In business I often see retailers get in the way of shoppers through shop floor placement, product ranging decisions and other moves. I see it online, too, and online is what I want to talk about today …
Too often, small business build a website for their business that is niche-focussed, and they steadfastly stay within the niche, missing opportunities to win sales to people looking for other items.
For sure, it is vital that a website have a USP (unique selling proposition), a focus. But, it is equally vital, and valuable, that a website for a local retail business, like a newsagency, offers other products. It could be the other products that surprise you with results.
In one of my shops, the smallest shop I have, we have a niche website focussed on Christmas ornaments. We have other products there though, non-Christmas products. we put them there over a year ago, and they tick along.
One of the ranges we put there was Giving Plates and it is this range I want to discuss here today. Over the months we have climbed the Google rankings for Giving Plates. Today, we are #1 for a giving plate search. A consequence of this is, for example, is $300 in sales of these over this weekend.
The focus of our website on Christmas ornaments remains, and it ranks very well with Google for that focus. The other products we have added to the website, the products outside the core focus of the website, benefit from its position, and this is where real value is achieved for the business.
If we kept the website to its niche focus, we’d miss these other sales. Not stocking these non niche or core products online would, in my view, be us blocking certain revenue, bankable value for the business. In dollar terms, we’d miss $50,000+ a year in sales. I say we’d miss them because almost none of the people who shop with us online come into our shop.
Online is brutal, fast and valuable. It’s critical we embrace it and do so is a way that does not block what we could achieve for the business.
Did we think the Giving Plates would sell online? No, not really. We thought people would prefer to see them min person and that they would be nervous about having them posted. Both assumptions were wrong. The good thing for us was that even though we thought we knew how people would react, it did not stop us allowing people to show us how they would actually react.
It’s wonderful empowering shoppers to do what they want. It is through their freedom that we can learn more about what we and our businesses can achieve.
So, what does this mean? If your website sells books, put other items on there. If it sells baby products, put other items on there. see what I mean. You can do this in a way that does not distract from the core focus of your website.
I sell flowers. During covid the flower shop closed and they needed a way to sell their stock so I helped out. They never reopened their shop so they became a wholesaler to me and others. Flower sales are fantastic. Never thought I’d say that.