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Company: Kahua Music
Project: Kahua Music Online
Dates: Jul 2006 to Dec 2007
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How did the project start?
Kahua Music began as record store in Middlesbrough in July 2005 with a small associated website that received hardly any orders and looked unprofessional. We soon realised that we needed to reach a much larger audience that stretched further than the Teesside region and, after securing a grant from Business Link, we began working on a new website in conjunction with Visualsoft UK Ltd in the middle of 2006.
What options did you consider?
Our initial option (based on only having a small budget) was to simply improve our existing site but giving it a fresher entrance page, improved search engine optimisation and improved checkout pages. We ultimately decided however, that a complete redevelopment of both the front and back end of the website was the best option as it would greatly improve the appearance and usability of the website for customers, the back end administration options and allow for the future development. We also considered developing a more "community" focussed site with more options for public discussion and interaction, but considered that this would potentially clutter the main focus of an e-commerce site.
What help and expertise did you receive?
Our website was developed by Visualsoft UK Ltd who have assisted in every stage of the project. We initially visited them with a vague proposal which they helped to turn into something much more robust. At the outset Visualsoft were able to help guide us in seeking a grant from Business Link, who also helped us in terms of advice on what funding was available, and ultimately they assisted in paying for the website with a 60% contribution of the total cost.
Did you face any challenges or learn any lessons?
The main lessons that we have learnt are the importance of focussing the site and its functions towards the user and recognising that different customer groups have different requirements. A particular challenge we faced was providing sample sound clips for all of our music products. Initially, we provided only one long soundclip for each release, comprised of every track recorded sequentially. However, we found that this was slow to load and time-consuming for those customers only interested in hearing a specific track. We therefore decided to offer individual soundclips for every track. This actually resulted in some existing customers questioning why we had removed the long soundclip which they had preferred, and we subsequently decided to use both methods on the site.
What are the outcomes and how has it improved your business?
After developing the new website and continuing to invest in further development, our monthly turnover from online sales has grown to approximately 30% of total turnover (previously it was 2%) and continues to increase. Through development of the site we are now able to sell on five separate marketplaces (direct feeds to Ebay and Froogle and text feeds to 3 specific music marketplaces) in addition to our core website kahuamusic.com. Overall, the use of internet technology has meant that we have been able to grow the business beyond what would have been capable in a physical shop only; without the new website we may have had to cease trading by now.
What are your plans for the future?
We have several areas where we would like to develop the website further:
* Customer 'interest areas' whereby they can receive detailed updates on new products specific to their interest areas;
* International Ebay sales. Currently the synchronization between our website and Ebay only allows for Ebay sales within the UK. We would like to expand this to worldwide;
* Improved customer notification systems - for example a customer can opt to receive information when a certain artist or record label release a new product. They would then be emailed automatically when a new product came into stock;
* Live customer interaction whereby live support is available through the website to deal with queries and requests.
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