Rhode Island businesses got a peak into how to use the Internet to their advantage during an e-commerce forum held last month at The Westin Hotel sponsored by the Providence Business News.
The event, called “The Internet Business Model Forum: From Amazon to Zapata,” included a panel of e-commerce experts, including Anthony Cospito, the founder of PowerGeneration of Lynn, Massachusetts. The speakers covered a variety of issues, ranging from online marketing strategies to online retail.
The event, held last month at The Westin Hotel, was intended for beginners to business people with an intermediate knowledge of the Internet and its advantages.
”The Web is all about niches. You need to focus on a niche that no one has thought of,” said panel member John Rittenburg, president of Modern.com., an online retailer of modern furniture and gifts.
Rittenburg’s company, based in Boston, which has only been up for six months, has already found success selling strictly through the Internet.
He stressed the importance of having a Web site that is “visually compelling” and one that consumers will be able to identify with your company.
”No matter what page (potential buyers) are on they should know that they are on (your) web page,” he said. He suggested that the Web pages should have the same feel throughout.
Cospito of PowerGeneration said while a Web site should be visually engaging businesses should not go overboard.
He suggested to keep the average Internet user in mind and the equipment they are using, for instance the speed of their modem.
”In some cases it’s going to take 20 minutes for people to see your spinning turtle,” he said. Cospito suggesting to instead concentrate on making the process of buying a product as easy as possible.
”One click ordering works. It lessons the amount of abandoned shopping carts. Streamline the buying process,” he told the audience.
Cospito said the reason most Web sites fail is they lack “intelligence,” meaning they don’t understand their audience, engage customers, offer choices or create a sense of trust.
”It’s very similar to the real world and what people expect there,” he added.
Cospito also suggested to pay attention to the good, bad and ugly on the Web.
”Follow and learn from the leaders, both when they do something right and when they do something wrong,” he added.
