Is E-Business for All Business?

New Mexico Business Journal, May, 2001 by Nancy Sagui

How New Mexico companies, large and small, are using the Internet to make their cash registers ring.

THINK BACK TO 1991. JOHNNY Carson said goodbye to late TV, Vanilla Ice was on the radio, pre-ripped jeans and the Ninja Turtles were "cool," caller ID units were the newest gotta-have gadgets, and the Lexus was a newcomer to the luxury automobile market. A stamp cost a quarter, and a gallon of gasoline was about $1.14. Chances are, if asked about the Internet, many folks would have guessed that it was the latest fishing or tennis product.

How quickly time flies in the realm of technology, where the latest computer is obsolete before we can get it out of the box. In business and on the home front, computers have changed the way we buy, sell, correspond, work and live. We rely less on telephones, the postal service, shopping malls, and even our own employees because we can often do the job better and faster with the click of a mouse.

In just over ten years, e-mail and the Internet have gone from high-tech buzz words to household and business necessities. In order to successfully compete, small businesses and Fortune 500 companies alike have been forced to adapt to a new, computerized way of doing business in a relatively short period of time. You would be hard pressed to find even the smallest "Mom & Pop" store operating without the use of a computer or using e-mail.

Large corporations and institutions stay on top of cutting edge Internet technology by spending millions on R&D, technological upgrades and web-savvy experts. These businesses have operated widely successful, monster web sites for years, offering everything from online shopping and banking to surveys, technical support, virtual tours and any other service consumers might dream up.

The secret to these successful web sites has been interactive capability--the power to offer the products, services or technical support consumers want, when they want it, without having to leave their homes or workplaces. A company's use of e-mail as an interactive marketing tool is what makes a web site more than just an electronic Yellow Pages ad. This interactive capability relies heavily on e-mail technology, which is quickly becoming as widely available to consumers as a telephone, and is an affordable option even for small business web sites.

After reviewing hundreds of New Mexico web sites, it's evident that many small and medium sized businesses maintain a web site, but are not use that web presence wisely. In fact, dozens of local businesses neglected-not only to offer an e-mail address, but left off such important information as the company name, product, and even a phone number!

Even small New Mexico businesses including plumbing companies, printers, jewelers, various clothing and gift shops and one-man operations will find a number of local competitors with web sites. If your company's web site does not answer all of the customer's questions, provide a simple means to locate information and an e-mail address for customers to easily communicate with the business, a competitor is only a click away.

Jennifer Harris, marketing director for Web-Galleries.com, an award-winning web site marketing, design and consulting firm in Albuquerque, says that a successful web site should go beyond advertising your business and providing customers with an e-mail link. "Even a basic web site should not only give customers the opportunity to contact you via e-mail, but it should also incorporate a 'Call To Action.' That is, it should give customers a reason to contact your company today," Harris explained. "A Call To Action could be in the form of a printable coupon, a discount for ordering online or a gift certificate for subscribing to your online newsletter. Whatever works with the technology you have."

Brenner Rigler, president and CEO of Albuquerque Florists, Inc., which includes Colette's Flowers, Tartaglia Flowers & Gifts and Casa del Flores, knew that Internet presence and online communication was important in a business that depends heavily on individual daily orders. An FTD affiliate, Rigler had access to an Internet "shell" provided by the national chain that included a pre-designed web page, online catalogue of products, online purchasing capabilities and an area to insert the local company name and contact information. In addition to the albuquerqueflorists.com web site, Rigler hired a web design professional to create a separate web page with a more local flair for his main store, Tartaglia Flowers.

Rigler extols the importance of a consumer's ability to e-mail the stores with questions, comments or orders. Many customers who still prefer the telephone order arrangements they originally saw on the web site. Recently a couple from out of state e-mailed Rigler to inquire about flower arrangements for their wedding, which take place in Albuquerque.

"I answered their questions about some arrangements they saw on the web site, quoted a price and booked the entire wedding and reception floral order through our web site without ever speaking to the couple. It's an invaluable tool, and today you just can't survive without it."