July 2003
how Cutting Edge Mowers used an online shop to boost business
Clacton - the archetypal British holiday destination of the 1960s. A quiet, coastal retreat, with bit less 'Kiss me quick' and a bit more 'afternoon tea'. Tourism continues to be a money-generator for the area, but alongside this, a thriving business community has expanded incorporating a range of businesses and areas of expertise.
One such family run and locally-based concern is Cutting Edge Mowers. In 1987, the Barrett family founded a local business to provide the more horticulturally enthusiastic inhabitants of Essex with all their lawn-mowing needs. The company sells specialist gardening equipment, including industrial grade lawnmowers, chain saws, hedge trimmers and garden ornaments. With a loyal, albeit local, customer base, the company grew rapidly. A very strong customer service and post-sales support ethic gave the business a good reputation for looking after its clients.
However, there is only so far a small business can go, operating within a distinct geographical location. Throughout the 1980s and early 1990s, selling further afield than Essex was difficult for Cutting Edge Mowers.
The internet, however, provided John Barrett and his business with the perfect opportunity to break into its next phase of growth.
John Barrett, now the owner of Cutting Edge Mowers, takes up the story.
"The idea behind using the internet to expand our business was simple. It allowed us to take our small, locally run company, and showcase it on a far larger scale. It also provided us with new ways to promote the firm, and a new way to interact with our established and prospective customer base. Most importantly, it offered us a new channel to sell by."
"But where do you start? I can build you a lawnmower from scratch, but construct a web site? You have to be kidding."
It was at this point that Barrett got in touch with BT Openworld. The company was already using an internet connection from the ISP, and wanted to know how BT Openworld could help it expand its online presence.
"We purchased BT Openworld's Internet Trader Pack in order to set ourselves up with a website, and online shop, and to get ourselves trading online. We now have a website, which is unbelievably simple to maintain, and an online store through which we can market up to 100 products at a time. Best of all, I haven&'t had to 'hand over the keys' of the website to anyone - I can do it all myself."
Cutting Edge Mowers now successfully trades online at www.cuttingedgemowers.co.uk, and hosts its online shop at www.btowstore.com/cgi-bin/epages.storefront/en/catalog/2695?submit2=storefront.
Barrett continues, "One of the key requirements that I had in mind when I set out to get online, was to make sure I had control over the end result. The Internet Trader Pack came with a full manual that was simple to understand, which was crucial to getting the shop up and running in the shortest possible time."
"Since we installed the shop and started trading online, we've increased our sales significantly. The online presence is exactly what we needed to grow the business, at the same time as allowing us to retain control of it. We're only a three-man band, but since going online we've secured deals as far afield as Scotland, and even had interest from China - and that's not something that every business in Clacton can boast!"
So, the internet revolution continues apace across the country. And, if you listen carefully, you can even hear mutterings of the latest modem or interesting websites over the coffee tables in some of Clacton's more discerning tea houses...
Cutting Edge Mowers
John Barrett
Clacton On Sea
Essex
01255 812377