online retail market, but ProStores has made it all possible."
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