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The world is a different place today than what many remember from just a few years ago. No one foresaw how the computer and the internet would come together to create a global market for every independent retail store in the world. This is the market that your jewelry store should be a part of. Your own cell phone is already connects you as a consumer in the global marketplace.
It's easier than ever to open a virtual store and become part of this new marketplace.
Even though the online market has global reach, the primary focus for independent retailers is still the local market. As cell phones and portable computer become more common place (in fact this article is being written on one of those new 8.9 inch notebooks) people are able to surf the web from anywhere. The portable computer if finally truly portable. Now is the time to get involved and market your brick and mortar business so people anywhere, using any type of computer, can shop your store.
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The price of gas is high, finances are tight for many families and people are learning to spend their time, money and energy more wisely. People are browsing the internet and researching online before they leave their homes. This power to research gives everyone more time and freedom instead of shopping from place to place looking for what they need. Take a moment to ponder this new shopping situation... The more people can research online, the less time they need to window shop or browse in your store.
Let's think about this a little further. If you provide people the opportunity to browse your store services and product information online, you will start to see a change in the types of customers who walk into your store. Perhaps you will see a decline in your random foot traffic, but you will see in increase in the number of customer who walk in already willing to buy. Perhaps they even have a website printout in hand.
The bountiful information found on your website can change how and when people shop your brick and mortar store. It might seem like a leap of faith to say it, but the internet even gives you the power to strategically coordinate your online and offline marketing in such a way to control when people come to your store.
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A website cannot stand alone and be successful. Once your website is operational you need to make sure it is properly linked from other websites and from Google so people can find you. As someone searches online for a local business they will find your website, and they can browse your products and services at any time of the day or night, no matter where they might be. People will probably visit your website many times before they turn into buyers, and when they do turn into buyers they will spend their money with the store who's website served them best.
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The first impression is always important, online or off. Your website needs to present itself in an aesthetically pleasing manner, but more importantly it needs to be user friendly and provide the information and features the customer expects to find. A few common place features for a jewelry website include product catalogs, educational information, wish lists, bridal registries, convenient ways to contact the website owner. Other more advanced features include ways to join a mailing list, participation in online activities (like viral marketing contests), ability to view the website from any internet device (including cell phones), availability of special promotions.
This list is far from complete, and not ever website needs all of these features either. The more features you add to the website, the more time it will take to manage. However, you should realize that the larger your website is, the more of a return on investment you will receive compared to traditional offline marketing.
As more people become involved with the internet they will find ways to stay connected at all times during work or leisure. Your website can reach these people and be ready whenever they call. It's a new target audience that is looking for other reasons to stay connected other than Facebook and MySpace.
It's easy to put together a jewelry website. Many web programmers will advertise their jewelry website design skills. Before you hire a local programmer to do it for you, you should research who can provide the best services for the best prices.
Make sure you interview the company, read their website, and check out their background. There are only a few large web programming firms that specialize in jewelry website programming and your money will be better spent if you find a specialist instead of your local guy.
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