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Join MSU Internet surveyMichigan State University is conducting a survey of Michigan retailers to find out about their use of computers and the Internet. The survey is included in the print version of April's Michigan Retailer. We strongly encourage online readers to participate as well. To receive a copy of the questionnaire, please contact
MRA's Rachel Whitaker at rewhitaker@retailers.com
or 800.366.3699. The survey is a key part of Michigan State University’s
new study of Internet use and e-commerce in Michigan. The research team
is studying how retailers and consumers use this growing medium for buying
and selling. Last month we provided information from our analysis of
the U.S. Census Bureau survey on Michigan residents’ use of the Internet.
With the completion of this survey, we will be able to compare Michigan
retailers to Michigan’s general population. The survey will also answer questions about how personal
and business computer use are linked. For instance, do retail businesspeople
use computers at home before beginning to use them in their businesses? We would like you to return the survey even if you do
not use computers. If you do not use a computer, it will take you about
three minutes to complete the survey. At most, the survey should take
about 15 minutes if you use the Internet and have a business web page.
It is important to have everyone return the survey to
improve the completeness and credibility of the study. Your responses
are anonymous and will be kept confidential. We will be sharing the survey results with you through
summary articles in the Michigan Retailer and online. In addition,
you may request a copy of the results by contacting me at the address
below. You will be able to see where you stand in relation to
your fellow Michigan retailers in using computers and the Internet both
at home and at work. By completing this survey, you are also helping us give
real-life information about e-commerce in Michigan to MSU students. Your response is essential for the success of the survey.
Please help us with this important project by completing the relevant
sections and sending your survey to Brenda Sternquist, Merchandising Management
Program, 204 Human Ecology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI
48824. Brenda Sternquist is a merchandising management professor at Michigan State University. |
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Name: Cherie Hargitt, retail
manager, and Seth VanHoven, marketing assistant Business: Lansing Lugnuts Web address: www.lansinglugnuts.com Products: Tickets and merchandise for Lansing’s
minor league baseball team Years on web: 5 Web sales in 2001: 4,500 tickets (1.5 percent of
ticket sales) and $25,000 of retail merchandise. “For the cost of
processing and advertising, it’s a big return on investment,”
said Darla Bowen, director of marketing. Website designed by: Synergy Soup, a Lansing web-design
firm. VanHoven does day-to-day maintenance. Honors: Profiled in Sports Illustrated, which called
it one of the top websites in minor league baseball Main methods of promoting site: Public-address
and scoreboard commercials in the ballpark; direct mail, radio and newspaper
ads; e-mail fan club. “No one will enter our website without us trying
to get their name and e-mail address. Any time we come in contact with
the customer we try to get their e-mail address. Collecting e-mails offline
helped us grow our e-mail list from 2,000 names to 6,000 last year.” Unique features: “We sell fun. Because of
that, there are things that naturally draw people to the website”
(like game information and player stats). Why people from around the world buy on the site:
“Baseball is multicultural. We have players from five different countries.” Web retailing tip: “A bad idea on the Internet is still a bad idea. Think about your website as an extension of your business, not an opportunity to make money hand over fist. Treat it as carefully as any other area of your business.” |
