The retail site for Himalayan Candles has been around since the summer of 2007. Like many companies that sell primarily to retail stores, this was a step into the unknown. I didn’t want to annoy my retail stores by selling online, but I did feel that purely an informational website is not much use to anyone. What’s the point of having a lovely website with your best product shots if you can’t do anything with it..and it doesn’t generate any revenue? I was also advised that not only will I lose my trade customers, but noone would be able to find the site anyway since it takes so much to make a website visible these days.
Well this is all true to a degree..but in the end it’s worth the hard work and expense. Also other big players like Burt’s Bee’s have retail sites, so why not a small player like Himalayan Candles? It’s taken 2 1/2 years, but the website is finally coming into its own, and I am truly glad I invested all that money in it. It has also turned into a fabulous tool for attracting more wholesale accounts. I get trade inquiries from the site daily and many of our retail customers have found us by submitting their requests through the online form. We also get a steady stream of orders coming in which helps our bottom line and has tided us over some lean times.
What I feel is this. If you are working on a limited budget, it’s going to take a while for your retail website to work for you. If you remain persistent and focused on having the best website you can afford, it will pay off eventually. People will find you..honestly they will.