ProStores helps PeppyParents.com start their business on a budget
Setting up the basics of our store was really easy: we could have been ready to go off the bat in ten hours if I didn't go in and customize the code.
Eric Mindel, Owner of www.peppyparents.com
PeppyParents.com launches their dream business with ProStores
Eric and Heather Mindel had just had their second child, and wanted to start a business that would give them more flexibility and let them spend more time with their kids. Their experiences as parents led them to the perfect business concept to achieve their dream and help other busy parents. They launched PeppyParents.com, their ProStores Web store, in late May of 2007, selling strollers, child carriers, and many other carefully selected products that make life easier for parents and kids alike. Eric Mindel shares their company philosophy: "We carry the best options at different price points. Rather than offering entirelines from dozens of manufacturers, we only select the products we think are the best. Parenthood is a busy time. When customers shop with us, they can be confident that we've done the groundwork to select the choices they're most likely to be happy with."
A great combination of flexibility and ease
Eric has a technical background, so he and his wife wanted a Web store that let him put his skills to use without reinventing the wheel. ProStores had the perfect combination of simplicity and flexibility he was looking for. "Setting up the basics of our store was really easy: we could have been ready to go off the bat in ten hours if I didn't go in and customize the code for exactly what we were wanting," says Eric. "I like that all the templates are ready to go, but you also have the flexibility to get into the source code and change or customize almost anything you want. Whenever I had questions, I was always able to get through to tech support right away to get the answers I needed. The discussion boards have been a great help as well."
Search Engine Optimization tools boost rankings fast
Eric knows the value of high natural search rankings from professional experience, so finding a Web store solution that let him maximize exposure was a top priority. "The tools for Search Engine Optimization are great," says Eric. "I have done work in Search Engine Optimization, and ProStores has the advanced functionality to let me make the most of that. I'm really happy that Yahoo and Google have fully indexed our sites and we were appearing in search results after only 6 weeks. After only three months, half our products appear on the first page of Google search results, and a few are in the number one or two position!"
Simplicity, value and easy integration make ProStores the best choice
Starting a new business is a major undertaking, and can represent a big investment of time and money. The Mindels wanted to minimize their risk and maximize their options. ProStores offered an appealing mix of ease, opportunity, and value. "We did a comparison of the various Web store options out there. We chose ProStores for the ease of setup and ease of integration with PayPal - and with eBay in case we decide to open an eBay Store later. We also liked that ProStores synchs with QuickBooks, which can save a lot of time and hassle. ProStores made the best financial sense for us as well. I estimate that ProStores has saved us about $50,000, when you look at what it would have cost to create this website from scratch. It's been invaluable to be able to pay just $75 a month and have all this as a starting place."
A bright future for PeppyParents.com
PeppyParents.com is at the beginning stages of what they hope will be a successful business, and things are starting out great. "Our first full month of sales was in June 2007," says Eric, "and we beat our sales projections by eightfold. Then we saw a whopping 60% growth in our second month and a remarkable 40% growth in our third month. We hit our break-even point many months sooner than expected. We anticipate we'll be upgrading to Enterprise when the time is right. We're very satisfied with ProStores so far, and would recommend it to anyone."
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