Building a Better Brick-and-Mortar with the Billion-Dollar Web

More than $117 billion passed hands from Internet shoppers to Internet vendors in 2004, according to the statistical research firm comScore. That's billion, with a B. Compared to the year before, the figure represents a whopping 24 percent increase in sales. Compared to the early 1990s, when the Web was a questionable commercial venture, today's $117 billion is proof-positive that the Web is the full-fledged money-making machine. It seems to be a big enough pie that any merchant with a Web site can cut out his heaping slice.

Not so fast. As any merchant who's tried to take a bite out of the Internet will tell you, turning a profit online is not as simple as throwing a few pages together. Professional Web sites cost big bucks for design, consultation, and upkeep. Either you have to hire a full-time editor or technician to manage your Web store, or you need to pay three-digit hourly rates to contract Web professionals. Then you have to face fees for Web hosting, broadband access, and IT maintenance.

Even after you expend all of this capital and launch your Web site, you're still not guaranteed anything. Your site will only be one among millions, if not billions. Yes, that's billions with a B again. The Internet, after all, is like a clear sky on a dark night. How can you expect a customer to pick your star out from among all of the others that shimmer for their attention?

On the Web you'll quickly learn that attracting your clientele-and building your Internet-based business-is just as tough as it was when you first started your brick-and-mortar shop. It takes smart investing, creative marketing, a little luck, and a lot more know-how.

What's great about the business side of the Web, however, is that your old-fashioned know-how translates quite well on the Web. A great example is the timeless merchant adage: "Location, location, location." This saying holds true on the Web, too. You can place your store's site in a spot on the Web where no one will discover you, or you could position it on a "busy corner" on the Internet.

One such spot are online classified sites. These sites provide similar services as you would get from a newspaper classified. Sellers can place ads online that describe a particular product for sale. Buyers browse these ads and contact sellers when they're interested. Online classifieds, though, are far more dynamic. They allow a merchant to display dozens, if not hundreds, of their goods with pictures and descriptions. And believe it or not, some online classified sites allow you to do this for free. Yes, that's free with an F.

The benefits don't stop there. As a merchant on a classified site, you can enjoy:

? A store that never closes. Your goods are for sale 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. The Internet never turns off.

? A mall of online shoppers. Think of a classified site as a virtual shopping mall, with your grouping of ads under your own virtual storefront. By having a storefront, this allows you to have your own web page and listings, under the umbrella of the classified site.

? A chain reaction of shopping. "Real" shoppers go to a mall to visit one store, but often they end up browsing through all of the stores in the mall. The same is true of virtual shoppers. Even when they visit a classified site looking for one particular thing, they're likely to "spill over" to your storefront out of curiosity. At the very least, it leads to advertising for your store; at best, business.

? An advantage over pure Web merchants. Your classified site will pit you against wily online vendors who only sell their wares on the Web. This is where your brick-and-mortar business comes in handy. It's proven that shoppers seem to trust online merchants that have a real address and a real store somewhere.

? A solution to the intricacies of the Internet. Many classified sites can help with setting up your ads and with designing your storefront, providing you with instant IT IQ. For your buyers, the sites offer the security that Web shoppers demand to protect them from identify theft and fraud.

As mentioned before, many classified sites charge absolutely nothing for all of these benefits. The listings, the shopping traffic, the sense of business community, the advertising-you receive all of these perks for free. Oh, and don't forget your piece of the $117 billion dollar pie.

Donald Lee is the public relationship manager for Buysellcommunity.com. Buysellcommunity provides free classified listing services for individuals and businesses to market their products and services online. For global and localized classifieds, please visit http://www.buysellcommunity.com - Free Buy & Sell Classifieds

---

Akron OH; A great place to do business

When looking at Akron carefully one cannot help but notice... Read More

Succession Planning: Problems Getting Started

A survey released by the American Institute of Certified Public... Read More

Leverage - A Small Step For You /A Big Change For Your Career

Cassy was an employee of a nonprofit who had been... Read More

Own Your Niche by Building a Niche Community

In 1997, David Steele was making the transition from a... Read More

Don?t Allow Yourself to Get Burned

I am not a big fisherman, but I do enjoy... Read More

Is Plan B Ready?

Business owners and entrepreneurs are, by nature, risk takers and... Read More

Menu Driven Business Planning

A menu is the foundation of any restaurant; Guests will... Read More

How to Develop a Successful Board of Advisors (...and Why You Should!)

In today's rapidly changing and highly competitive markets, many privately... Read More

Top Ten Reasons To Create A One Page Business Plan

There is a story, about a business owner who wasn't... Read More

The Magic Of Exponential Business Growth

Is there a 'magical' way to exponentially grow your business?It's... Read More

What is a Shared Vision?

So what makes a vision successful? Everyday companies try to... Read More

Business Results - Four Critical Success Factors

Scenario OneDuring a recent presentation, a business owner was given... Read More

TQM Total Quality Management, the book

Every decade we seem to come up with a buzz-word... Read More

Completing the Annual Planning Process

Imagine an office without a desk, or lights, a computer,... Read More

Will and Vision

Remember Chux? The disposable diaper that took the market by... Read More

The Best Entity to Hold Real Estate

Possibly THE most frequently asked question of me is "What... Read More

Designing an Efficient Distribution System

Let us look at a few of the big distribution... Read More

6 Changes You Can Make to Increase Business Profits

I read once that something like 30 percent of all... Read More

Regroup - How To Do It And Why It Works

Regroup?is this a new management trend? Not a chance! Regroup... Read More

Writing a Business Plan for Success in Business and for Funding

Writing a business plan to help you direct and manage... Read More

Home Improvement Construction Project Planning

The first task before hiring a contractor for home remodeling... Read More

Resilience

I. INTRODUCTIONThe term resilience, which is of frequent use in... Read More

Laying It Out On Paper

You might be thinking to yourself, "Why should I waste... Read More

How to Snuff Out the Competition Without Leaving a Mark

Does the competition drive you crazy?Are they relentless about taking... Read More

Could You Be Setting Your Business Plan Up For Failure?

David E. Gumpert, author of Burn Your Business Plan, often... Read More

Becoming Wise - Wild & Free - Writing A Successful Business Plan - Part 2 - Do It In Steps

So you've decided to write your own business plan because... Read More

Writing Your Business Plan is Actually Storytelling

Storytelling and writing a business plan actually go hand in... Read More

Business Plan Long Term Goals

Writing a business plan is not an easy endeavor, nor... Read More

Mobile Franchise Business Expansion Strategy

If you own a mobile franchise business and wish to... Read More

Under Construction During the Storm ? A Hurricane Guide for Businesses that are Under Construction

As a business owner, you've likely created a hurricane plan... Read More

Pressure Washing Entrepreneurs Can Help With Government NPDES Permits

If you own a pressure washing business one of the... Read More

Dotcom Business Plans Archive Project

One of the most important initiatives in the domain of... Read More

City of Cortez and South Western Colorado Market Survey

We have been spending many hours surveying the market for... Read More