How the Internet Can Complement Old-School Selling

New York tie-maker Josh Bach takes two polar opposite approaches in the successful marketing of his ties – one old school, the other new school.

He’s an entrepreneur who left a successful career as an advertising agency art director to begin his own business by “flying beneath the garmento radar” with a line of men’s neckties that carries his own name.

Simple Solutions

Bach’s products are distinctive, with quirky designs that range from old blueprints of demolished baseball parks to corkscrews and ship designs. Initially, Bach focused his sales at his own open-air markets in the New York City area and in other East Coast retail outlets.

Clearly, online sales were the next logical step to grow Bach’s business and a way to mirror the face-to-face retail experience. By researching customer behavior, he soon realized that many ties were being purchased and given as gifts. He saw an opportunity. After all, happy gift recipients are a rich font of potential future gift-givers. And the Internet solved the problem of reaching people who either were far from the sales booths of New York or could not find a local retailer. “If people like getting a tie with graphic instructions on how to build a paper plane, there’s a good chance they’ll like giving that same tie to someone else.”

With that simple insight, Bach began Web site marketing for both wholesale and retail customers. He leaned on his advertising agency background to complement a distinctive brochure with a Web site that offers product – and much more. The comfortably elegant design of his electronic marketplace is in lockstep with the creative executions of his product lines.

Keys to Success

In growing his business online, Bach employed many smart techniques for engaging visitors to a Web site, including efforts to make his site:

• Accessible. Simple, easy-to-remember site domain: www.joshbach.com.
• Fast. Bach designed his Web site so shoppers can create a new account and start shopping in one minute or less.
• Interactive. In a “Snap Shots” section of the site, a “Why I Wear Josh Bach” competition not only encourages customer engagement but also builds brand loyalty: “eMAIL US a picture of you wearing one of our ties and a brief quote as to why you do and you may get featured in the ’snap shots’ section our web site. All featured testimonials will receive a complimentary tie or pen of your choice.” With this feature, and with the names he captures from buyers who establish accounts, Bach builds his e-mail database. Visitors are encouraged to sign up for e-mails with information on sales and announcements of new products.
• Inviting. The site displays minimal text and features a photo of two of Bach’s creations: a custom tie and a custom pen.
• Organized. Five simple category headings are displayed right across the top of the home page: Shop, What’s New, Wholesale, Custom Work, About Us.
• Timely. By clicking on the What’s New tab, shoppers can get a peek at the very latest offerings from Bach’s product lineup – from neckties to boxer shorts.
• Secure. Shoppers are assured of a secure transaction by the on-screen “Secure Site” stamp of Network Solutions, a provider of Internet services. The Network Solutions certificate guarantees shoppers that Bach’s site can receive 128-bit encrypted information to ensure that their personal data is protected.

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