StageTwoStrategies: Look In The Attic

Location: Ypsilanti Description: Look In The Attic is an online retailer of vintage and antique reproduction hardware for doors, lamps and other household items. President: John Coleman Founded: 1997 Employees: 10 Revenue: $1.1 million in 2009, projected $1.3 million in 2010. Problem to be solved: Look In The Attic receives daily calls via its toll-free assistance line about the products it sells. For instance, a customer want-ing to buy a fluted passage crystal door knob set with a tubular latch may want to know whether the attachment bolt is removable or part of the assembly. For this, he'd call the assistance line. John Coleman, president, said one out of 10 customers call with questions about the products. But online shoppers make decisions quickly, and this left Coleman wondering if others with the same questions simply moved on to a competitor. Look In The Attic began tracking customer questions and quickly realized that the problem was related to stock photographs provided by manufacturers. “Stock photographs don't show everything the customer needs to know,” Coleman said. “All of the questions customers had could all have been answered easily and quickly with the proper photographs.” Solution: Coleman built a 8-by-10-foot photography studio at the company's Ypsilanti location and hired a staff photographer to shoot all of the retailer's products. “We felt we had to rebuild what customers wanted to see,” he said. “I feel it's more important that a photo of a product answers the customer's questions rather than displaying it in the best light (like the manufacturer does).” Look In The Attic has seen a 15 percent increase in sales on the products it has photographed in house. There's also been a decrease in customer questions, Coleman said. Risks: The initial studio investment was $25,000. Coleman worried that he would build it and hire a staff photographer, but customers would still have the same questions. “We were investing a lot of time and money and people into this project,” he said. “What if we weren't able to answer the right questions?” Expert opinion: Paul Bensman, president of Southfield-based retail consulting firm Details in Retail Inc., said consumers are driven by information in today's market. “They want all of the information possible at their fingertips,” he said. “It's a world of information, and we're not just in the sales business anymore.” Attic made the right move in photographing the products in house, but Bensman suggested the company use video and 3D imaging to further its service. “It's all about informing your customer,” he said. “If your customer can see how it's installed and almost feel the product, they'll be more apt to buy it.” Retailers in niche markets, like Look In The Attic, are beginning to grow, he said. Further online investment will facilitate growth and create larger market share. “Everyone under the age of 35 uses Google as their Yellow Pages,” he said. “When the customer is comfortable with the information and product, sales are made,” he said. “Web sites are the heart of small niche retailers, and marketing their products effectively online is key.”