Small local retailers have been at a disadvantage since the Internet changed the way the world shops. The little store around the corner could not compete online with national retailers, but eBay’s recent acquisition of local search engine Milo may level the playing field in the near future.
David Ramadge, head of small and medium business development at eBay and vice president of sales and marketing for Milo.com, says the parent company wants to put every product on every shelf in every store on the Internet. “Small and medium-sized businesses can benefit most from Milo because they don’t always have the money to invest in complicated technical solutions,” he says.
The first step in connecting independent retailers with shoppers is a free beta plug-in called Fetch. After a one-time, three-step installation process, retailers can upload their local inventory to be shared online with real-time availability. Fetch software automatically updates inventory through the POS.
San Francisco-based Honeys & Heroes, a trendy baby and children’s boutique, has been using Milo/Fetch since March. Honeys & Heroes “didn’t have to touch it — it runs itself,” says Alanna Klein, who opened the store after stints as a children’s buyer for Macy’s, Old Navy and Gap.
There was an extra challenge for Fetch where Honeys & Heroes was concerned. “We create our own UPCs rather than use the ones bigger retailers use,” Klein says. With a tweak or two, Milo/Fetch was able to use these unique UPCs to upload and track the boutique’s inventory.
Millions of eyeballs
Shoppers can pull up Milo’s local search results on their mobile phones. Results also appear on eBay and several partner sites, including RedLaser, PriceGrabber and Yellowbook.com. All help drive traffic to retailer websites and bricks-and-mortar stores.
Milo also attempts to convince shoppers researching products on the Internet to make purchases in physical stores, Ramadge says.
There is no limitation on the type of retail, though Milo is not currently able to handle retailers who sell services or fresh produce.
A small electronics retailer in Kentucky joined forces with Milo and “appreciated the ease of set up,” Ramadge says. “Within 30 minutes of installing the system, he saw his products on Milo and eBay — he never dreamed he’d get that exposure.”
QuickBooks POS is the most-installed system among small and medium-sized sellers, Ramadge says, but testing of Milo with other POS systems is underway and the list of compatible systems “will keep increasing the rest of 2011.”
Integration of retailer products with the eBay website is currently managed through “Garden by eBay,” an area where users try out new eBay features. Access to retailer products through eBay’s general site will be rolled out in time for the holidays, Ramadge says.
The “big takeaway” for retailers, he says, is that Milo “is the first truly easy way for smaller merchants to get their inventory on the Internet and in front of millions of eyeballs.”