E-Business Profiles: Profiles 21-30
The owner of Shaving.com (profiled below) told me he chose the business because Shaving.com was the best domain name he could get. If he had managed to buy Footwear.com, he'd be selling shoes. The manager of French Toast (also profiled below) told me – and he's right – "there's no real experts in e-commerce; everybody's still trying to figure it out."
~ James Maguire
Wholesaler Profits from Chinese Connections
[An Internet seller talks about how to buy wholesale from China.]
As Internet retailing gets ever more price competitive, the search for the lowest cost wholesaler gets ever more intense. Jennifer Nichols has found the ultimate rock bottom source: China. "If you understand how to sell on the Internet, the next best thing is understanding how to import from China," says Nichols, who is president of Kate Aspen, an Atlanta-based wedding...
Business Remains Hot at Ice.come
[An online jewelry store has developed a strategy to turn jewelry into an impulse purchase.]
Jewelry is not normally thought of as an impulse purchase, but Ice.com is working to change that with considerable success. "We call ourselves an online jewelry store, but technically what we are is a candy store for women," says Ice CEO Shmuel Gniwisch...
eHobbies Survives, Thrives After Dot-Com Bubble Pops
[The e-tail hobby store uses the popular Yahoo e-commerce platform.]
In the late '90s dot-com boom, eHobbies was a fast growing e-tail outfit with $40 million in venture capital funding. In the early 2000's dot-com meltdown, eHobbies was a money-losing venture with a bloated payroll, heading toward extinction...
A Higher Power Helps This Music Store Sing
[A entrepreneur talks about building a successful e-commerce site with a shoestring budget.]
It's an almost fairy tale e-commerce story: a business started out of a bedroom, originally run on nights and weekends, grows to see $2.2 million in annual revenue. But in reality, the story of WorshipMusic's growth is about the effective use of e-commerce tools and understanding marketing...
Personal Touch Reels in Loyal Customers
[An overworked Wall Street expert switches careers by opening an online store.]
Working on Wall Street was a "brutal lifestyle," recalls Christian Girts. Faced with a workday that sometimes began at 3:15 A.M., he was eager to change careers and begin working for himself...
Outsourcing is the Name of the Game at French Toast
[A highly successful school uniform seller outsources its order fulfillment to save money.]
As a leading supplier of school uniforms, French Toast sells to a nearly innumerable array of customers. The New Jersey-based company ships to parents and schools across the country, as well as to both small and large clothing retailers...
PETCO Where the E-Mail Marketing Goes a Long Way
[The huge pet food company uses e-mail marketing to maximum advantage.]
If anyone deserves the title "e-mail guru," it's Heather Blank. As the director of e-commerce marketing for pet-related products and services giant PETCO, Blank is well-steeped in the all-important skill of growing an e-mail list and using that list as effectively as possible...
Clear Vision Leads to Success for Safelite
[An auto glass retailer revamps its site to keep up with current e-commerce trends.]
The Safelite AutoGlass site "had become a little dated and that's probably an understatement," says Denise Klapper, the company's director of marketing. Originally built in 1998, little had been done to update Safelite's site for several years...
Grooming Products Site Says Convenience is Key
[A men's grooming seller targets metrosexual shoppers using a format that stresses convenience.]
Clearly, ShavingCream.com has identified its target customer. Site founder Mark Williams points out that the market for men's grooming products is booming, as more men become style conscious. It's the most image-focused of these men, usually younger, whom Williams hopes to sell to.
Valley City Builders Supply Scales Everest's iCode
[A building supply uses Everest's iCode e-commerce platform to manage inventory flow.]
Sue Kronenberger is the president of Valley City Builders Supply , but that doesn't mean she sits back and dictates orders. As the head of a construction supply business based in Valley City, Ohio, her job description includes a little bit of everything including Web site maintenance...
