If you build it, will they come? With over 100 million web sites now in existence, it is a challenge to draw people to the “clicks” part of your retail operation. But there are creative ways to use your “bricks” store to draw customers to your online presence.

 One way is of course to include .Com in your store name, like this Chicago retailer. That may seem extreme, but the concept is good — you should mention your URL whenever possible in order to reinforce it in the consumer’s mind. A few ideas include:

• cash register receipts

• shopping bag gussets

• print advertising

• in-store signage and price tags

 When you do permission-based e-mail marketing, make sure that your newsletters and other e-mail pieces include a link to something on your web site. These hyperlinks are likely to give you good “click through” visits to your site.

Of course it helps to have a URL that is easy for customers to remember if they are familiar with your store. If you can’t get your store name with .com after it, try for .net or .biz.  If none of these are available, you could add the word “shop” to the front of your store name, or a descriptive word such as toys or gifts at the end. Another option is to put hyphens between the words in your store name, i.e. Jones-Gift-Emporium.

 Once a consumer gets to your site, make sure that the visit is worthwhile. Keep your calendar of events and your product descriptions current, and change the content from time to time so that consumers have a reason to visit often.

 

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder