Small-Town Shops Bulk Up on the Web

In Manitowoc, Wisconsin, small business owners are using the internet as a tool to compete against larger retailers. The small business merchants claim the biggest benefit of internet sales is the growing interest from customers. The fact that the inventory turns over much more quickly leaves the owners space to include a better variety of products to their sales floors.

A kitchen supply retailer named “Cooks Corner” has benefited from this step in the small business market as well. The company is 11 years old and employs a mere 35 people. Their website, cookscorner.com, makes up one third of the company’s total revenue. “Of the 1,000 customers who visit the site each day, roughly 200 place a digital order,” said Peter Burback, the company's owner. The business now has national recognition and is booming.

In a similar situation, an exercise equipment shop, The Fitness Store, is also benefiting greatly from internet sales. “"The Internet accounts for 75 percent of our sales now," he said. John Brunner, the owner of The Fitness Store stated, "I started the company in 1993. We launched a Web site in 1995. I didn't know the Internet was going to be such a catalyst for growth until 2000, when we developed an e-commerce site. We're making huge gains now."

However profitable, there are downsides to business on the Internet as well. Website costs, upkeep and advertising take up big chunks of revenue for businesses. The owner of the Fitness Stores said he spent, “$6,000 a month on Google and $2,000 a month on Yahoo. But he also gained $240,000 in revenue in August.”

Manitowoc is one of many small bustling towns that have utilized the Internet as a business tool. Many other areas have followed a similar trend. The Internet has become a hot spot for small business successes.

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