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Since starting at Butterfly Books in July, Mike Thron has
turned the store's dead-end page into an interactive site that allow customers to shop around the clock.
Why Butterfly Books needed the
Internet
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By Nick Wood
When Butterfly Books launched its web site in December, there were no illusions about the Internet transforming
their small children's book shop at 118 N. Broadway, De Pere, into the next Amazon.com.
In fact, a zip code analysis shows most of the store's regular customers live within 25 miles of the store, and
they don't expect the Internet to change that.
"The purpose of our web site," said Mike Thron, who initiated Butterfly Books' launch into cyberspace
shortly after retiring in June 1999 as an English professor at UW-Green Bay, "is to extend the store into
the Internet, rather than become an Internet bookstore."
Opened by Karen and Bud Gaston in 1991, Butterfly Books is one of three independent bookstores in the area. Unlike
national book store chains such as B. Dalton or Internet sellers such as Amazon.com, most independent shops find
a niche children's books in Butterfly's case and develop a loyal following. What they lack in huge
inventories and discount prices, the independents make up for in personal customer service and expert advice. But
now the Internet provides an opportunity to have it all.
Recently Butterfly joined BookSense, a organization of 1,500 independent bookstores nationwide. For a monthly hosting
fee, Butterfly and other independents are able to connect their web pages directly to the association's search
engine, which has a database of more than 500,000 titles.
Now Butterfly's customers can go to the web site, search a vast database by title, author, subject or serial number,
and order the book online.
Returning customers who already have their payment information stored at the Butterfly site can click a button
and have the book shipped directly to a home address. During their "shopping trip," customers can also
check out the latest news from Butterfly Books, such as upcoming book signings or releases; they can click on a
list of the staff's favorite titles; or they can send an email message to the store asking for a list of good St.
Patrick's Day books for second graders.
The email service also allows customers who are either not comfortable buying online or looking for a better price
to send a note with their order saying they'll stop in at noon Friday to pick up the book and pay for it.
"Service is still our niche, but the real advantage is if they pick up the book in the store," Thron
said, noting that Internet purchases aren't charged state or local sales taxes. "We can't compete with a Barnes
& Noble or an Amazon on price alone, but if (customers) pick up the book in the store and there's no shipping
charge, we're just about the same on price.
Some books come in a little higher; some are a little lower, but really they're pretty close."
So although visitors from around the world can visit www.butterflybooks.com, the site is there to serve the customer
in Denmark the village, not Denmark the country.
"Our market, we hope, will be people who are familiar with Butterfly Books," Thron said.
One of the biggest challenges since going live with the web page has been getting the word out to customers. In-store
flyers announce the site's address and offer a 15 percent discount on the first web order. And an Internet computer
station dialed into Butterfly's site enjoys a prominent location in the center of the store as a
comfortable way for
customers to check out the site and ask questions.
So far Internet orders have not generated huge numbers for Butterfly. In fact the site has not yet generated enough
sales to break even with the monthly hosting cost. But it's only been two months.
"We know it will be slow at first until we're well known with our loyal customers, but we expect slowly but
surely people will find us," Thron said. "(Being on the Web) is something we have to do. It's an investment
in the future rather than in an immediate payback." |
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