Obviously, there is far more hype than fact about the Internet today.

What's lost in much of the hype is the great opportunity Main Street companies now have to regain the ground given up since Sears and Roebuck catalogs started showing up in mailboxes nearly a century ago.

I wasn't around when the catalogs first appeared. But I witnessed the next big threat to Main Street--the shopping center. When I was 10, my folks took me to see one of the first--the Great Western Shopping Center in Columbus, Ohio.

There was even a model of the Seven Wonders of the World in the parking lot, imagine that.

Through all of these changes, Main Street has adapted and survived.

There were casualties to be sure, because those new and different merchandisers have offered some compelling advantages. Convenience,since all the merchandise is in one place. Selection, because they can stock such a huge variety. And price.

But not everyone went out of business. Some retailers closed their doors at Great Western and opened in new space at the Westland covered mall.

Others closed their Main Street stores and moved into the newly vacated Great Western space with that huge parking lot in front. And entrepreneurs went from side-street shops to Main Street locations.

Now, along comes the Internet to change things again--but in a totally different way. The playing field has been leveled. Earlier merchandising upheavals--whether it meant competing with malls or the giant companies in your industry, or with the direct-merchants and their 800 numbers and 24/7 operations--always meant "money."

You can benefit from the Internet and it will be simpler than you may think. To compete with your online rivals, your first objective should be to keep your existing customers, to keep their loyalty alive.

After all, your loyal customers may want the convenience of shopping on the Web--but they prefer to buy from you rather than an Internet giant!

Regardless of all the media hype and the billions of advertising dollars being spent to tell you otherwise--most people would rather do business with companies they know and trust.

The question is, why anyone would even consider shopping at one of those large Internet companies. There are still only the same three reasons that make them buy from catalogs, travel to shopping centers and spend all day at the mall--greater convenience, wider selection and (maybe) a more competitive price.

And that's why you, as a local merchant, are holding all the cards.

You are the threat to the "dotcoms"--not the other way around.

The Internet finally makes it possible for you to play your trump card--your customers' trust in their relationship with you. The online megastores are starting to realize that trust is the one thing their investors' billions of dollars can't buy.

Your location gives you the ultimate advantage, while your wise use of Internet technology allows your store to offer the same level of convenience, selection and competitive pricing as any Internet retailer, anywhere.

A Web site can be the difference between whether your company survives--and thrives. However, because of the significant commitment involved, and enormous potential for success, it is vital that you make this move carefully.

Thoughtful planning, effective implementation and continuing refinement will be needed if you expect to tap the Web's full potential.

To get on the Internet quickly--without sacrificing the effectivenessor quality of your site--you may want to seek assistance from outside organizations who specialized in planning and implementing e-commerce for companies like yours. These are people with experience helpingother companies you identify with develop successful Internet businesses.

The bottom line is that the Internet is an opportunity, not a threat,to Main Street businesses.

Long after today's Wall Street rollercoaster and media hype are historical footnotes, America's local merchants will still be prospering, thanks to their effective use of appropriate Internet technologies.

the iBizResources staff
Copyright, iBizResources, 2000

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