| There are many ways to use the Internet to | | | | quantity, and enter their shipping and payment |
| promote your brick-and-mortar retail store. All it | | | | information. The capability of buying and selling goods |
| takes is a little Internet knowledge and some | | | | and services online is often referred to as |
| creativity. | | | | e-commerce. |
| While general internet marketing strategies will | | | | One major note about e-commerce needs to be |
| certainly help promote your retail store, there are | | | | made here: you must have a completely secure |
| some unique marketing ideas that can help propel you | | | | payment system before you start selling products |
| right past your competition, many of whom don't | | | | online. The last thing you want is for someone to |
| even have a web presence. | | | | have their credit card information stolen. |
| First, you should make use of all the general Internet | | | | Shopping cart systems are available for purchase |
| marketing strategies: set up a website, get links to it | | | | from many software companies, and there are even |
| from as many sites as possible, submit it to search | | | | some great open source solutions, which means they |
| engines (especially local search engines like Google | | | | are free. There are also online services that provide |
| Local and Yahoo Local), and generally promote it in | | | | robust e-commerce solutions, often integrated with |
| every place and on everything you can. Once this is | | | | email services and extensive tracking and reporting |
| done, it is time to look at the more specialized | | | | tools. |
| marketing a retail store can do. | | | | Besides e-commerce, you can also use the Internet |
| Most of your walk-in clients are going to be familiar | | | | to promote your brick-and-mortar retail store by |
| with the products you sell, and chances are many of | | | | offering online coupons and other Internet only |
| them will already be regular customers. Your online | | | | promotions. Run an online sale, offer free shipping for |
| campaign, then, is not really aimed at people who | | | | orders over a certain amount, or give the first 100 |
| already shop at your store. | | | | buyers a free promotional item. |
| Instead you want to attract new business. For small | | | | People love getting something for nothing, and many |
| brick and mortar retail stores, the goal should | | | | will visit your online store just for the special bonus. |
| probably be to go from being a strictly local business | | | | This gives you the additional benefit of getting your |
| to a regional or even national business. This is not as | | | | visitor's contact information so you can follow up via |
| crazy as it sounds, because retail stores have a huge | | | | email and postal mail. Just be sure visitors know they |
| advantage over service-oriented businesses. While | | | | will be receiving information, and always provide a |
| most services require the customer to be nearby, a | | | | way for them to unsubscribe from your email list. |
| retail business can usually can send products to | | | | All of these ideas will help you use the Internet to |
| customers no matter where they live. | | | | promote your brick-and-mortar store, while bringing |
| To do this, you will need a shopping cart system like | | | | you new customers and providing information and |
| the ones used by or the major online department | | | | services to the customers you already have. So go |
| stores. Shopping carts allow customers to select | | | | for it. Get your website up and running and watch |
| which of your products they want, decide the | | | | your products sail off the shelves! |