I sent the following email to small business retailers on my database yesterday morning. I share it here as I know newsagents are being encouraged to go online, including by some with dubious claims about their success and what they can do:
Good morning this Saturday morning.
Like many of you, I guess, I am sitting here getting some work donw while rgularly checking for Covid updates, to find out when the various press conferences will be. I’ve also been checking emails.
I am frustrated at some of the email pitches I am seeing to retailers offering websites. I am especially frustrated by those who claim it is cheap and easy.
Like anything in this world, you get what you pay for.
There is one shonk emailing claiming that you’ll make a ton from selling online from a. website they setup for you. I check the traffic they get to their own online shop and it’s under 100 visitors a day.
I own Tower Systems and I own several retail shops. Each shop has a website connected to it. I know how hard it is to get the website up and running, attract shoppers and maintain traffic. The rewards can be worth it.
There is no easy road. But, that should not put you off for if you get it right, the reward can be wonderful.
Click here to see some of the many websites we have created.
I have a small high street retail shop in suburban Melbourne that will do more than $160,000 in online sales this year. What we have done for that shop is what we advise our POS software and web development customers to do. It runs a POS software commented Shopify site, which we created here at Tower Systems.
A website is a hungry beast. If you leave things to someone else, I guarantee the results will not be as good as they could be.
There is no easy road. We have a pathway that focusses on early wins, good commercial outcomes you will like.
We develop POS software connected websites for our customers for $6,600.00. But, we expect you to get your data ready, in the POS software, so it flows across. We guide you through this.
We also develop Magento websites. They are for more complex needs. One of our magento websites does around $500,000 a year in sales. It’s connected to a group of retail businesses, which are owned by local retailers.
We have used WooCommerce but no more. It’s expensive to maintain. Anyone who asks our advice, we say don’t go with WooCommerce.
With the news our of NSW yesterday about click and collect, we can help you with this. It’s part of what we do for customers through a POS software connected website. We can also help you navigate complex shipping requirements as well as connecting with a variety of payment options.
If you are interested in a POS software connected Shopify site, click here to see our fixed price quote.
In addition to developing a beautiful site for you, we can help with the planning by sharing data for your competitors, guiding you on keywords and making suggestions on look and feel.
Given what has happened in NSW, VIC and the ACT in the last few days, we can fast track a site for you. let us know if this interests you.
To find out more, email sales@towersystems.com.au or call Tim on 0401 833 917 or Justin on 0434 365 789.
If you have the time, check out videos some of the workshops we have hosted in which we discuss with retailers web development and how to make some of the decisions you need to make around this.
Thanks for reading. I hope you are safe and well. And, please, beware claims offering cheap websites setup entirely by others.
Mark Fletcher
Managing Director
Tower Systems
0418 321 338.
PS. As a guide, online should by now be at least 10% of your product revenue.