We received a quote from a web agency for $18k, Web123 was only $2k!

Tell us about your business….

The Gallery specialises in high quality modern Australian country-style furniture. We have a large retail store in the centre of Wagga Wagga with everything from couches and dining tables to small gifts, as well as unique imported furniture. Our customers are a mix of people who come from the local area and visitors to the region.

…and your old website

We always had a website, but it was only used for sharing basic business information. It was built by our advertising agency and it was really difficult to make changes to it.

I went to a free seminar run by Wagga City Council on websites and that really opened my eyes to everything that was wrong with ours. For example, our old website was built in Flash which meant that search engines weren’t able to find us easily. After that we knew we really had to do something urgently!

What made you choose Web123?

We received a quote from a web development agency based in Melbourne for $18,000 and then met with Bianca – who was local which was a great bonus – and the Web123 quote was only $2,000 so how could we compare!

The truth now…was it hard to build your own website?!

We started the process in June this year and I set myself a deadline to finish by the end of July, which I didn’t quite hit but I was close. The Web123 system itself is really easy to use – it’s fantastic and so easy to navigate through.

I wanted to be sure that in three clicks a client could make a purchase and was initially much more concerned about useability than the look. So I spent four weeks in research and planning, two weeks photographing and pricing all our products then got started on building the website itself.

It took some time to work out the best structure and operation for the online shopping and how to deal with freight charges but I took the time to make sure we got it right from the outset. The Web123 team was a really big help in making all that work and whereas I was previously limited in my ability to update content about products and so on, now it’s all in my control and is fast and easy.

How has your new website improved your business?
 

In the two months since the new website launched, we achieved 2,500 visitors in total and 15,000 page visits. We’ve also had lots of calls from people who’ve seen products they want on the website and one large completely online sale, plus we’ve increased the number of people joining our mailing list.

One of our most exciting sales that the website generated was an order for 80 lanterns to be sent to Japan which we’ve just shipped. We’ve also sold two dining tables and lounges from the website. It’s been a great test because I wasn’t sure how selling furniture online would go – especially pieces such as lounges where people want to know what it’s like to sit on – but it’s definitely creating lots of interest.

How would you describe working with Web123?

Fantastic! It’s been a very positive experience; they are so accommodating. They were happy to work with me to make the site meet my needs and spent more time than they should have helping. It’s a great service.

What would you say to a business thinking about building a Web123 website?

Just do it. I don’t think there’s anybody that touches Web123 for value, ease of use and great designs. It’s quite a daunting task to build a website but they made it easy.