Testimonials

Boots Online

A Melbourne retailer has turned his shop full of RM Williams boots into a global business and is sending his products to more than 50 countries.

Back in 1995, retailer Barry Michaels thought the Internet was a just a lot of hype. However, he changed his mind after a colleague told him that any business that wasn't represented on the Internet in three years would be out of business in five.

At that stage, Barry's store The Stitching Horse Bootery was full of RM Williams boots, which were common in Australia but relatively unique throughout the rest of the world. "Immediately I recognised that I had the attributes of a global business," he says.

Barry chose the name BootsOnline and quickly launched an Internet site. He was among the early entrants in Australia's on-line retailing and believes this helped him learn some valuable lessons. Today's website is a lot more sophisticated than the early version, although Barry says that he still keeps it as easy as possible for shoppers to make purchases. One of the biggest changes to the site is the addition of new items. Barry has also started selling via eBay.

BootsOnline customers come from all parts of the world, with RM Williams boots, Akubra hats and moleskin pants topping the most popular items list. Placing miniature jars of vegemite in special orders has helped BootsOnline promote its Australian roots. "We just have to tell the customers that it's not boot polish," says Barry.
While the USA and United Kingdom generate the most orders, Barry says he has sent to more than 50 countries. Expatriate Australians are big purchasers as well.

"One of the most unusual on-line purchases I received was from a sailor on a seismic vessel placing an order to reach his home in Norway." Being confident that his goods will reach their destination on time and safely are the reasons Barry selected Australia Post's Express Courier International service.

Express Courier International is Australia Post's cost-effective international courier service designed to meet the unique needs of Australian small to medium sized businesses.
The ability to track the order is one of the big attractions for Barry. "It's also an interactive service enabling us to e-mail consignment details to the customer. This gives them extra confidence in the delivery." According to Barry, he has been delighted with Express Courier International. "It's a lot cheaper than other comparative international courier services and it is very easy to lodge."

For more information visit www.bootsonline.com

Vet Shop Online

As its moniker suggests, VetShopOnline takes the waiting out of waiting rooms, with a virtual alternative for the furry, feral and feathered.

The Internet was fairly new "and websites such as eBay and Amazon were just beginning to garner media attention" when Mark Perissinotto and his brother Steven decided to launch their own online venture.

Given Mark's background as a veterinarian in private practice on Queensland's Sunshine Coast, the men decided to concentrate on pet supplies "because busy people in a busy world still want to be able to care for their animals properly".

As Mark goes on to explain, the site, which sells items such as flea and tick treatments, heartworm treatments and shampoos, began as an adjunct to their vet clinic. "I continued to work in both businesses in the early years, often clocking up 70-hour weeks. As the demand for on-line pet supplies grew, I left the clinic to work full-time on VetShopOnline." It proved a savvy decision: today VetShopOnline boasts 84,000 regular customers. Selling direct to the pet owner, the business employs fully qualified, practising veterinarians who, Mark says, "carefully select all the animal health products we sell to ensure customers are getting only the best supplies for their animals. We never sell anything we wouldn't use on our own pets!" VetShopOnline currently ships to approximately 30 different countries, with the majority of orders going to the US and Japan and within Australia.

Considering that 10,000 orders are processed on average every month, Mark says VetShopOnline needed a business partner "large enough and experienced enough to handle the logistics. We found this in Australia Post. We use domestic and international services, including Parcel Post, Express Courier International and eParcel. Australia Post also supplies us with the majority of our packaging supplies and stationery.

"I'd have to say we've had a positive experience to date with Australia Post.
We work closely with our account manager Jason Moyce, Product Manager Maxine Cleary and Sales and Customer Relations Manager Sandra Webster. They know our business and have offered us many solutions to get our products to our customers quickly and economically."

For more information visit www.vetshoponline.com.au