Does anyone have an online retail store for their private label products?

How much time do you spend on it daily?

Are you successfully building an online buying clientele?

What kind of profits are you seeing monthly?

What kind of staff support or technical help does your online store require?

What do you consider the pro's and/or con's of this type of business as an adjunct to a successful service/retail storefront?

Douglas, Lisa, Jaya - I would really appreciate any insight you all may have on this topic (as well as anyone else on the board).

Thanks in advance for the input.

M

I have a number of clients who sell their products via their website. First thing I'd say is that if you're going to do it, change the product names first–take that extra step to differentiate your line.

That done, it depends on what your intent is. Is it for current customers to be able to reorder product more conveniently? Or are you thinking of trying to attract a larger market with a fully developed website? I have clients successfully doing it both ways. You would need someone who had a bit of schedule flexibililty to handle the packing/shipping aspect, and that's totally variable by day and as your business grows. You also need either that same person or someone else to field questions, and it needs to be someone who's comfortable with your products and can confidently recommend them.

The pros are that it's not brick and mortar, and you can make money while you sleep ! There you are peacefully dreaming and someone in Sheboygan is up early with their coffee and their browser, checking out your products. Pretty cool.

Cons--I can't think of any, because if it's slow then there's no overhead to speak of, other than site maintenance and the prep to put your products up there (photography, etc.). I don't know about return rates or policies but maybe others can address that.

Thanks, Lisa!

I'd like to make re-orders easier for clients & former clients who have moved away. But mainly, I'm interested in building a strong retail-only clientele via my website. I must admit, I have only a vague idea where to start -- which is why I've posed these questions. Just wondering if anyone else on this board has experience with this type of venture & what they've learned so far. I'm trying to head off any major disasters before I dive in because I didn't think it through or ask enough questions.

Any comments or insight would be helpful!

Thanks a bunch.

M

I had an online aromatherapy store for about 3 years. At the time (late 1990's) ecommerce was still a new thing, and selling a touchy-feely product was kind of pioneering. I received some press for that very reason.

Like Lisa said, the major upside is that people place orders from all over. That was the coolest thing! It took almost 6-months before the search engine listings hit (before the days of paid online advertising.) But when my pages started showing up, I would get orders from all regions in America and out of the country.

It's also pretty neat how the web levels the playing field. My first site (that I built myself through a template builder) looked every bit as good and functioned as well as the bigger companies. People thought I *was* a bigger company. But really, I had the whole thing running from the dining room in my apartment.

For me, the downside was that all the time it took me to custom blend, pour, label, bubble wrap, and ship my oils grew tiresome. An average order took me a minimum of 15-minutes to pack up, and I wasn't making enough money to pay someone to do that part for me.

Also, word to the wise:

Most of your customers will still probably come through your own personal marketing efforts, more than the web at large. I taught classes, did fairs and events, went out and met people. So while internet marketing definitely kicks in, you should still have another marketing program to drive sales.

I learned so much though, and love love love the internet for small business!