Labor-intensive effort shows results

By Alex Davis
The Courier-Journal

After running a shop called Clay & Cotton on Bardstown Road for almost four years, Margy Taylor launched a Web site for the high-end apparel and accessories business a few months ago to reach more customers outside the Louisville market.

She quickly found herself immersed in issues such as search engine optimization, online marketing and writing Web code for more than 500 items, from pillows and wine glasses to candles and hand lotion.

Online sales are only a trickle compared to overall sales so far, but Taylor said the site, www.clayandcotton.com, is generating phone calls and she plans to boost traffic with an advertising campaign in the near future.

Other local retailers are taking similar steps on the Internet, especially during the holiday season. At Hillerich & Bradsby Co., sales of personalized Louisville Slugger baseball bats triple during the holiday season, largely due to a spike in orders made online. The company's Web site also sells a variety of gloves for baseball and other sports. Hillerich & Bradsby's overall online business is growing about 20 percent annually, although spokesman Rick Redman said the majority of sales still come from stores.

Louisville-based Brown-Forman Corp. sells 275 items online for its Jack Daniel's brand. Mary Stone, who handles e-commerce for the flagship whiskey, said sales have grown about 15 percent annually, and the company is looking into expanding the site, www.lynchburgstore.com, to handle orders outside the United States and Canada.

CafePress.com, a California company that employs about 300 people at its warehouse in Louisville, has seen at least 50 percent annual revenue growth since 1999.

Louisville-based Mission Data provides online services and technical support to about 300 area businesses. The company charges between $10,000 and $15,000 to create a typical site with e-commerce capability that shouldn't need significant upgrades for three or four years.

Prospective clients frequently approach Mission Data with dreams of making money on the Internet, but managing partner Tim McWilliams said most don't understand the commitment and lead time required for a successful launch.

"A lot of people come and they want to do this thing online, and they think they're going to make a killing," he said. "People think it's going to save their business, but it's really just going to help your business."

A handful of small-business owners agreed with McWilliams' assessment. Priscilla Cash, owner of Kopilot on Bonnycastle Avenue, said online sales make up about 10 percent to 20 percent of her business, and as much as 40 percent during the holidays. Cash considers the online portion of her business as an "extra" on top of her traditional sales.

Pat Hagan, co-owner of Bluegrass Brewing Co., said sales of baseball caps, beer mugs and other items on the company's Web site grow slightly each year. There's a potential for better growth, but Hagan said he's hesitant to risk more investment.

"We do a decent amount with it," he said, "but nothing compared to what we do in-house."

Reporter Alex Davis can be reached at (502) 582-4644.