E-commerce Development
E-commerce is changing rapidly—are you prepared?
Unlock your companies full potential with quality e-commerce development.
E-commerce has been steadily growing as a percentage of all retail for years, but the global pandemic triggered an explosion in growth like never before. In the U.S., the share of e-commerce in total retail only increased from 9.6% to 11.8% between the first quarter of 2018 and the first quarter of 2020. But between the first and second quarters of 2020, that number jumped up to 16.1%. With over 25 years of web, including as an e-commerce development company, Innis Maggiore keeps up with and responds to trends before they become common to the rest of the industry, putting us in good stead to help you get ahead of this growth.
Many experts predict this new prevalence of e-commerce is a permanent change. Those businesses who failed to pivot to utilizing e-commerce suffered the most; going forward, making this transition is paramount to survival.
But it’s not as simple as building an e-commerce platform and waiting for the traffic to come. The increase in demand for convenient online shopping is rivaled by stiff competition from digital sellers. Major e-commerce players like Amazon, Walmart and Target dominate the landscape, while a plethora of smaller sites scramble for a place in the market. Successfully competing in the e-commerce space requires standing out from the competition — something that Innis Maggiore specializes in.
As America’s #1 Positioning Ad Agency, Innis Maggiore is a full-service ad agency that specializes in positioning. Positioning is the activity of identifying and communicating your brand’s difference in the marketplace. Your brand position is the one idea you stand for in the minds of your ideal prospects. Everyone who engages with your business in some way will come away with a perception of your brand anyway, so why not be deliberate about determining what that perception should be?
Establishing your brand position gives your prospects a reason to choose you over your competition. Once they become aware of you, your difference in the market and the solution you offer (the “awareness” phase of the customer journey), your brand moves to the top of a short list of options in their minds. When they enter the “problem-solution” phases of the journey, where they are actively looking for a solution to their challenge, you are first in their mind.
All of this sounds great, but how is it relevant to an e-commerce platform for your business?
The link between positioning and e-commerce: customer loyalty
Going back to our point about the importance of your e-commerce development company helping you stand out from the competition, there’s one area that your business MUST do exceptionally well in order to see a positive ROI: keep customers coming back,
Returning customers allow you to boost sales at a much lower price point then your initial cost of acquisition for a new customer. Returning customers are also more likely to return in the future, creating a cycle of loyalty that improves your average customer lifetime value (CLV; a measurement of how much the average customer spends with you over the lifetime of the relationship). They are also more likely to recommend your brand to others, leave positive reviews and more, providing you with invaluable word-of-mouth traction. All this equals greatly improved profit margins, all with little to no extra cost or effort on your part.
The customer experience that determines whether shoppers return or not begins with positioning strategy, but ultimately includes every interaction they have with your brand. If every touchpoint is aligned with your brand position, you have a powerful tool in your hands for long term growth.
Executing your positioning strategy involves getting all of these details right—providing the experience your customer has come to expect from their online shopping (fast site load times, streamlined checkout process, engaging content mixed with special deals, etcetera) while standing out with clear, unique messaging that supports your brand position.
Your e-commerce development company should have the FULL suite of expertise
Beyond positioning strategy and execution, a successful e-commerce development company has the right mix of technology and marketing prowess, something that Innis Maggiore brings to the table in spades.
As a full-service ad agency, we have capabilities in every discipline required to bring your project to fruition. To start with, our dev shop is the largest in northeast Ohio and has been developing software and web products for over 25 years. They have the experience and technical know-how to manage every component on the backend, from initial scope and technical planning to final deployment and quality assurance testing.
Because our developers operate within a context of positioning strategy and marketing execution, they develop your project with an eye towards how it will serve the needs of your customers. They treat your e-commerce platform as the means to an end that it is by crafting the best possible user experience.
Our developers are backed by teams of project managers, account leads, digital media specialists, copywriters and designers, all who operate within the framework of positioning to deliver a final product that meets your goals, serves the needs of your customers and adds to your bottom line.
Treating e-commerce development comprehensively and holistically like this ensures the best possible final deliverable. Consider the knowledge and skill sets required to effectively build a successful e-commerce platform:
- Branding/positioning/marketing strategy
- UX design and information architecture
- Content creation (from product descriptions and sales copy to interactive elements, such as video)
- Web/software development, responsive design and mobile app development
- Digital advertising, social media, search/voice search, integrated omnichannel marketing and more
Beyond these functions, shoppers demand increasing amounts of service from their preferred platforms. The basics include greater personalization, visual appeal and the need to be everywhere with valuable content. As shopping trends evolve and customers increasingly look to online spaces to meet all their purchasing needs, they expect digital buying experiences that resemble that of in-person shopping. Examples include the use of “digital salespeople” to walk a prospect through the buying process to virtual and augmented reality tools that allow the shopper to view the product as if it were there in front of them.
These trends are demanding, requiring an e-commerce development company that can guide you through the process of designing an experience that works for your customers.
A sampling of Innis Maggiore successes as a leading e-commerce development company.
For far too many e-commerce development companies, the strictly functional is all that counts.
If a website visitor can find what they want and make the purchase without trouble, that’s a job well done. As America’s #1 Positioning Ad Agency, Innis Maggiore sees the broader picture. We create and develop e-commerce sites that sell products AND sell brands. The long-term matters, so our e-commerce websites communicate a clear brand position and its differentiating advantages. That’s the sure way to ensure brand loyalty, rather than relying on disconnected transactions that aren’t bolstered by a strong brand.
FSBO
The FSBO.com real estate site is a great example of combining a strong e-commerce experience with a strong brand.
Having a URL comprised of the universally known initials that represent the For Sale By Owner process certainly makes a big difference. Innis Maggiore clearly denotes the brand’s position at the top of its homepage: “The PREMIER For Sale By Owner Real Estate Website” (making certain no one misses the differentiating word, “PREMIER”).
FSBO has been an Innis Maggiore client for over a decade, helping home sellers save thousands of dollars on real estate agent commissions and making it easy for home buyers to find what they want, the way they want it, where they want it, and for the price they want. Along with an affordable entry-level, basic 6-month package, FSBO.com is integrated with a network of real estate brokers, Multiple Listing Service (MLS) databases in every state, and the leading national real estate websites.
As its long-term e-commerce development company of record, Innis Maggiore has built a highly customized Magento site for FSBO, while also providing SEO services and running nationwide paid search campaigns. For buyers, we’ve created a simple and streamlined experience that helps them search for properties filtered by location, mile range, minimum/maximum prices, number of bedrooms, and number of bathrooms. Sellers get listed through their choice of two packages, along with capabilities to order signs and supplies and access real estate contracts — all through a custom seller portal.
Our efforts have strengthened the FSBO brand position as the premier resource for those owners who choose to sell on their own. One “For Sale By Owner” rating stated that one of the main positive qualities of the FSBO.com website was its “easy to use platform,” calling it an intuitive site that’s simple to navigate and that draws 15.5K visitors each month. Another rated FSBO.com as “one of the most popular websites for people searching for FSBO properties,” while a third rated it as a “simple, easy-to-use website that’s clear.” Two others characterized our e-commerce development company product as having “staying power with one of the largest volumes of online traffic,” and that sellers can take advantage of virtual tours, flyers, and other marketing materials, while choosing “only the services they need, avoiding unnecessary expense.” Together with our client, we’ve helped create a highly functional site that sells product AND sells a successful brand.
Baird Brothers Fine Hardwood
A sawmill selling online? Seems impossible.
Even the Baird family thought so, having been known as a family-owned and -operated sawmill and local store for 50 years. But, after Innis Maggiore repositioned the company as a leading resource for high-end, high-quality fine hardwoods, it started to look possible that our e-commerce development company could turn Baird Brothers into an e-commerce powerhouse.
Brand positioning is very much like the foundation of a commercial building or residence. With it, the right materials and careful workmanship can build a structure that can be relied upon for quality and longevity. Without it, don’t step too heavily or slam the door too hard. Since we’re America’s #1 Positioning Ad Agency, we very much prefer the “with it” option.
Baird Brothers makes beautiful home improvement products from floors and stairwells to moulding and interior doors. The challenge was finding a way to turn a 50-year-old family sawmill into a multi-channel retailer. Only local folks knew Baird had a store and would be as likely to associate it with cutting boards and Ohio State-branded merch as with Baird’s core building products.
We completely rebranded the sawmill, from name (Baird Brothers Fine Hardwoods) and logo to award-winning TV, collateral and direct marketing, paid search, and a multi-year “This Old House” sponsorship. Most importantly, Innis Maggiore created and rebuilt the BairdBrothers.com website to conform to the standards and best practices associated with successful e-commerce sites.
The website focuses on the many premium custom products available to ship — floors and doors, stairs and moulding, for Craftsman, Modern, Traditional, or Tuscan — that can be shipped throughout the continental U.S. Our message is that fine, natural hardwoods are affordable for your home, even in the latest design trends, such as shiplap and skinny lap interior siding or antique oak rustic flooring, all “ordered easily, delivered conveniently, enjoyed comfortably.”
Innis Maggiore employed an Able Commerce .NET platform that provides homeowners with direct access to the client’s hardwood inventory. We integrated with Acumatica (for seamless incorporation into Baird's accounting system), Avalara (to calculate sales tax nationally), and FreightPOP (for fast and accurate ground and freight shipping quotes). Innis Maggiore also developed a custom “shipping module” with logic that manages bundling, packing, delivery zones, pricing, and split-shipments for both ground and freight deliveries from multiple carriers.
Online sales now exceed what the company sells locally. From the smallest stair tread to 16-foot lengths of mouldings, Baird Brothers is shipping product around the country. Social media, TV spots, home & garden shows, and a paid search campaign generate sales of nearly 10,000 products to all parts of the U.S.
Cathy Cowgill Remarkable Flowers
Cathy Cowgill, a local Canton florist, has been there for Stark County residents during emotional times for 110 years.
Third-generation owner, John, had been in the flower business since childhood, while wife Kathy had 15 years of experience at a family friend’s flower shop. The couple partnered to open Cathy Cowgill Flowers in 1987, continuing the Cowgill family tradition (the business name was named Cathy rather than Kathy for earlier placement in the Yellow Pages).
Part of the network of FTD florists, Cathy Cowgill features fresh flowers — loose stems for customers’ selection and designers on staff to create one-of a-kind arrangements — a variety of green plants, planter gardens, blooming plants, and a large selection of gifts.
Some things are different, yet some things haven’t changed. “How we do what we do has changed, such as taking online orders,” John said. “What we do hasn’t. We help customers through emotional times.” The shop has received the Canton Repository’s reader’s choice award for best florist the past several years.
Cathy Cowgill imports flowers from Ecuador, Columbia, Holland, and Canada. But the shop also has relationships with several local growers here in Stark County. Other local florists have been strong competitors, though Cathy Cowgill also competes with grocery stores, 1-800 Flowers, Pro Flowers, and even Amazon.
The shop continues to innovate. An example is the recent installation of a tropical cooler — one of a few in Northeast Ohio — to keep tropical flowers between 50 and 52 degrees. There are always new varieties of flowers, and Cathy Cowgill is the most knowledgeable resource in the area.
Cathy Cowgill proves that strategy — not size — is the determinator of success. Kathy just knew her digital marketing presence was underperforming. Positioning her brand around the concept of “remarkable” arrangements and service was the first step. As John told us, “We’re known for our remarkable flower arrangements, but it’s the people here who are truly remarkable.”
This was followed by a reputation-management audit of all her online business listings and an overhaul of digital, email, and social media presences. Initial results showed dramatic improvement in Facebook followers (up 11%), consumer engagement with posts (likes, comments and reviews), and online web orders increased week over week from previous order counts.
As Cathy Cowgill’s e-commerce development company, Innis Maggiore built the shop on Magento e-commerce in 2017 and then handled a rebuild in Magento 2 in 2023, providing both content development and SEO. We also continued to manage the client’s paid search campaigns.
E-commerce plays an integral role in the success of Cathy Cowgill Remarkable Flowers. With a couple tweaks to the 2025 Google Ads campaign, the family-owned floral shop saw an increase in website traffic that created more product views, form submissions, phone calls, and a 35% increase in e-commerce sales compared to the prior year.
We were thrilled when Kathy Cowgill recently gave Innis Maggiore a 5-star Google Review and commented, “We have been associated with Innis Maggiore for a number of years with our floral business. They have done an amazing job in creating our website, assisting to re-brand our shop. They are remarkable. I highly recommend Innis Maggiore to help grow your business.”
SupplyDog
Talk about positioning! SupplyDog is a company that does one thing and concentrates on only one product category.
This Hartville, Ohio firm specializes as a resource for high-quality stone veneer, helping contractors by consolidating a variety of products and styles from a group of manufacturers. SupplyDog.com presents an easy process that replaces the need to look at multiple catalogs with a single e-commerce website to find hundreds of choices in one place.
Innis Maggiore has been SupplyDog’s e-commerce development company for over a decade, but has also contributed to its growth with strong branding and positioning. Of course, what else would you expect from America’s #1 Positioning Ad Agency? Formerly known as Rock Solid Cut Stone & Supply, the client collaborated with us to rebrand the company and redesign its web presence. Along with the new name, Innis Maggiore created a doggone good logo and identity package, website, direct marketing, and signage. The agency added the perfect pat on the head with a tagline that combined clear brand positioning with a competitive brand promise, “Your One-Stop Stone Shop.”
The SupplyDog brand created a memorable personality which is played up on the e-commerce site — not something that’s common for e-commerce platforms, which are typically about function and transactions. Playful copy explains that SupplyDog “retrieves the stone veneer you want, tracks it down, and brings it to you” right at the job site. Now that’s a good dog!
In 2012, Innis Maggiore began its efforts as an e-commerce development company by building a new site on Magento e-commerce. The agency wrote all the copy and executed the SEO process, as well as managed a paid search campaign, a responsibility that continues to this day. Strengths of the site include helping visitors search by manufacturer, style, and color. As the website points out, SupplyDog is the Best, Fastest, and Cheapest way to get manufactured stone, accessories, limestone caps, and installation essentials, even shipping as quick as the next business day to all 48 of the Continental states.
Subsequently, we added a Google Merchant campaign in 2023. The following year, SupplyDog reached a powerful milestone, exceeding $5mm in sales on the site and becoming the largest distributor of Dutch Quality Stone in the country.
Choose an e-commerce development company that can take your project from initial strategy to final execution
From setting the right strategy to keeping up with the latest trends in technology to implementing best practices in e-commerce marketing, Innis Maggiore can be your one-stop-shop for building an e-commerce platform that gets results and adds to your bottom line. Get in touch today to find out how we can help you with your project.