Description: Bear Woods Supply provides clock parts, dowels and wooden craft supplies to a broad range of customers worldwide.  Stephen from Bear Woods Supply states, “We have been serving woodworkers and craftspeople for over thirty years and are proud to support local schools’ wood shop programs as well as charitable efforts of as many artisans that come our way.

Under new ownership since 2015, Bear Woods consistently adds new products, while letting others fall away, with the aim of staying relevant to the customers that rely on us to supply items that often are difficult to source locally.  With a commitment to competitive pricing, woodworkers can count on Bear Woods for volume discounts and fair prices.  Bear Woods is supported by a growing team of fantastic individuals – our customers often rave about our phone support, fast shipping, and dedication to quality service.”

Technologies Used: Stephen continued, “Bear Woods Supply uses ShopSite and has been delighted with the fantastic support provided by LexiConn, our ShopSite hosting and support provider.  We are continually impressed with how quickly the team provides support; even when we change URLs and want a redirect installed, it is normally done within moments.  Inside ShopSite, we use the reviews module and wishlist, as well as customer registration to assist the shopping experience.  We use GeoTrust as our SSL provider, and have leveraged the PayPal system into our Shopping Cart to bring convenience and credibility to shoppers.  Bear Woods also integrated Comm100 LiveChat, which is frequently used for customer interactions.

Our partners at Digital Design Solutions have helped us to deploy custom, mobile friendly templates which we continually refine to stay current with design and usability technologies.  We have also partnered with RevLocal to assist us with newsletters, Google Adwords, and Facebook advertising.  These partnerships have required a steady investment, but are paying off by exposing our fantastic lineup of products to new customers.”

Advice / Tips: Stephen finished, “Continuous investment is necessary for online retailing.  The old maxim “Location, Location, Location” still applies but it is your location with respect to search engines that makes the difference.  Once people are ‘inside’ the virtual store, the goal is to make it easy for them to find what they’re looking for, and to make a purchase, pin something, or save to a wishlist.  Photography, product descriptions, and social credibility (reviews) also require investment and for Bear Woods Supply this is a priority work in progress and something easy to move forward with the help of ShopSite.”