Poor Richard?s Sports a Sweet Site
by December 10, 2001 12:00 am 71 views
For a business so rich in history, Poor Richard’s Gift and Confectionery’s Web site is but an e-baby. Design Works in Rogers put www.poorrichardsonline.com together in June and has been tinkering and test marketing it ever since.
We like what they’ve done so far.
More than 35,000 hits on the site have been recorded since its introduction, and already the firm has grown its revenue by fulfilling online orders from Maine to California and as far away as Great Britan. We can’t think of a better way for a small retail operation to enhance its revenue stream than by creating a tasteful and functional Web site like this one.
The only real drawback is Poor Richard’s site does not have e-commerce capabilities, which we consider crucial for online retail storefronts. But the site’s “contact us” hyperlink serves as a customer hotline and facilitates orders for now, until additional Internet business dictates the need for more efficiency.
And given a small budget (four figures) for the site’s development, the results are very impressive. Design Works has helped Poor Richard’s pull off an essential foray into the age of electronic small business.
The strategy was to build an Internet presence with an informative site that would emphasize the store location’s history and promote it as a tourist stop. By featuring items such as Crabtree & Evelyn silk lingerie or Perfumes Isabelle online, the site is supposed to generate foot traffic in the store.
We discovered on the site’s “history” hyperlink that the two-story J.E. Applegate building, built in 1907, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Smithsonian Guide to Historic America.
Online photos help surfers see the store’s mahogany cabinetry, tiled floor and granite countertops. But to fully appreciate the aroma of rich coffee, surfers must visit the store.
The building, featured in the July 2000 issue of Southern Living magazine, is also next door to the Daisy Airgun Museum which features the B.B. gun wonders of Daisy Manufacturing Co.
One of our technicians said the site is “well-designed, consistent and informative.” He said although it loads a tad slowly, it is laid out nicely and is filled with “good clean images that fit the store.” We also think the site fits the 14-year-old business.
A few typos in the site’s copy aside, Poor Richard’s is an oldie but goodie, even in its new wrapper.