Online presence: The Great Equalizer

December 3, 2007 from The International Herald Tribune - “MOM-AND-POP retailers have helplessly stood by over the last decade as big-box merchants steamrolled over them. Online, though, small merchants are not going down without a fight.

The number of small- and medium-size retailers selling online has swelled in the last two years, from 21 percent to 32 percent, according to a survey by IDC, a consulting firm. Aided by less expensive and more sophisticated technology, stores like RealmDekor.com, CleanAirGardening.com and SitStay.com are competing with retailers as well as bigger sites like Amazon.”

180 View (written by Esther Friedberg Karp): It’s penny-wise and pound-foolish to avoid a web presence today. Naturally, the tools chosen must fit the business model of the company. You wouldn’t use e-commerce and online ordering for a small restaurant. But you would promote the restaurant with its own website complete with testimonials, and you would join consumer forums and business networking sites. In other businesses, e-commerce as a convenience for customers is a great way to grow sales, and can be either an add-on to an existing business or a launch pad on its own for a new one.