– Written by Sagar Haria, Head of eCommerce, Outdoor Travel Gear
I have always been an adventurer, an outdoor traveller, an explorer. For the longest time, finding good quality genuine travel and sports gear was a real challenge. Also, there was no way to get reviews and opinions about the products that were available. Given the enormous impact that the quality of these accessories has on the travel experience, both from a safety and comfort point of view, we decided to launch this business, Outdoortravegear.com in 2005, in order to cater to picky travellers like ourselves.
Going online was a no-brainer because we knew that on-ground product activation and word of mouth could create a very limited impact, compared to an online presence. In the current era of advanced web and app based technology, owning a website is important to establish the genuineness of a brand, service or product, etc. We registered a .com domain because of its obvious advantages such as being reliable and credible. Besides .com is also the default choice for most people. We also realized the importance of using the right keywords such as ‘outdoor’ and ‘travel,’without focusing too much on the length of the domain.
Today our website is a very important marketing tool for business. It not only acts as a virtual catalogue, but we have also been using our website to sell our products and to create awareness about the products we endorse and sell. The website is also a great tool to reach out to our customers, and to promote our partners and affiliates.
In addition, our website acts as a treasure trove of information for travel enthusiasts since we share information such as how to use and how to maintain these products, for the ease and benefit of our customers. It is also a great source of inspiration for prospective travellers, since we share stories, ideas, thoughts, etc. on travel from us as well as other travel enthusiasts.
When it comes to advising other entrepreneurs, here are a few points that we’d like to emphasize:
Irrespective of the nature of your business, go ahead and register your domain name online. It is an important aspect of your online identity. Also, owning a website is almost mandatory today. But it is important to remember that building a website comes at a cost. So, ensure that you have a solid game plan in mind for your business before you decide on the kind of website you want to build. Not only that, make sure that your website has an easily accessible customer service contact and scope for efficient after sales service.
Having a website is a great way to jump start your business, as long as you remember the basics and execute them well!
