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Published on 08/18/1999 All articles from this issue

Net Worthy?

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By Leslie K. Martin

Special to the Town Crier

Local retailers mull Internet investments for greater exposure

Eight out of the 10 Los Altos merchants informally surveyed said they did not have a Web site. Four owners are considering the possibility, and two are currently having sites designed. Only two of the 10 merchants already have Web sites, and one of those is disappointed with its site, designed, "at great expense," by an outside consultant.

This may seem like surprising responses from a Silicon Valley town. A casual Web search for Los Altos, Cupertino, and Campbell Web sites resulted in 10 listings for small businesses.

While the Los Altos merchants surveyed seemed to agree that having a Web site is a potentially good advertising source and a convenient format for educating customers about their business, they aren't eager to take their business online.

"I wouldn't know where to start," said Shoko, of Shoko of Los Altos, an apparel shop on Main Street. Caution and a "show-me" attitude prevail. Reasons for not posting a Web site are numerous.

"It's a dilemma," said Soph Vitakis of the Rancho Bottle Shop on Main Street. "Is the expense justified? What are the returns?"

A jeweler worries that his photographed designs might be stolen. An artist wonders how she'd pack and ship breakable pieces to distant online customers.

Three shopkeepers mention the need for guaranteeing quality and service, and point out that customers who shop in person get to see what they're buying.

A chef considers his Web site a medium success. While people visit the site to view menus and the wine list, he has no way to correlate the number of patrons eating in his restaurant to the number of people who browse his site.

On the other hand, the Knights, owners of Patrician Antiques, are happy with their 4-year-old Web site. They sell 18th-century porcelain. Patricia Knight said the Web site allows them to "find collectors for our specialty market throughout a wider geographical range."

But for most of the retailers interviewed, the Internet has a way to go in proving its net worth to small business owners.