products that you get in the store on your website as frequently as you can when you get new products in is important.” That said, it’s also vital for retailers to enhance product images to ensure clear visuals and accurate representation. “Something so simple that retailers can do is enhance the product images,” Rudd explained. “When you’re selling online, people want to see the instrument they’re buying — especially if it’s a used or con- signed item. Having the time to take pictures of all the angles up close of all the products to upload on the website makes a big dif- ference and it’s budget friendly. Taking the time to have good images of the products that you’re selling can make a big difference, not just with how your website looks, but also the confidence your customers will have when buying the instrument.” VISUAL ADVANTAGE Outdated websites with slow loading times, broken links and obsolete product information can quickly turn potential customers off. Kevin Damm, owner of Damm Music Center in Kansas, explained that his website is often the first impres- sion a new customer gets of his store, so the better it looks, the better the he looks. “The most important function to me is to illustrate to a potential customer all the products and all the services that we offer in as clear and concise a man- ner as we can,” Damm said. “I’ve had e-commerce capabilities on my website since I opened my store in 2003 and that was pretty rare back then. People often think we’re a chain store or a much big- ger store than we are because we have everything listed on our website.” Seamless navigation is another critical component of a successful music store’s website. An intuitive, easy-to-navigate lay- out allows customers to find what they’re looking for quickly and effortlessly. Im- plementing features like search filters and categorized product listings can enhance the user experience. “We list every product, so every time we get a new product or we’re considering a new line, we have to populate our point-of- sale system with all of the information, the pictures and the description,” Damm said. “We also have all of the information about our private and group lessons and our rentals. We have contact forms on our website for buying used instruments. I have job applications for anybody looking for a job on our website. We’re continually updating the graphics and
the details of the information for the events our Rock Academy performance program and our Learning to Fly performance program and our adult band performance program all have sections.” Damm said his store uses Music Shop 360 for its website and has several staffers help update the website on a regular basis. “We do have one person that is respon- sible for taking all the product pictures and writing the descriptions for our products on the website, and they also fill any orders that need to be shipped out,” Damm said. “We have someone who’s in charge of our lesson program that carries the bulk of the load for the student showcases and the performance program information that’s on there. I do a lot of the organization of the website.” POWER OF INTEGRATION On the web, content is king. Regular updates are crucial for maintaining an active online presence. Search engines favor websites that consistently provide fresh content, leading to higher rankings and increased visibility. Bill Steppan, technical trainer for popu- lar MI web platform Tri-Tech, advocated retailers update their websites as often as possible. Frequent updates ensure that a website remains a valuable resource for visitors and encourages repeat visits. “If your web host offers an integrated feed from social media platforms like Face- book, Instagram, X, TikTok, you can post your message once to your desired platforms and still have those centrally located from your site, which can significantly increase your exposure and reach,” Steppan said. “Every three years or so, it’s a good idea to take some time and give the site a ‘fresh- ening’ like an updated banner or tweaked color scheme. Update contact info, store mottos, simple things that don’t necessarily constitute a complete redesign.” Integration is the key to a streamlined and efficient operation. For instance, if a customer wants to purchase a new instru- ment, sign up for a rental program or book a lesson, they should be able to do all of this seamlessly from one platform. By con- solidating various functions within a single system, retailers can manage inventory, track customer interactions and process transactions more effectively. “Automate and integrate,” Steppan said. “If your goal for your site is to provide convenience for your customers to pur- chase products, sign up for rentals, request a service estimate, or register for lessons, try
LOAD ALL YOUR PRODUCTS TO YOUR SITE. “A lot of stores put their high-ticket items [on their website], but we put everything up there — [down to] every accessory we have. I’m constantly sending people links to products on our website. I’ll get an email from the ‘contact us’ form that asks what kind of guitar straps we have, and rather than spend 20 minutes draft- ing an email telling them what kind of guitar straps we sell, I can send them a link to the guitar straps on our website.” — Kevin Damm, Owner, Damm Music Center CREATE AN EXPERIENCE. “Make sure your products have well- written descriptions, plenty of images and close-up details, and, if possible, try and have some video demonstra- tions, either ones you’ve produced yourself or links to ones provided by manufacturers or trusted reviewers. If your site has the option, consider a plug-in where a customer can click or tap on an icon to ask a question to someone in real-time.” — Bill Steppan, Technical Trainer, Tri-Tech Solutions MAKE YOUR SITE ACTIONABLE. “Make functions as actionable as possible. Don’t just list your phone number, make it a button that shop- pers can click to call or a button they can click to lead to an email. Be sure those kinds of things are integrated.” — Sharalaina Piro-Rael, owner, J Sharp Music 3 MI WEBSITES MUST-HAVES MI retailers and website experts share their web essentials.
46 I MUSIC INC. I SEPTEMBER 2024
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