Revamped site sets records

Traffic to MRA’s main website, www.retailers.com, hit record levels the first three months of 2003.

January’s record of 12,964 visitors was eclipsed by February’s 13,324 and then March’s 15,585, according to MRA’s Internet service provider, CoreComm, which uses “Webalizer” software to track visitors.

The increase in traffic is due to several factors, according to MRA’s Thomas B. Scott, vice president of public affairs and communications.

“First, we overhauled the site to make it easier and faster for members and others to access the better-organized information. Nearly all of the information is only two or three clicks away from the home page,” said Scott.

“As part of the overhaul that was completed last summer,” he continued, “we also committed to changing the main story on the home page every Monday and Thursday. This keeps the site fresh and provides a reason for visitors to return on a regular basis.

“Third, applicants were able this year for the first time to complete a MRA scholarship application online. Because all of the scholarship-application activity occurs in the first three months of the year, that also could have driven up the January-March numbers.”

Visitors to www.retailers.com are encouraged to send an e-mail to mra@retailers.com telling MRA what they like best—and least—about the revamped site. The Association also would like to know their favorite and most-visited pages and receive any suggestions for new web information or services.

Name: Tracy Carrigan
Business: Cropper's Cottage
Web address: www.cropperscottage.com
Website design: Tracy Carrigan

Online products: Scrapbook supplies (albums, papers, stickers, idea books, mixed media) and unique photo gifts.

Years on the Web: 5 years, starting with another related site; 2 years with this site.

Sales on the Web: "Very good growth; our sales have more than doubled in the past year."

Typical customer: "The majority of our customers are experienced scrapbookers who come to us looking for specific brands of products. And they come from all over the world: Australia, Thailand, the Netherlands, Sweden, Singapore, Chile, England, etc. We also ship to military families all over the world."

Web retailing tips: "Be creative with your site, stay very current, offer fantastic customer service. Very clear images of your products are important as well."

Advantage to Web retailing: "My shop is open 24/7. I can be out shopping with my family or go out to dinner, and when I return to my office, my sales are there waiting for me. Also, I can choose the hours I work, tailoring it around my family."

Challenge: "You have to be self-motivated to be successful. No one is watching you and there's no time clock. And it's a constant challenge to be creative with your site, to make it stand out. There are at least 450 scrapbooking sites right now, and Cropper's Cottage is number 17 on a site called the Scrapbooking Top 50, which ranks scrapbooking websites by number of visitors. I'm proud of that ranking, but there's a lot of competition."

Site promotion: "When I first started, I ran ads in the leading scrapbooking magazines. I also do web promotions with other online groups interested in scrapbooking. I run banner ads on scrapbooking sites such as scrapbookaddict.com, where the scrapbooking community gathers. Word of mouth works well, even online."

Future of Web retailing: "Scrapbooking is experiencing explosive growth, and so are online retailers, so things look very good. People love to sit in their pajamas to shop, or to shop at midnight."

Unique features of the site: "I have message boards and galleries, where customers upload pictures of their layouts. These features create a community, allowing customers to share ideas and get feedback, making the site a fun place to visit frequently. Our "Tell a Friend"service is something we learned about from reading a story about another website featured in the MRA newsletter. Any site owner can sign up for the service by checking the box "Tell me how to add a referral form to my site"on a site that has the service."

Personal interests: "I'm an adoptive mom, so there's also a section of the site devoted to adoption. We help people make Adoptive Lifebooks, which can help adoptive children learn about where they are from and how they came to join their adoptive family. I also hand pick the best adoption-related links to direct adoptive families to resources I found useful as an adoptive mom."

Comments: "I'm extremely happy with my choice to do this. I'm following my passion. I'm where I need to be, and that's a great feeling."

Return to April Michigan Retailer Page one • MRA home