http://NorthOttoTractorParts.Com
Dave Kempisty, owner of North Otto Tractor Parts, wasn’t sure what to do with the Internet. After regular in-person meetings (I love old tractors) and development, we answered that question. We started with a brochure site with a “Restoration Blog” to show off his work.
But the real dilemna was using the web to market his entire product line. An affiliate link to one of his two major suppliers was a nominal start, but he wanted his site to be found for all the products available to him through his other main supplier. Realizing it was too much work to upkeep many thousands of prices and inventory online, and knowing the strength of his business is in consulting with customers on the phone about what parts they actually need, we had a solution. Instead of an e-commerce-capable shopping cart, we set up ZenCart with the purchase, inventory, and price options turned off. Our partner, Aspire Technology Solutions, integrated a database provided by the supplier to avoid manual data entry, needing only a few minor adjustments thereafter.
With the affiliate program, we decided to set up fire-and-forget sales with a 1-month AdWords campaign going to a target page that linked to specific items on the affiliate site. Targeting “Tractor Seats” and “Kubota Tractor Seats”, a problem occurred. The global supplier handling fulfillment ended up running out of some of the items in part from the inflow of purchases through North Otto Tractor Parts, who made their money back anyway. What a problem to have!