1.    What is eCommerce?

Simply put, eCommerce is the ability to SELL your product directly to your customer through the Internet. You DO NOT NEED to have the product on your floor and you DO NOT NEED a credit line with your manufacturer in order to sell your product since the customer pays for the transaction immediately with their credit card.

2.    How much will my website cost?
Renaissance can provide you a fully operational eCommerce site that includes the ability to ship nationwide for as little as $169 per month. For this low monthly price, you have the capability to sell product from a single manufacturer’s catalog. Additional manufacturer catalogs are available to match your stores “brick and mortar” floor plan. For an additional $40 per month, you can have the ability to sell up to five (5) manufacturer catalogs on your eCommerce website.

Monthly Payments to start at the end of the first month

3.    Why does eCommerce matter?
As furniture sales on the internet soar past $6 BILLION annually just in America alone, it has become apparent that a strong web presence is crucial for you to survive as well as thrive in this economy. It is becoming more difficult without an eCommerce website to be taken seriously by the new Internet generation customer. For example, imagine your customer coming into your store and wanting to buy a product. Now imagine having to tell that same customer that they CAN NOT purchase that  product at this location or even worse that they must go next door to the bank to complete his or her purchase. It seems unthinkable, but this happens every day when a potential customer visits a retailer’s website and sees a site that has no eCommerce capabilities or relies on PayPal or another similar service.

4.    How will customers find my site?
The same way you got them to find your store…by marketing your website location! Renaissance is a professional marketing firm that has invaluable furniture knowledge and experience when it comes to selling your product. This knowledge is available to you to help make your website as profitable as possible for you. To avoid costly use of Google “Pay Per Click” monthly fees, the program includes promotional material and email marketing to help drive customers to your website. You must always remember that we are partners and part of our ability to drive customers will be defined by your commitment to support your site.

5.    What products are available?
Renaissance offers the product catalogs for a number of major manufacturers and we add more everyday. We will discuss the manufacturer catalogs we have available when we discuss your site. In addition, we can easily carry any product that you want to market as long as you can provide us with a clear image that can be presented on the Internet. By the way, this is your chance to tell us any other manufacturers that you would like us to catalog for your site…and we will try to get them for you!

6.    Do I need to carry all these products on my floor?
No…Many of these manufacturers have put procedures in place to “drop-ship” their product which is when the Internet order is shipped directly from the manufacturer’s warehouse to the customer without the need for the retailer to be involved in the delivery. If the manufacturer is not prepared for drop-shipping, the ordered product will be shipped to a location of your choice and you will be able to choose from a number of delivery options to complete the shipment.

7.    Can I add more products?
Absolutely, you can add any product that you currently carry if you have an image of it. We will be more than happy to add it to your site with full eCommerce capabilities. We have a small, one-time set up fee for material preparation. Let’s talk about it!

8.    How is the product presented?
The site will display your product by category or brand. The categories selected are generic for the industry (bedrooms, dining rooms, etc.) and do not differentiate by brand. Although we would prefer not to display your furniture by brand, we must be aware that some of your customers are looking for a specific piece. Regardless of our preferences, we must always remember that our goal is to SELL your furniture. All images and copy have been designed to make full use of existing market research of how successful retail business is accomplished on the Internet for the furniture industry.

9.    Can I set my own pricing?
Yes! You set a percentage markup above cost and we will apply that markup across the board for all products. Some manufacturers have what is called “IMAP” which stands for Internet Minimum Approved Pricing. We also have a Specials section on each site where you can set prices for individual items or set special pricing for a short period of time.

10.    Can I have exclusive products or product lines?
The exclusivity of your product will generally follow the arrangement that you have made in your “brick and mortar” store with your manufacturer. Remember that there are no physical borders on the web. For example, you may have exclusivity in your state, but your manufacturer may have 49 similar arrangements throughout the country. If a search on Internet for the product is made on Google, then all fifty retailers that thought they had exclusivity will show up in Google’s results.

11.    How can I differentiate my site from other sites?
Renaissance offers well over 100 professionally designed templates for you to choose from. Each of these templates is further individualized toward your brand name at no additional cost. Sections include the addition of your logo (or we can design a new logo for a small additional fee), and separate pages for your location, directions (including Google Map capabilities), About Us and Contact Us. You can also use the banner and sidebar ads as customized graphics to showcase special offers and promotions within your site or store location. The ways to set yourself apart are only limited by your imagination.

12.    Can I request special customization for my site?
Of course you can! At the end of the day, this is your website for your retail store. If you have ideas of how you would like your site to work, we will do everything we can to make it happen.

13.    Can I run special promotions through the site?
Yes! Once again, this is your website. We will find a way to implement any special promotion you can imagine. We currently have a few tricks in place that we can talk to you about to help your website sell your product!

14.    How will orders be shipped?
We have a variety of shipping options. You have the option of creating a local shipping area around your “brick and mortar” store. This would give you complete control over any deliveries in that area. Any deliveries outside of your local shipping area will be shipped via FedEx, UPS, or LTL shipper depending on the packaging and weight of your product sold. If the product is available for a drop-shipment, the carrier will pick-up and deliver directly from the manufacturer’s warehouse to your customer. If the product is not available for a drop-shipment, the product will be shipped to a location of your choice and then shipped via the appropriate carrier to your customer. If you do not want to have a local shipping area, all Internet orders will be handled by our national LTL service! All deliveries are made on an “over-the-threshold” basis with White Glove service available for an extra fee.

15.    How are damages handled?
Internet customers are accustomed to the policy we have in place as it is standard for the Internet. The quality of packaging, prior inspection performed by the manufacturer and the level of damage dictate what happens next. If a product is completely unusable and there is no visible damage to the packaging, the manufacturer is responsible and has procedures in place to handle such an event. If there is visible damage to the packaging, the shipper is responsible. For minor dents and dings, we are negotiating with a nationwide service that will repair the damage. The cost of such a service will be borne by the manufacturer. The nationwide claim rate for furniture is under 2%. We anticipate that the claim rate for this program will be below the national rate because of the quality of the manufacturers selected and the safety records of the carriers selected. Again, Internet customers are used to these types of policies

16.    How am I paid for the orders?
Wells Fargo Bank will reconcile all transactions on a weekly basis. A complete transaction report and amounts owed to all vendors will be distributed via electronic check at the close of business each Friday. The amounts owed will be based on charges actually clearing before Friday’s close of business, which in most cases will still be in advance of the merchandise shipping to the customer.

17.    How does sales tax work for Internet sales?
Generally speaking, you are responsible for sales tax on any purchase delivered to a customer within a state in which you have a physical location. A physical location may mean a “brick and mortar” store, a warehouse, or even the use of the retailer’s trucks to deliver product within the state, among other things. For these purchases, your web site will add the applicable sales tax to the purchase price. You will still be responsible for accounting for the sales tax and remitting payment to the state. For Internet sales being delivered to a state where you have no physical location, it is your customer’s responsibility to pay the appropriate use tax to the state. You will need to inform us with any states that you are required to collect sales tax and the applicable rates. Please consult with your tax professional.

18.    Who maintains the website?
We perform all maintenance and technical support at no additional cost. You may also request administrative access to the website and perform some of the maintenance work yourself. Administrative access will allow you or your employees to add informational pages, change prices for your Specials, upload or change banners and sidebar ads, and much more. This can be a combined effort to get the best results (SALES) from you website!

19.    How is customer service handled?
You may list your store’s existing customer service telephone number and email address on the website and handle customer service through your store. Or you may utilize our customer service program which will provide your customers with a toll-free number available 20 hours per day and 7 days per week. The remaining 4 hours is used for daily updates to the eCommerce sites and will be scheduled for the least active time of the day.

20.    Do you offer any warranties?
We will be implementing a professional warranty policy offered by one of the leaders in the industry in the near future. Such a warranty will be offered to your customer at checkout for an additional charge. All manufacturers involved will maintain their existing warranties.

21.    What if Renaissance does not carry a manufacturer’s catalog that I would like on my website?
We are constantly adding manufacturer’s catalogs. Since the eCommerce Web Solution® requires daily inventory updates, we have specific needs from the manufacturer. If you can initiate the process by stating your desire, we will contact your manufacturer on your behalf to get their product on your website. Once the catalog is complete we will add it to your website free of charge.