Should Every Retail Outfit Have A Webpage?

Kaz Riprock asks: "A few months ago, I was looking for a store where I could purchase AbraCabubble, a hard candy with gum center made by Brach's. I figured most manufacturers have a website with product locator and the closest store to me with Brach's bulk candy would do. After an hour or two probing the web with Google (like you needed the link), I was only able to come up with a few stock projections. This was amazing to me, because when I set out to find even the most obscure facts on the web, I usually don't come back quite so empty-handed, especially when looking for a presence for the third largest candy manufacturer in the US. Since then, they've put up a website. It's true that a business could get by without a web presence in this day and age, but what's the likelihood? What's the largest business that you sought lately to find an official page on and came up without anything to show for your efforts? Have they since come around and put a page up? I think it'd be interesting to keep a page (or even use this article) of companies that you should not expect to find a page on, so that at the very least, you'd find that page and know to stop looking. Thoughts?"

Comments

Re:Accessibility

[sporty]

You forgot to bold one other word. should. It depends on whether or not the company sees an advantage of putting up a site. Does it generate revenue or is it a waste?

Poor Websites

[hackwrench]

Except most businesses these days implement their websites so poorly. I want to be able to see the inventory of my local stores on the web and comparison shop so I don't have to run around, but no stores do that.

Essential

[redshift-systems]

I think it is essential if you are any type of business to have a website. it would be myopic to think that just because you are not an internet savvy person yourself that others would not find a website useful. As a developer, I commonly come up against the internet nay-sayers, who just don't see its benefits. Or, which may even be worse, ask for things that they think is useful but just fail to understand their potential visitor. Even if it is simply an online brichure with contact details and an about us page, they can be a useful point of contact. And of course for b2b or ecommerce, well say no more, it is absolutely essential to have a web presence to attract more business.

Re:McBaby

[gmhowell]

I seriously hope there are better arguments than this. The libel issue is the only one I saw of particular interest. An especially amusing item on the site: the Golden Arches are more recognizable than the Christian Cross. Yeah? So? Why would a Jew/Muslim/atheist/Hindu/etc/etc/etc care about a Christian Cross?