We love to hear stories about our merchants’ ecommerce journeys, so we’re sharing them for you to enjoy as well. Read on to learn about how Airframes Alaska has found success with their online store (via Ryan Kedzie, Marketing Director).
What inspired the business to open an online store?
It was mostly a logistical decision. Our business is located in Alaska, and having a brick-and-mortar store is important for reaching our local customers—shopping online is less readily available up here because shipping charges can be so expensive. However, we knew that there was a customer base outside of Alaska that would be interested in our products as well, and an online store gives us the opportunity to reach people outside of our region. Adding an online component to our brick-and-mortar store allowed us to increase both our sales and our footprint—we now have customers across Canada, Europe, South Africa, and more.
What is the best part of operating an ecommerce business?
We definitely enjoy the wide variety of people we get to serve. In Alaska, we can be pretty isolated from other populations and outside cultures, so selling our products online allows us to reach customers globally who are doing unique things. One of our target audiences is aviation customers, and it’s interesting to learn about the various needs, rules, and necessary certifications of different regions. We also sell outdoor gear like hauling sleds and tents, so we are able to provide products for customers who are traveling anywhere from Antarctica to the Gobi Desert.
What do you like most about Volusion’s ecommerce solution?
We have used Volusion’s Design Services Team often to help us achieve specific design-related goals. Whether integrating a video into our homepage in place of a slideshow or incorporating pop-ups into our site, it has been helpful to have custom solutions at our disposal. It feels like we have endless opportunities, especially on the backend, to make our site successful.
What is the best piece of advice you’ve received regarding the business?
To stay customer-focused. It’s easy to think locally because of the isolation of our location—our local customers can’t just drive across state lines to get what they need, so we’re always willing to help solve that problem. With an online store, we’re also able to help customers 10,000 miles away get what they need, and we always remember to remain customer-focused in the solutions we provide.
What does the future hold for your business?
We look at ourselves as a global brand, so we plan to continue expanding our footprint and innovating our product lines. While we currently focus on aviation and outdoor gear, we want to offer even more products to more people across the globe. We’re never complacent—we believe that our business is important, and we’re going to continue to dominate digitally.