The World Wide Web turned 20 years old in 2010, but many flea market managers and vendors seem trapped in the ’80s when it comes to the Internet. ER Graphics, an established design company, is now addressing the needs of flea market and swap meet professionals with new packages and services tailored specifically for them. “The company has been making Web sites for about six years,” says regional sales manager Heather Hill, “but Web sites for flea markets are something new that we are getting into.”
A Web site is essential these days, according to Hill, because people search for and expect to find information about your business online. “People want to know who is going to be at the flea market; they want to know exactly how to get to the flea market; and they want to know what kinds of items they will be able to purchase while they are there. They want information prior to getting there.”
But it is not just shoppers. Flea markets need to offer information for vendors. ER Graphics makes sure that its flea market sites include vendor application forms, booth sizes and configurations, and info on deadlines. “We make it a tool for the vendors and for the customers that are coming in as well,” says Hill.
What’s more, she says flea markets can convince vendors to rent spaces by also offering virtual space. ER Graphics strongly suggests that flea market sites include a directory of all the vendors in the market, with vendor name, phone number, Web site, and e-mail information. “That way the consumer can reach the vendor during the flea market or after the market.”
And Hill says this offers a compelling added value. “A flea market manager can say, ‘You’re going to not only get a space in the market, but you’re going to get a Web presence, too.’ ”
Even that’s not enough for many people who sell at flea markets and swap meets, and for them, ER Graphics has an answer. A lot of vendors do need Web sites and use them to offer product information away from their booths, and even to sell over the Internet. “They can have a storefront on the Web. And they can also go to the flea market,” says Hill. “The businesses that are succeeding in this economy have a Web presence as well as a physical location. They need both.”
Hill has some concrete advice for businesses establishing themselves online. “Keep it simple. Customers need to be able to navigate through a Web site very easily.”
“If you are looking for a commerce site, selling items online, you want to make sure that you’re are dealing with a Web site company that owns its own secure servers. We just recently spent a very large amount of money to purchase our own,” she says. “That is extremely important, because you are dealing with your customers’ credit card information, their personal information, and you do not want someone to be able to hack in and steal your customers’ identities.”
Bill Stine, owner of the Muskingum Valley Trade Days swap meet, is quite satisfied with ER Graphics. “They’ve done a good job putting me up on the Web. The site has only been up since March, but we’ve already had six or seven hundred hits on it.”
Although ER Graphics has special deals for any business, the company is offering particular Web site offerings designed for flea market customers. “We have some packages available for them that have the directory. That’s a very important part of a flea market Web site,” says Hill. “We’ll design a Web site for almost any budget.”
For more information, contact:
ER Graphics
45 W. Main St
McConnelsville, OH 43756
Tel.: 740-962-6899
Fax: 740-962-3852
www.ergraphics.com