Gina Hennessy of Cinderella shoes Ltd is living
proof that a website can make all of the difference
As a tall teenager, Gina found it very difficult to locate larger sized shoes. Spending most of her time searching for shoes that would fit became a constant frustration to the point that she has since made it her life's vocation. Most high street shops stock a wide range of shoe but anything above UK size 9, European Size 43 and US size 11 is incredibly difficult to come by. In the cut throat world of women's fashion, it just isn't profitable for your local shoe shop to stock sizes that aren't in demand. Or so they thought.
Understanding your market is key to the success
of any business and in the competitive world of
women's shoes, this is something Gina has fortunately
achieved.
By spending a large amount of time sourcing
and researching production lines across Europe,
Gina as a result has managed to put together
a stunning range of stylish footwear that is
cherished by those with larger sized feet. Today
dozens of manufacturers work with Cinderellashoes
to develop new and unique lines in larger sized
shoe, boot, mule and sandal helping to make www.Cinderellashoes.ie synonymous with stylish shoes.
A lot of hard work: both online and offline
Creating a business online takes a lot of time
and thought. A streamlined operation
needs to be in place offline before you can even
consider trading over the internet. The dot.com
boom of the early 90's is now a thing of the
past and if you don't prepare, in simple terms,
your online business will fail. It is true that
a lot of business is now conducted over the web
but in the current worldwide recession it is
necessary to ensure you have a sound business
proposal before you even consider selling online.
In order to achieve this, Gina has combined online
sales promotions with country wide trade fairs,
two retail outlets and now a store in St Stephens
Green shopping centre in Dublin. The business
has a professional looking website that brings
customers to her store but has the advantage
of selling to those that are at the other side
of the world.
All businesses start with an idea. A company
is either selling a product or a service. Cinderella
shoes took a real world problem and came up with
a practical solution. If the market in Ireland
required large
size stylish shoes, then surely
the need existed elsewhere.
"About five years before I started to trade,
I travelled to trade fairs in Europe and the
US looking for potential suppliers. As we are
in a niche market, catering for sizes outside
the general factory production range, this was
- and to some extent still is, our biggest challenge"
Bringing the niche market to a wider audience
through the internet has brought a high
level of sustained business. Couple this with
the retail outlet in St Stephen's Green shopping
Centre customers have a
point of contact via the web and in person.
It also proves that if you understand all aspects
of your market before selling online, organising
everything behind the scenes, that you can reap
dividends as both virtual and real worlds
combine.
To help you put together a plan before you begin
selling over the internet, we've put together
a number of pointers based on Gina's approach
that hopefully will help you prepare for what
is ahead.
- A
workable solution:
in order to sell a product or service make
sure you understand the market, understand
your customers and ensure that demand is
there. Gina at Cinderella Shoes spent a number
of years researching her product ranges before
deciding upon the right products for her
niche market. Even if you are convinced your
idea is something other people will buy in
to, make sure it is something that has legs.
- Dedicated
support around you:
running a business is as we all know a very
time consuming vocation. Selling the same
product range over the internet is a tireless
and at times a very lonely task. It takes
dedication, total commitment and a process
of constantly re-evaluating all aspects of
how you work. Your competitors generally
are very easy to find, can see exactly what
you are selling and as technology changes
very quickly, it is necessary to adapt as
new issues arise. Customers can contact
you 24 hours of the day, search engines can
drop you from their listings overnight and
everything you produce will be time stamped
and stored somewhere else for later retrieval.
Gina has a supportive family, excellent shop
staff and now a dedicated designer in Charlene
that works solely on developing brand awareness
online. As consultants Widescope are able
to work alongside Cinderellashoes giving
advice as we go, but without the support
network Gina has around her and the dedication
she has put into the development of the company
none of this would work.
Although we will support you in any aspect
of your online business, please be aware
that visitors don't just appear overnight
without everything else being in place first. There
are of course ways of getting you found quickly
but managing how you physically deliver your
product is just one simple part of a larger
process. All aspects of an ecommerce business
require a lot of planning and a lot of patience.
It is important that you think things through
step by step and that you are prepared for
the unexpected. At Widescope we understand
that you may need exposure immediately but
we also want you to succeed first time. Planning
is everything.
- Customer
focused support:
if someone turns up at your shop at 5.30pm
and you are shut, chances are if they are
local and need the product they'll come back
next day. If an internet shopper sends you
an email asking a question and you take three
days to reply - you will never see them again.
Although the internet may introduce new shoppers
on an hourly basis, the "act now" nature
of the web means that your competitor is
just a few clicks away. Make sure you can
cater for the demand and be prepared to go
the extra mile to ensure your visitors become
long term customers.
- Re-evaluate your web business weekly: technology
can change very quickly. Our own website is
now in its fifth incarnation and we are constantly
looking at ways to improve it and the other sites that are part of our network. www.cinderellashoes.ie is
updated daily with small changes being applied
to improve the online shoppers experience.
Both businesses rely on the introduction of
new customers but appreciate the value of their
existing client base.
For example, if you have a shop it makes common
sense to keep it well stocked. With an e-commerce
business it is just as important to monitor
traffic to and from your website analysing
what is working and what is not. Take the time
to get feedback from existing customers, friends
and family and plan changes in stages. All
successful companies work on a basis of self
evaluation with the best ones structuring this
into part of their working week. If you do
not take the time to do this, why should the
average web user come back?
Gina and her team have a highly successful and
pro-active approach to delivering a specific
product range to a niche market of customers.
Widescope have been working alongside Cinderellashoes
for over three years now and together we are
sure their online presence will grow from strength
to strength. A lot of time is spent by both parties
planning improvements but it is very important
to note that it is Gina that is the driving force
behind the success of the business - because
she is acutely aware of her market, her customers,
her product range and her competitors. At Widescope
we are here to advise, help you take your first
steps as an internet business and to move with
you as you grow; but in all instances, as Gina
will tell you it takes a huge amount of commitment
to make the web work for you. When it does work,
It is very rewarding in terms of satisfaction
and return on investment but you need to be very
level headed when committing to an online business.
If you have the determination, a good idea and
services or products that you wish to sell online
give us a call on 01670 542854 and we'll discuss
it with you free of charge. From a starter web
site to a full blown bespoke shopping cart, online
marketing to pay per click campaigns: we will
work with you to develop your brand with one
promise; to give you all the support you need
without selling your services that aren't required.
Alternatively if you haven't already, visit Cinderella
Shoes to see a successful web business in
action.
All of our websites include:
- FREE Initial Consultation
- Professional Design & Layout
- Logo design (if required)
- Consultations to approve and expand website
- Access to site statistics (type varies based on package)
- Graphics, stock images, image optimisation and artwork
- Copywriting (if required)
- Email forwarding
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