Percy’s High Performance
One of the companies I have had the pleasure of getting to know just a little here in Camdenton, Missouri is Percy’s High Performance Inc. I have met the owner Jeff Percival and we have talked on several occasions about the internet and making it work for you. Recently Percy’s had their website updated to include a new online store. They chose to use CubeCart for their shopping cart and a modified template.
The thing about Percy’s High Performance is that they have a huge catalog of patented solutions for the after-market car enthusiast or race-car driver. They have Speedglass, the highest quality racing windows on the market, for almost any make of car. Then they have this other stuff called Hyper Fiber. It is flexible material to make a mold in any shape and then cure it in minutes.
If you are a race-car mechanic, pit crew member, race car driver, high performance car nut or just like cool gadgets Percy’s is your source for high performance after-market parts.
You can shop directly from their online store http://percyshp.com/store/ or you can find most their parts in your local AutoZone or other parts store across the country. I find it amazing that this type of business exists in Camdenton, Missouri and can have a reach from Alaska to Florida.
Setting up an online shopping cart
As a small local business you might have a small storefront in a local strip mall or you might even be working out of your house selling products to the local residents and businesses. Perhaps you have heard there is demand for your product outside of Lake of the Ozarks area or out of state and you are wondering how to reach those new markets.
Don’t be overwhelmed
A great first step is to setup an online store to allow people to send in orders from around the country and even world. At first it might seem overwhelming to venture into the online shopping cart world. However there are several great products available to help make the transition better.
There are sites like Etsy, Big Cartel, Shopify and others to get your business selling goods online in now time. And if you partner with an IT professional such as Tonka Park, you can even venture into the custom online shopping cart solution such as Spree. There are pros and cons to each service and each tailor to a slightly different business segment. You will need to understand your business, your target market and then take some time to work with someone to review each solution to find the right fit.
Each of these solutions offer ways to work with Paypal or another merchant gateway to accept payments with ease. They also can track inventory, display multiple images and allow discount codes.
Helpful Resources
Over the last year Tonka Park has provided several articles reviewing and highlighting some of the better services available.
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Lake of the Ozarks Web Presence
Lake of the Ozarks, Camdenton, Osage Beach and the surrounding lake towns are filled with small businesses. When looking for information on the local businesses or trying to plan for a weekend or summer vacation at the lake most will want to use the internet to find out the information quickly.
Local business websites
For those businesses in the lake area towns such as Camdenton and Osage Beach there are starting to be more businesses creating websites to help accommodate the visitors that travel to town and for the locals who use their services all year long. Unfortunately, there are still many businesses relying on billboards and yellow pages for communicating with their potential customers. This works to an extent but more and more people are trying to find information on the internet using search engines before they visit town. Being able to find information on the internet will help these consumers make a decision on whether they will use your services or furthermore if they know that your services exist.
Lake area directories
There are directory sites that are more like newspapers and classifieds. The lake area sites that you might find useful are www.lakenewsonline.com, funlake.com, www.lakeozarknow.com. These sites have some area business information, local news, picture galleries and advertisements for local businesses. They are helpful tools for small businesses to list their services or advertise and for consumers to look up local information. But they are limited in how you can portray your business. Having a unique domain just for your business will help create brand identity and allow you to provide dynamic content that can help draw in new customers.
Create a web presence
If you are a lake area business needing to get your company online to replace or supplement your current advertising please consider a new website or search engine marketing campaign. There are several local companies that can help get a basic website started for a reasonable price. Take a look at the web development services offered by Tonka Park. They can help you get started with your first web site or help you update your current site to be better at drawing in new customers. Even if you aren’t in the Lake of the Ozarks region Tonka Park can help setup a website or improve your search engine results.
