Get your business on the Net - advertising on the Internet - includes related articles on the experience of three small-business persons on the Internet

Home Office Computing, Feb, 1995 by Rosalind Resnick

Online shoppers log on to their Internet accounts and type the address of Grant's store (http://florist.com) in their World Wide Web browser software. Once there, shoppers click the Grant's Flower menu item on the Branch Mall's home page, then jump to Grant's home page to browse a listing of bouquets and floral arrangements. Shoppers who click the order codes "BFL033," for example, are treated to a color photograph of a dozen long-stem, red roses. Clicking the hyperlinked words "Press here to order," summons up an order screen where customers can type their credit number, delivery address, even what they'd like to say on the card. Clicking the Send button at the bottom of the form instantly transmits the order to the Branch Mall's computer system, which in turn ships it by fax to Grant's real-world location.

Recently, Grant's success has emboldened him to try his hand at other Internet business ventures. In November he launched a new service called Exotic Flowers of Hawaii, also on the Branch Mall, to market flowers grown in Maui; he says an Hawaiian grower contacted him after learning of his online success.

Despite his growing involvement in cybersales, Grant says he has no plans to go online as an Internet user. "I'm not a computer person, so I really don't get into that stuff," he says.

RELATED ARTICLE: SPACE FOR RENT

Thinking about leasing space in an Internet cybermall? Here's a sampling of what you'll find.

MarketPlace.com, The Internet Information Mall, c/o Cyberspace Development Inc., 3700 Cloveleaf Dr., Boulder, CO 80304; (303) 938-8684; e-mail: office@marketplace.com Service: Gopher and World Wide Web (WWW) storefronts; e-mail, Gopher, and WWW brochures; automated e-mail Prices: (six-month lease) e-mail brochures, $250; Gopher and e-mail brochures, $1,750; Gopher and e-mail storefront, $2,500; WWW, Gopher, and e-mail storefront, $3,000, plus $50/hour setup fee. Tenants: Online Bookstore, UNIROM (CD-ROM retailer), Essential Data Inc. (computer mail-order company)

Internet Distribution Services, Internet Distribution Services Inc., 665 Wellsbury Way, Palo Alto, CA 94306; (415) 856-8265; e-mail:marcf@netcom.com Services: Design, marketing, WWW, Gopher, online ordering, mailing list Prices: $7,500 to $20,000 setup fees; $750 to $2,500 monthly fees Tenants: Palo Alto Weekly, Hello Direct, Document Center, CareerMosaic, Digital Tools, Seybold, Cybercash

Branch Mall, Branch Information Services, 2607 Patricia, Ann Arbor, MI 48103-2647; (313) 741-4442; e-mail: branch-info@branch.com Services: WWW, Gopher, e-mail, file-transfer protocol (ftp), virtual hosts Prices: $200-a-month service charge; $200 onetime setup fee (includes 20MB disk storage space, domain name registration, access to Gopher, WWW, e-mail); $960 a year for single-page Web listing (production and maintenance fees included); extra pages cost $720 to $820, depending on the number of pages Tenants: Grant's Flower & Greenhouse, Conlin-Faber Travel, Network Express, Digital Dynamics, Read USA