Snowlines

Retailing mostly in the diverse areas of running and winter sports, Snowlines established an Edinburgh high street shop in 1999. The ecommerce site, launched in summer 2000, now helps it to sell across Europe, particularly in Scandinavia. The internet has increased business by about 40%, with the web accounting for around 25% of the present £600,000+ turnover.

From the start MD, Colin McPhail saw the need to integrate the EPOS Top to Toe system with the ecommerce site running on Actinic Catalog. He commissioned an interface program, NorCat, that means he only has to keep one database up-to-date and not two. Synchronising the stock data and the web database with a single keystroke takes the computers 10 minutes a day.

Sales of winter sports and running equipment are 50:50 but the average order values are very different at £150 and £15 respectively, and it is the trainers and other running gear which are the core market year round. Ways Colin has differentiated his site are by keeping records of each customer's shoe requirements and including links with physiotherapists and a podiatrist. It seems to be working and he's also promoting a separate domain, www.marathonrunning.co.uk that's easier to remember.

A big issue facing Snowlines was how to get rid of old lines to make room for new stock. Colin found an easy answer in online auctions and now has to process 20-30 orders a day. However, often the only profit he makes on these bargains is in the P&P, so this avenue won't be replacing his dedicated web store for current lines.

Website: www.snowlines.co.uk Location: Edinburgh.

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