Imagine Retailer Offers Turnkey Furniture Store Web Sites

December 16, 2009  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in on December 17, 2009 Imagine Retailer, a new joint venture, is offering turnkey Web sites for furniture stores for $399 per month.

Imagine Retailer is a joint venture among three companies:
* Imagine Advertising & Publishing specializes in strategic marketing solutions, offering creation of print, direct mail, in-store signage, television production, radio and Web design.
* Studio98 designs and builds each Web site and provides search engine marketing services. While Studio98 created a complex code behind Imagine Retailer's exclusive product catalog system and shopping cart, it also emphasizes user-friendly simplicity and statistically reliable results.
* The Lively Merchant will manage customer service and sales. As former owners of a retail store twice named one of the "Top 100 Independent Furniture Stores" by FurnitureToday, The Lively Merchant brings a retailer's perspective to the venture.

David Lively, president of The Lively Merchant said brick-and-mortar furniture stores can increase profitability using Imagine Retailer's fast, effective and affordable online selling solutions.

"Using our experience in retailing, marketing and programming, we've developed powerful solutions to maximize marketing dollars with a step-by-step system to convert Web site visitors to loyal customers," Lively said. "For a very small portion of the typical advertising and marketing budget--just $399 a month--retailers can customize a unique Web site loaded with features."

Lively said Imagine Retailer got positive industry feedback when Imagine Retailer was introduced in Las Vegas in early December.

"Retailers don't have time for complicated technical jargon, and they always appreciate our straightforward strategies and uncomplicated explanations," Lively said. "We provide a comprehensive and transparent price list, just like you get from furniture manufacturers. And everything we do has only one person in mind: the retail customer. When we make her happy, everyone's happy."

Current research shows that 75 percent of consumers do research online before making a store purchase.

"It's very confusing to these customers when there's no connection between a store's Web site and their traditional marketing media in print, television, radio and direct mail," said Gregg Stopher of Imagine Retailer and Imagine Advertising & Publishing. "Imagine Retailer Web sites bridge this gap and maximize advertising dollars by using traditional media to drive website traffic, where every visitor is tracked, traced and tempted with online-only offers, full-featured product galleries and relevant content."

Rafferty Pendery of Imagine Retailer and Studio98 said the new venture provides a "mindboggling" level of detail about Web site visitors.

"Retailers will know exactly what page and product each visitor clicked on, how long they stayed, what they searched for, how they found the site, and what they were looking at when they left," he said. "Retailers can access on-demand reports in real time using a dashboard control panel, which is also used to choose options and order changes to the site. Changes can be requested at any time; up to four change requests each month are provided at no additional cost."
 
Imagine Retailer also manages a product gallery on the furniture page to avoid what Lively called retailer frustration in finding pictures, descriptions and useful information from the furniture manufacturers. Retailers can feature pictures, descriptions, dimensions, pricing or item numbers for up to 126 products included in the base price of $399 per month (additional items are $1 each per month). Customers can e-mail, print and share products on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. A secure Shopping Cart module for $300 per month will allow retailers to sell furniture online. An interactive Room Planner can also be added to the site for $100 per month.

The basic package for $399 per month includes a Home page with flash animation, quick links to the online product catalog, a store locator, a search field and brand logos. Current advertising is prominently featured on every page. The Current Offer page asks for detailed customer contact information in exchange for online-only offers that drive store traffic. Customers will find links to online finance applications and detailed financing offers on the Finance page, or learn about the company on the About Us page. The Contact Us page includes a Google map with driving directions, prominent phone numbers and options to email the store or submit comments using an online form.

A blog page to engage customers can be added for $100 per month, including training on how and when to blog and where to find content. Up to four coordinating email marketing campaigns can be added for $100 per month, including access to e-newsletter content, list management and detailed reporting.

While each Web site is designed to be search-engine friendly so customers can find the retailer quickly, three additional paid Search Engine Optimization campaigns are also available. Other services include setting up staff e-mail addresses, purchasing the domain name, logo creation and customized video production. Additional marketing services such as circulars, direct mail, national direct mail distribution and in-store signage are available to complement the online message.

For a more information visit imagineretailer.com. For an interview, contact David Lively at 800.549.9206 or by e-mail.