 |
Online holiday shopping up CBS MarketWatch reports that projections of higher sales for e-tailers
this holiday season have been right so far. BizRate.com, which provides
comparison shopping for Web surfers, said that 2,000 online merchants
in its network reported sales of $234.2 million on the day after turkey
day, a 61 percent gain over the previous year’s sales. BizRate further reported that November sales were up 37 percent from
a year earlier, at $5.4 billion. Online shopping is expected to grow quickly. Internet analysts predict
that between 75 million and 79 million Americans will have bought online
at some point during 2002, up from 65 million in 2001. New York-based Jupiter Research forecasts that U.S. online sales in November
and December will rise to $13.1 billion, a 14 percent increase from a
year ago. And joining the world of clicks and mortar, Amazon.com and Borders.com customers will now have the option of picking up their online book, music and movie purchases at over 400 Borders Books and Music stores nationwide. News.com says it’s a service talked about last year when the two companies first opened a co-branded online store. |
|
|
Name: Bob Mason Business: Michigan Brewing Company Web Address: www.thingsbeer.com Online products: Home-brewing and wine-making equipment kits,
pint glasses, beer collectibles, steins, tap handles and gift baskets.
Years on the Web: Four Sales on the Web: “Twenty-five percent of our sales are through
our website, and as our site gets better, so do our sales. Web sales are
up 5 percent from last year.” International influence: “We have customers from all over
the globe. We deal with people from China, Italy, Australia and Germany
on a regular basis. Our website has made us a microbrewery that is popular
worldwide.” Advantage to Web retailing: “Those sales made to distant
locations are worth every penny put into our website. They are lucrative
sales that are also fun and exciting.” Challenge: “Packaging and shipping issues can be a pain at
times. Another challenge is when a web customer has a problem, you have
to email back and forth over it, or get on the phone. When a customer
is in person in your store, you can help them and get them on their way
faster.” Site promotion: “We have our website URL on all our coasters
and six-pack containers. We have plans to get it on bottle openers, key
chains and other items soon. We also use Michigan Brewing Company and
thingsbeer.com to cross promote each other. Web retailing tip: “Keep your website simple and quick to navigate. Have good clear pictures of the items you sell so the customer really knows what they see is what they get. Keep your website updated. Change the homepage look at least once a week so that it is always fresh and new looking.” |
