Ecommerce: Likely Easier Than You Think

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Many established companies, especially those in the B to B space, are reluctant to venture into ecommerce. The reasons are many, but among the ones we hear most often:

  • Ecommerce is hard to set up and manage
  • We don’t want to compete with our own direct sales force and distributors
  • We can’t compete with Amazon. So why bother?

If any of the above sound like you, perhaps it’s time to take a closer look at your options.

In terms of the initial setup and management, yes, ecommerce was a bear to set up five or 10 years ago, especially if your budget and time options were limited. Today, however, it’s pretty easy to get started, particularly if you’re inclined to start small, see what works best, and build from there. In the world of WordPress, for example, there are many ecommerce extensions from proven providers that can be used to add an attractive and easy-to-manage online store to your existing website.

Plenty of B to B companies live or die by the talents of their direct sales, so it’s understandable why they might be reluctant to examine online sales. But in the spirit of starting small and seeing for yourself what works best, why not consider launching your store with just a few of your less expensive or low margin offerings? One of our clients uses its own direct sales force and overseas distributors to sell high end testing systems to life sciences customers. However, customers are encouraged to buy from their online store when it’s time to replenish the consumable test tubes that these systems reguarly require.

As far as competing with Amazon goes — yes, Amazon commands an astonishingly large part of the ecommerce market. That said, mass merchants like Amazon will never be able to match the customer service strengths that many smaller companies can offer. Right now we are on the cusp of the holidays, and one of our larger B to C clients — they sell customized Christmas ornaments to people all over the world — is processing hundreds of online orders per day. Yes, Amazon will sell tons of Christmas ornaments this year as well, and the prices are tough to beat. But try to get someone at Amazon to take the time to personalize each of those ornaments with family names, memorable dates and messages of the customer’s choosing, and suddenly the Amazon mass sales model seems vulnerable.

Ready to try ecommerce? Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Until next time…

September, 2017

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September 2017—The Radar team is proud to say the largest e-commerce site we’ve ever developed launched successfully early this month — just in time for the upcoming holiday season! The site, called Ornaments with Love, specializes in enabling customers to choose among over 4,000 ornaments and then customize them using a wide range of criteria, including year, name, which accessory to include and many more. Because the founders of this family-owned business have been in business, and on the Internet, for over eight years, Ornaments with Love has grown to become one of the largest and most successful providers of customized Christmas treee ornaments worlwide. If you are looking for that extra-special gift for your loved ones this holiday season, please check them out!

June, 2017

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June 2017—It’s been a busy start to the summer, with several major projects completing this month. Among our biggest web launches was a new website for The Sharing Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Massachusetts that founded and operates an orphanage and school in Cambodia. The site relies heavily on design and photography to depict the beauty of the children and supportive surroundings they enjoy. Besides the orphanage, The Sharing Foundation does a great deal of other work in the area, including providing medical attention to local villages and operating local farms.

Charles Bagnashchi, a board member and our chief contact with the website redesign, had this to say about Radar’s work: “On behalf of the Sharing Foundation and myself, I want to thank the Radar team for your excellent work and attention to our needs. We have received good reviews from our members, friends, and founder, and I’m confident that it will help tell our story and assist us in our ongoing work to fund our projects in Cambodia. I look forward to our continued collaboration.”

January, 2017

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January 2017—After three months of design and development, Radar’s latest client – NextBridge Consulting — launched both its new name and new website this month. Formerly named Factor In Talent, the company consults with fast growth, fast change clients in industries such as high tech, life sciences and education. The new site showcases NextBridge’s new logo and approach, which is symbolized by a bridge spanning new sections and ever-new horizons.

Jim Harvey, NextBridge principal, had this to say about Radar’s design and development work: “Radar was the right partner to have by our side as we re-launched and refocused our company and brand. Well done!”