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As we continue our series to help online businesses make good decisions about their Web sites, we'll do "case studies" to see how and why various companies implemented their online stores the way they did.
If you've been on the MyEZsale forums, you've probably noticed that Mark Jackering (wiseacresart) has been one of the most prolific contributors. Here we take a look at Mark's site, which he runs with his wife, and help from his Webmaster son. They sell unique crafted items, including woodwork and hand-painted home décor pieces.
MES: How long have you been selling products via your site?
WiseAcres Art: We started out with a home page when we first started selling on the Internet. As our customer base increased and reputation was developed, we made the decision to go with a full Web site in the Spring of 2002.
MES: Why did you make the decision to have a Web site? Do you also sell via eBay, and can you say about what percent of your business comes from your site vs. eBay (or other online auction services)?
WiseAcres Art: We wanted to stop doing all the traveling and work involved in doing Art & Craft shows after 13 years, as it is very hard work and expensive way to make a living. So with advice and help from our son, we decided that we could sell only on the Internet and come out better in the long run, which has proven true. In two and a half years, we went from 37 shows a year throughout the state of Wisconsin, to selling only on eBay and our Web site. It is not easy to determine the exact percent of sales breakdown, but I would estimate that at this point, since the Web site is still growing, the sales are about 50/50 (but several of the Web site sales are previous eBay customers).
MES: Once you decided to create a site, what was your process in starting? I.e., did you thoroughly research Web hosts, set about a design process? Or was it more random/rushed?
WiseAcres Art: I looked at a few Web site hosting services and made my decision on price of hosting, and what service provided for the cost. Our son, Matt, is a Webmaster, so we had no other decisions to make besides hosting, and he gave us a lot of up-front help, so it was fairly quick and easy. We just loaded the original homepage onto the Web site host to start, and have been adding to that as we learn, have time, and product development is done.
In just over a year, we are now at a point that the original homepage setup is in need of a total redesign as many things have been added and the pages are getting big.
MES: Did you use any Web design software to create your site, and how about the art within..buttons, logo etc.? How did you create those? Or, did you use straight html?
WiseAcres Art: All of the work on the Web site is done by Matt. In addition to being a Webmaster for over 100 sites, he and our daughter-in-law are both graphic designers, so they do all of the logo, buttons, and other special design work for us. Our site work and FTP is done with Adobe GoLive for Mac software, and graphics by Adobe Illustrator, and picture work and some graphics are done with Adobe PhotoShop
MES: If you did use Web design software, how did you go about choosing it?
WiseAcres Art: Matt started out using Adobe PageMill, but it was a very basic software. It was very limited in scope. As he went into Web design for other sites, he looked for powerful software with a lot of capabilities and ease of use. Although cost was a concern, it was secondary, as he needed speed, power, and ease of use for what could be done with it. I am now learning some of the basics of GoLive to make simple additions and changes on my own.
MES: About the logo, what was the process to create that? (The logo consists of their company/Web site name with a colorful paintbrush beneath it). Did you have that certain image in mind, or did Matt create it off the top of his head?
WiseAcres Art: Matt was always been totally in charge of our logo. He wanted to incorporate our Web site URL and the fact that we are artists. Also, it was designed so it would be legal to use on eBay. He did the total creation with his own thoughts.
MES: Who do you use as a web host, and how did you choose them?
WiseAcres Art: We host our site with PowWeb.com. As stated previous, price and service was part of the selection. I saw an ad for PowWeb when using Opera browser one time and the ad said $7.77 per month with two months free. So I checked them out and they have a help forum, very large storage and transfer, email and phone support, and what appears to be a very happy and large client base. Plus, they offer many free services in their package.
MES: What shopping cart technology do you use, and how did you choose it? (MES will be covering shopping carts in more depth in future issues.)
WiseAcres Art: Matt was pushing me that we really needed a shopping cart, but I hated to pay for one and did not want to use PayPal, as that requires customers to use PayPal. I was looking at the PowWeb forum and someone asked about shopping carts. It was suggested to look at www.mals-e.com as it was free and had a lot of options. I checked into it, and it could do everything I needed, so we then had a shopping cart. In the meantime, PowWeb now has offered a free shopping cart, but it involves cgi scripting, and Mals just put in an html button code from a button creator on their site on each item so it is much simpler than doing an entire script.
MES: Thanks so much, Mark!
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Mark & Pamela Jackering are owners of WiseAcres Art at http://www.wiseacresart.com , where they sell Trompe L'Oeil Paintings, Hand Painted Home Decor Items, Oak Fretwork Decorative and Collectable Display Items.
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