Is there a market for...

[sxereturn]

Hey, can everyone give me a bit of feedback here. Mods etc - I am not naming names of the shop involved, so I don't think this is advertising or anything of the like, so please don't delete it.

I've been approached by my boss at the bikeshop I work at to see if it would be worthwhile setting up an online mailorder section of the shop website. We do have a shop front, so we could offer both benefits - cheap online prices with in store service.

The website would have daily or weekly specials, and we'd sell everything from magazines to downhill bikes. We'd be catering for both credit card and money order/bank deposit payment.

My question to you guys, is would ya'll buy from an online store? If not, why?

[CHEWY]

I would, i dont really have a shop that stocks what i want

[Dirt Devil]

I do occasionally, if the price and service is good.

[Turley]

Aslong as the prices are cheap people will buy offline. If they aint' going to be any cheaper than what you can readily get from your lbs most people won't bother.

[shan75]

Yep ther is a market for it.

[sxereturn]

Yeah, that's our plan Turley. A third/half of the stock we buy will be floor stock, the other half will go to internet sales, and will therefore be cheaper.

[CHEWY]

how can you sell stuff for cheaper over the net?

[Rik]

You don't have as many overheads when you sell online.
But then, what's stopping the customers from harrasing you in store, checking the stock out, then going home and buying online? Then everyone loses out.

[sxereturn]

Yeah, but the volume of buyers would also be greater, so we would still have the same. or probably more profit, even though we are moving more stock. The shop is one of the best mechanical shops in Brisbane, we specialise in suspension etc...and we have some pretty dedicated customers. And stuff like shoes, helmets, and bikes all need to be fitted up...

[sxereturn]

Come on guys, 50 views and 8 replies. Everyones opinion is wanted...

[Adi]

Sxe, yeah i would be interested in buying online, bank deposit is a good idea as many of us youngins do not have credit cards etc.

So i think it is a good idea :)

[naz]

i think its a good idea, innercitycycles.com.au
do it and i remember buying Xt discs off them, easy cheap simple...

[jays_5000]

I try to buy most of my stuff from my LBS, but there are some things that online stores can offer that bike shops can't, like different products....

I'm interested in buying a tool kit for my bike (check parts and stuff), but my LBS don't really offer much in in the way of complete tool kits, so I was looking to buy online....

It's hard to say though, if I saw something appear there that was a really good deal and I couldn't get it at my LBS, I personally would rather buy it off the net than from another shop in town.

[Superman]

wat i did was i looked at the shops website and then rung them up and ordered a helmet...that isn't internet shopping, but i kind of used there website as a catalogue

[Cúl-Báire]

I defenatly think it is something to look into, so long as the shop is of reasonable size, and the website prices/products get updated regularly.

Personally, I would buy from the online shop, if it had something I wanted and couldn't get it from my LBS, as it is along way to the next bikeshop. Also it opens up kind of a new market for the store.

[smooth]

for sure as long as the online price was competitive with the local. the daily\weekly specials is a top idea,

[tu plang]

well I would buy from local online store (though my parents might not be so cool about it) but just to give my opinion... wat i like about a shop is if they have a good website where i can find good info on a range of products. i think u would find (unless im the only person like me) that having an online store, even if it wasnt used for direct internet sales enormous amounts, would generate more interest in ur shop, ie ppl researching a bike would get on the net look at company's ranges and then look for prices and find ur site, they are naturally goin to come in and have a look. thats just wat i would do anyway, and i dont think im that extraordinary.

[ride4fun]

yeah i definately would. im pissed off with my lbs. i had to wait for 2 weeks for a new spring and then when it did come in (yesterday) i called him and he said that hes too busy to do it today. that was 10 in the morning and he was open until four!!! i was before the other jobs, but because their jobs are more money to him it doesnt matter that i was waiting some more. :x

[cam-o]

I would (and have) if the prices were better than the shops. I often check out stuff from bikefanatic.com etc. I'll always call the LBS to see if he's close but if not I'm happy to go online. Also depends on whether it is a part I can fit with no dramas. I wouldn't ever buy online and then ask the LBS to help with fitting it, that's scabby.

[Grip]

I'm not sure about the idea of a shop having the same product with one "shop" price and one "internet" price! Like Rik said I reckon people will get pretty pissy about that... i.e check the web (and prices) then maybe walk into shop only to find that it suddenly costs more even though they are standing there with cash in their hand!

Personally I think your boss either needs to run exactly the same prices/products through both shop and web OR a different range for (and prices for both).

For what it's worth, setting up and maintaining a REALLY secure e-commerce site is not cheap PLUS quite a lot of people just aren't prepared to buy over the net. What we do is have our site as a catalogue only... as comprehensive as possible... and get people to CHOOSE what they want through that but then contact us to actually buy with some "human" contact. Works for us.

[_J_]

if i was older and had a credit card... . depends on what bike shop ur talking about. if ur talking about some pove unknown joint in the middle of no-where, i would not buy anything over the net, but if ur talking about something like SHM or Pushi, yeah i guess it would be ok~!

[sxereturn]

Yeah we're a pretty major shop.

Grip - we haven't worked out details yet, we just spoke for 20 minutes about it.

[notb4dinner]

Just a quick suggestion: If your boss is wanting to run cheaper web prices why not look at running the online side of the business under a different name? That way you avoid the problem of local customers getting pissy. Obviously you initially lose out on some good will but if you make a serious effort at setting up an online presence and back it up with a few well placed ad's I don't reckon you'd be losing out on too much - heck oyu've only got two real competitors.

[j5ive]

I'm currently setting one up for work. Believe me- its allot of work.

I've had the project for about a year. And I doubt it will be launched for another couple of months. A bike shop has so much differen gear at one time and things change allot. Its almost a full time job just setting it up. Keeping one maintained will be. This may become my job if the site works out.

[Grip]

Just a quick suggestion: If your boss is wanting to run cheaper web prices why not look at running the online side of the business under a different name? That way you avoid the problem of local customers getting pissy. Obviously you initially lose out on some good will but if you make a serious effort at setting up an online presence and back it up with a few well placed ad's I don't reckon you'd be losing out on too much - heck oyu've only got two real competitors.

Good idea, Mathew... though I wonder if they would lose out on the marketting appeal of the good name they all ready have?

And -q- .... how would you feel though if you were a "walk-in" customer at say Pushi (G'day Petri only using your shop as an example, mate) and bought yourself a Magura Louise disc brake for $380 and then discovered you could have bought the VERY same item from the VERY same shop on their site for $340 ????

adds up to pissy if you ask me.

I know Hendry's (Ocean Grove - Victoria) has a VERY active on-line store with customers all over the country. The reason the site is so successfull though is that the owner, Steve Draper, has the same discounted prices whether you buy "on-line" or "walk-in".

[ELX]

I cant be fucked reading allthe replys but an asnwer to the first post by Sxereturn. I woundt buy from an online store. Juts becuase it's so much more convienient to walk into a shop buy a part and leave. I dont like stuffing round with money orders, credit cards, All that shit. If i need a part i go to a store and buy it or order it. No fuss just pick it up pay and i'm done. Unline just seems to fiuddley.

[tu plang]

hmmm well yeah they have a point bout having two different prices and i see two options...
1) estimate the theoretical savings ur gonna make on online sales and take this from the average of the current in shop and the online price u figure u could afford, this way (if it makes sense) u are passing on the savings u have made by goin online to both types of customers. or
2) like ppl have suggested make all products over a certain price (bikes, frames etc.) only available in store but list them on the site just for advertisement sake. and then make only smaller items available for online order.

or something along those lines i think would be succesful.

[sxereturn]

j5ive - That is what has been offered to me - an opportunity to manage the online side of the shop. Updating the website with specials, processing orders, packaging and sending orders out etc...I'm very keen for it, as I can't really do too much other work with my knee right now. It would work on a commision basis, so whatever I put in I get out...

[bazza]

imo i find that a shop thats constenly having a specials shelf or a specials section will be more sucessful than one without. because you always have people coming in to check out specials and see if anythings going cheap. this means more visits to the bike store and more oppurtunities to look at shinny new parts and quite possible sales of stuff that isnt even for sale they just happened to see it while looking at the sale items. and to have competitive internet prices without getting pissy customers would be to run the majority of the gear at shop price with a clearence/sales section. i always find myself check for sales at jensonusa and australian online shops. so this may serve as a good marketing tool for you to use! anyone agree with this or would find themselves going into shops more offtenly if they offered sale items?

[Cronar]

sxereturn,
To me bike shop loyalty is a major factor in buying parts and new bikes. My new LBS has given me discounts and great advice, as well as organising shop rides all the time and bringing the local youngsters and teaching them to ride!
If your new venture goes ahead, i wish you luck, however, yours would have to be an exceptional deal for a loyal LBS shopper such as me to go elsewhere!
cheers

[S.]

There is always a market for cheaper stuff. However, I would agree that the real problem is separating the shop front prices from the online prices. If you could get around that, you'd be set.

[timmo]

One thing with online shopping is that the majority of customers are shopping based on price alone, as service in internet shopping really only consists of ease of payment and quick delivery.

I reckon the only value in it would be if you can expand to market to people outside your current geographic area. If you're simply aiming at existing customers, then you're probably going to eat into your own profits.

I'm a customer of said shop and I actually love just going in to check out what's new there, and sometimes will buy something just cause I'm there.

[tu plang]

One thing with online shopping is that the majority of customers are shopping based on price alone, as service in internet shopping really only consists of ease of payment and quick delivery.

I reckon the only value in it would be if you can expand to market to people outside your current geographic area. If you're simply aiming at existing customers, then you're probably going to eat into your own profits.

I'm a customer of said shop and I actually love just going in to check out what's new there, and sometimes will buy something just cause I'm there.

ur impulsive in other words :P

[timmo]

ur impulsive in other words :P

Weeelllll, not exactly, it's just that when I go in there I start thinking "is there anything bike-related that I need at the moment?", "Have I damaged anything I need to replace? Are there any good new DVDs out? " etc.

[Techno Destructo]

An online shop with top-end MTB gear would be invaluable to those riders living in rural areas, who would have to drive for more than an hour to get to a half-decent bike shop. I totally support the online shop for them.

However, you also have to strongly support your local businesses. I've got two bike shops that I consider to be my "locals", and I always try to divide the patronage I give to both equally. For that reason, I would never buy online, unless it was something my local shops couldn't provide.

People who screw bike shops by visiting them all the time to decide what they'll buy online, well... that's just wrong.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BIKE SHOP!

[schred]

There used to be heaps of regular australian shops with a mailorder presence, specials bins etc, but it seems like a lot of them faded, it must have seemed like such a good idea at the time. I don't think the mailorder market was too competitive, it probably wasn't making sense to invest so much resources into that side of the business and getting such a luke warm response. Maybe that says something about australian customer online buying habits at the time rather than the shops themselves. Personally I'm happy to buy online if I have to.

But I don't see how a regular shop setup originally as a regular shop could be competitive with dedicated mailorder shops (unless your boss is willing to make big changes with the shop's location, the procedures its familiar with, existing customers, and even suppliers), so I'd forget about that. You really have to ask yourself (and you boss) what you are trying to achieve with the online store. If you are serious, formulate some kind of a plan so you know what you want, keeps tabs on where you are heading and can take steps when you start deviating from it. Probably deserves a little more than 20mins with your boss, sounds like he's just letting you do this without realising how much of a committment this could be from the shop, which is probably one large reason why all those other shops eventually faded.

I probably underestimate the complexity of small businesses and the amt of hours people have in the day to make the business run smoothly, but it seems like some things in bike shops get a little too simplifed considering their importance, especially pricing which is the only part of a business that makes money. We also might be a little bit biased here towards using the internet, but I read somewhere that an unusually large proportion of bikers in general use the internet, wierd.

[wombat]

Well I think it is definately the way forward; it allows shops to compete with mailorder places. I do think though that Grip has a point, the best bet would be if you could offer discounted prices online and instore, not as much of a cut as if you were purely an online store though, that way you could sort of balance things.

Couple of things though, be careful you don't piss off your suppliers (you'd be aware of all that though) and most importantly make sure it's updated, and I mean every few days. Keep accurate stock lists on the web, so people aren't ordering stuff you don't have and provide as much info as possible; it'd be a lot of work but if you're gonna do it, do it properly.

[The Ball]

yeah it would be a great idear as i do not like buying from my LBS as they r too expencive i'm interested.

[cE]

I would definitely buy online if the prices were right. Being a shift worker I find shopping online to be a much appreciated convenience.
My advice would be to keep the site up to date....there are too many Aussie online stores that tend to be slack in this department.
The specials section is an excellent idea.
Good luck (if you go ahead with it)!