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Kyle at Hungate Business Services Gains Over 100 Percent More Clients Using Volusion

kyle hungate Kyle Hungate at Hungate Business Services decided it was time to stop relying on the phone and purchase orders and time to bring his business online.Initially, Kyle just wanted to use the internet to take orders. He had no intention of pushing his business online. “Going online for us was more to capture receivables from our existing client base faster using Volusion’s shopping cart software in conjunction with accepting credit cards. When customers ordered supplies from us before using traditional methods i.e. check, it wasn’t uncommon for us to wait over 45 days to get paid. We chose

Volusion over other shopping carts on the market because of the simplicity to setup the store—none of our staff had any real web experience. We evaluated other carts but without question Volusion was the easiest to evaluate and the step by step ‘how to’ movies were invaluable,” said Kyle.

Kyle got some unexpected results from using Volusion to open his online store. “We never planned really to sell beyond our client base initially! We thought we would just tell our clients about the site and try to solve our problem with account receivables–we estimate that 60% of our sales so far have been clients outside our normal customer base.”

Kyle turned to Volusion’s design team to make his site, www.hbsx.com, look professional. “Communication and the experience with the design services was top notch, Yuri did a wonderful job. I sketched out what I thought would be a good storefront and he expanded it to make it functional and very appealing to the visitor,” said Kyle.

Hungate Business Services has big plans for the online space. “Our plans going forward are to grow and expand our online offerings to our clients as much as we can. We have seen the power of the online business and it’s definitely more of a focal point for us now. We hope in the very near future we can dedicate a team to serve our online community just as we have for our brick and mortar operations.”

Michelle Greer, Marketing Specialist
http:/www.volusion.com

 

May 12th, 2008

Choosing the Right Logo for Your Online Store


Your logo seems like such a small part of your online store. After all, your customers are looking at your products, right? A logo is an afterthought.

Your company’s logo is the most prominent form of branding your store will have. A logo can go on a receipt, a letterhead, a t-shirt, banner, as well as every page of your online store. It is also typically in one of the more prominent places website users look according to eye-tracking studies. It’s how your customers identify you.

What should you consider when choosing a logo?

  • Simplicity: It is important to stand out when creating a logo. However, if standing out means creating something that can’t be replicated across multiple mediums, you could be stuck with something that limits your marketing efforts. Be sure to use a logo that does not involve a photograph, intense drop shadows, and does not overwhelm the overall look and feel of your site. Such detail looks nice on a full scale, but tends to get blurred when an image is shrunken down.
  • Color Selection: Less can be more when it comes to color. Be sure to keep the colors to a minimum. One or two colors is ideal. People have cognitive and emotional responses to colors, so four or five can make for confusing branding. If you are having a hard time choosing, take a look at this article on the different emotional responses to colors in Entrepreneur. Remember also that your logo should look good in black and white as well, since this is how it would appear on a letterhead or a receipt.
  • Longevity: How long do you plan to keep this store? If you understand that what you sell will probably just be a passing fad, then creating a logo that is in line with current trends is okay. If you are wanting to keep your store long term, be sure to choose a somewhat classic style to ensure your branding has some staying power.

    • Your customers can’t see if you choose to wear a suit or t-shirt, cargo pants, and Birkenstocks. They don’t know if you or your employees are country or city dwellers. They see your site. Ensuring your logo matches what you are all about will set the cornerstone for creating a solid brand people will be able to trust.

    If you are a Volusion customer, you can purchase a logo design for $495.

    Michelle Greer, Marketing Specialist
    michelle_greer(at)volusion.com
    http://www.volusion.com

     

    April 21st, 2008