Think Inside The Box

Christy Moore, president of Beyond Bookmarks, Ashland City, Tennessee, opened her web-only gift store, www.beyondbookmarks.com, in October 2003. Unlike many sites, she eschewed technical jargon or emphasis on what makes web shopping different.

“We like to think of our web store as a storefront that's been designed, built, and maintained just as a physical storefront would be,” says Moore. “Thinking of our website as one would a brick-and-mortar storefront has allowed us to design a unique [web] store that's fun and inviting.”

The challenge Moore faced is familiar to any retailer trying to convert “window shoppers” (web hits) into visitors (web sessions) — and then converting those visitors into customers. Finally, retailers look to bring those customers back year-round, not just at Christmas, and get them to tell their friends.

Like any successful specialty retailer, Moore doesn't try to be all things to all shoppers. Instead, she focuses on a single niche — the care package market — and drills down, offering special packages for sick kids, kids at camp, and older kids at college, as well as packages for military personnel abroad, senior citizens, even pets. Beyond Bookmarks appeals to people who can use practical help and cheerful treats, especially thosewho are far away from home.

The web store's motto, “All Stuff, No Fluff,” points out the comprehensive functionality of their packs, which come in a reusable box made of recycled materials, and include organic, healthy snacks along with non-food treats and toys, and practical items such laundry supplies. This “no waste” ethos translates to a higher perceived value and a more modern feel than traditional gift baskets.

Pre-packaged gifts are particularly well-suited to online shoppers, since customers don't need to actually touch the merchandise, and they're often shipping to a recipient far away.

But Beyond Bookmarks doesn't stop there. Moore personalizes the gifting experience by offering a selection of add-ons for each category in the $5 to $20 price range. That way, shoppers can tailor their gift package to a loved-one's taste, adding uniqueness and excitement for giver and receiver alike. And that's what gifting is really all about.

Beyond Bookmarks' mission is to create a fun, witty, organized environment that represents its customers' desired gifting experience. To do so, Moore sets out to mirror product with its presentation. Since Beyond Bookmarks sells “gifts for everyday occasions with a fun, modern twist,” Moore wanted a website that reflects clean, organized design, free from clutter and confusion. That means an online presence that's light on text and high on descriptive graphics, without pop-ups or over-saturation of content.

“When a customer walks into a store, they instantly react to visual cues. They either think, 'This is the store for me,' or 'Get me out of here,'” says Moore. “We've based our web design on this idea. Visual cues suggest a calm, playful environment, while an organized presentation and simple navigation reassure the customer that their gift will arrive just as they saw it online.”

Moore also wanted customer-friendly web features to make referrals and repeat visits simple and fun. For that reason, Beyond Bookmarks shoppers can securely process credit card orders online or by phone/fax, and they're offered a range of shipping options, along with real-time price quotes. Customers can also track orders, save their address book (of gift recipients), and save items in the an online shopping cart for later orders. They can even place orders up to a year in advance, allowing Beyond Bookmarks to schedule shipping for them, or they can place an order at the last minute, as Beyond Bookmarks ships within one business day.

At the two-year point, Beyond Bookmarks' down-to-earth retail philosophy is paying off. Visitors have increased from an average of 117 hits and 4 sessions a day to 4,000 –7,000 hits and 40–200 sessions a day. Moreover, shoppers are coming year-round — the number of visitors remains relatively consistent, with only a slight drop in the first quarter and an increase in the fourth — and over 16 percent return as repeat customers.

Fourth quarter sales rose 175 percent from 2003 to 2004, and Beyond Bookmarks beat its first year's total sales of $22,055 by the midpoint of the second year, putting the site on track for an annual sales increase of more than 200 percent. And, says Moore, she gets “fantastic feedback” from customers.

But customers aren't the only ones taking notice. In its first year, the design of the website attracted interest from a major campus dining service management corporation, Aramark, and Moore secured a contract to create and operate a unique web store for this corporate partner. Essentially, Beyond Bookmarks was able to sell the design of the store — including displays, organization, and overall shopping experience — for far more than the products themselves. Sales from the contract are projected at over $1 million in Beyond Bookmarks' third year of operation.

Which just goes to show: if you build it, they will come.