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CASE STUDY—Quality Supply
The Third Time's a Charm:
QualitySupply.com
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The challenge—
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The solution—
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Quality Supply wanted a customer service
tool to market its store online and pave the way for e-commerce.
Building awareness and attracting customers from across the
U.S. who want livestock handling equipment, clothing and power
equipment was their priority and they needed a web site to
do it.
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A web site with online marketing, ranking
them high in search engines, which has brought them business
from around the country, giving them the awareness and new
customers they wanted.
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Quality Supply co-owner and HR manager Suzanne Peterson is one
cool cucumber. Every day, the four stores in the Montana-based ranch
supply emporium she co-owns with her husband Dave Peterson square
off against industry giants. They take on Home Depot for sales of
power equipment and hand tools, and also compete with Internet and
catalog businesses for tack and animal health products. "We
don't have any one single competitor that meets us head to toe in
everything we do," she explains. "There are lots of competitors
in many niches."
While many businesses are crushed by that kind of squeeze, this
multi-million dollar chain is not just holding on to but expanding
its loyal customer base. Its Pyron Technologies web site is just
part of a savvy marketing mix that includes print and radio ads
and support for local rodeo and youth groups like 4-H. Peterson
was ahead of the online craze and began researching a site for the
company over a decade ago. But the difference between just a web
site and one that builds profits can be bigger than the gap between
a rookie bullrider and a Brahma named Twister.
It took Quality Supply a few tries to get the site they needed.
First, a company approached them with a $100,000 proposal that included
all of their own computer equipment and servers. Peterson wasn't
moved. "That was a ridiculous amount of money to commit, especially
since I didn't know if the saddle market on the Internet was going
to be a sure thing."
Then another vendor sold Quality Supply a static site. "They
just put up parts of a flyer," she says. "It was really
a worthless web site that didn't do anything."
The Site She Wanted
Peterson was looking for a site that conveyed a Montana lifestyle
look and feel, "not one of those ugly, typical farm store web
sites." She also wanted a customer service tool to market Quality
Supply online and pave the way for e-commerce.
When she talked to the Pyron web development team in 2002, someone
was finally speaking her language. "I kept saying, 'Yeah that's
just what I had in mind.'" Peterson says she thought that creating
the new site was going to be a nightmare, but once she realized
she had to keep the product information general, not specific, the
process was off to a good start. "The people at Pyron are very
easy to work with," she says. "They're very responsive."
The site has been live since March 2003 and is a big success. "It's
definitely been worth the investment." The photography is her
favorite part of the site. "It shows off the beauty of our
area as well as the look and feel of the store and our customers.
Most of the models are Quality Supply customers."
Customers From Across the U.S.
Search engine rankings improved after Pyron's SEO expert Kathleen
Doherty optimized the site. Currently, it is top-ranked in Google
for "Montana ranch supplies," "Outback dusters"
and "Livestock vaccines." Their percentage of referrals
from Google has also tripled, which has definitely helped to increase
site visits.
Peterson thanks the high rankings for attracting customers from
across the U.S. who want livestock handling equipment, clothing
and power equipment. Traffic has tripled since the site first launched.
"When it launched I assumed that most of our target market
would be in the western Montana region. But we've already received
national interest. We handle requests from all over the U.S., like
Colorado and Georgia."
Many inquiries are from Montana. "A kid doing research for
a 4H project wrote in wanting to know if we had any 'hens and roosters'
and if we carried 'Road Island Reds.' That was awfully cute."
The boy had learned about Quality Supply's chicks from its monthly
e-newsletter to customers. The newsletter highlights a different
part of the store, with Montana lifestyle tips on everything from
safe chainsaw use to keeping your horses healthy in the winter.
Maintaining the newsletter has been Peterson's only challenge with
the site because she lacks the time to stay on top of it. She recently
brought on an advertising person to help write the newsletter and
update the site's content.
Meanwhile, Peterson continues to move slowly toward her goal of
a full-service e-commerce site. "The goal was to get our name
out there and become a tool people become comfortable using,"
she says. "The web site is definitely helping us build awareness
of the store."
Visit Quality Supply at www.qualitysupply.com
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