# Targeting local customers and in person transactions: is it worth having an ecommerce site?



## lostasylum (Aug 20, 2007)

*Re: 5 Best Practice Tips for creating a successful T-Shirt Website?*

hi all... this has been a GREAT forum and i've learnt such a great deal from all the those in the know... i have a question with regards to having a t-shirt website... 

suppose i'm targeting the local market and i expect more physical transactions rather than online ones, is it still worth having a website that can support online payment (ie paypal)?


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

Hey there, what specifically are you selling? Your own line of printed t-shirts, or printing services?


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## sohail (Mar 21, 2007)

*Re: 5 Best Practice Tips for creating a successful T-Shirt Website?*



lostasylum said:


> suppose i'm targeting the local market and i expect more physical transactions rather than online ones, is it still worth having a website that can support online payment (ie paypal)?


it depends on whether you have a physical store or not. if you do have then the ecommerce site would be helpful in marketing and also to get customers beyond your existing market. may be on a national level or even global. since your targeting the local market and you expect more physical transactions rather than online ones its never a bad thing to have a ecommerce site. you never know where your next customer comes from.


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## Moo Spot Prints (Jul 16, 2006)

*Re: 5 Best Practice Tips for creating a successful T-Shirt Website?*

I mostly sell in person and the #1 question I get is 'do you have a website?'. I don't really *want* to have an online store. It's a lot of work but as we speak I'm evaluating a few packages to install this weekend on my server...

I personally feel that it will help not only make a few extra online-only sales but also motivate people who have already bought something to come back and get more. 

For the first round it will be more of a showcase than a full blown store. Depending on where things go I can hook up the online processor and enable the 'add to cart' buttons. We'll see.


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## TripleT (Apr 29, 2007)

Today, a company without a website (ecommerce site for those in sales), is a horse and buggy.


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## Moo Spot Prints (Jul 16, 2006)

TripleT said:


> Today, a company without a website (ecommerce site for those in sales), is a horse and buggy.


Which might not be a bad thing if you're in Amish country.


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## TripleT (Apr 29, 2007)

Moo Spot Prints said:


> Which might not be a bad thing if you're in Amish country.


 
True! LOL


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## hiGH (Jan 25, 2007)

TripleT said:


> Today, a company without a website (ecommerce site for those in sales), is a horse and buggy.


my exact words.


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## TripleT (Apr 29, 2007)

> my exact words.


 I didn't know - I hope there are no copyright issues!


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## hiGH (Jan 25, 2007)

TripleT said:


> I didn't know - I hope there are no copyright issues!


lol. watch out!


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## lauerja (Aug 8, 2006)

if you do not want to sell online, don't. However a website is great for showing what your business can do for those who are just looking. Show your designs, samples and explain what you can and will do.

You'll be surprised how much marketing this can and will do for you for relativly little money.


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## jas (Sep 18, 2007)

e-commerce is a little far fetched for local dealings! Generally, I'd say: Recognize the habits of your target i.e. where do they go/ route through, what do they do etc etc and intercept them. e-commerce would help better with a larger geographical target range. jas


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## Solmu (Aug 15, 2005)

From my perspective, I will always do business with someone with a website before someone who doesn't have one. I will only move on to the category of "businesses that don't have a website" if there aren't any with one, or they're all crap. This is even for local stuff. I don't expect (or even particularly want) it to be ecommerce capable though: I just want a site where I can judge the company before I make the first contact.

People are often time poor, or hate phone conversations, or want a sense of who they're dealing with, etc.; websites are a useful asset for any kind of business (restaurants have got my booking because they had their menus online on more than one occasion). Ecommerce less so.

That said accepting PayPal is dead easy, so there's no real harm in accepting payments that way. It's worth having a website that can support online payment if you can set it up yourself for free and will keep it monitored; it's not worth it if you won't check to see if payments have come through, or if you have to pay someone else to set it up for you.


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## charles95405 (Feb 1, 2007)

Solmu has said it all.. I have three websites and would not be without one as when you are talking business...the first question is what do you do..second is do you have a website? It just makes you look bigger or better than you think you are...Even big ole baddie MS will host a website free and will even register your name free...not a razzle dazzle..but one that functions


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

> From my perspective, I will always do business with someone with a website before someone who doesn't have one. I will only move on to the category of "businesses that don't have a website" if there aren't any with one, or they're all crap. This is even for local stuff. I don't expect (or even particularly want) it to be ecommerce capable though: *I just want a site where I can judge the company before I make the first contact*.


I find myself doing the same EXACT thing, even with local companies.

I love being able to research a company and products before I have to talk to a sales person.


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