E-business trend popular in east end

“Just trying to get four kids in between the same rack of clothes (is hard),” recounts Orléans resident Kelli Catana, describing the balancing act of Cheerios, juice boxes and everything else that accompanies a kid-friendly trip to the mall. “You’re sweating by the time you get out of the store,” she adds with a laugh.

And it was exactly those harried, hassled shopping trips that inspired Catana – along with sister and Blackburn Hamlet resident Ronda MacKinnon – to launch their new online children’s clothing store. Daisy Blue, in operation since July, specializes in high-end, high-quality used clothes and accessories for children aged zero to six, as well as new and used maternity clothing.

For the self-titled “mompreneurs”, the realization of Daisy Blue as a strictly online business came from the reality of attempting to shop with kids, explains Catana, who has four children under six (MacKinnon, meanwhile, has two of her own.). “We thought, wouldn’t it be really great if people could go to a (shopping) site when the kids are in bed? You could sit down with your cup of coffee – or a glass of wine,” she explains with a laugh. “Who wants to be out there dragging kids to stores … (online shopping is) really where everything is going.”

Rob Myers, co-owner of long-time east-end staple Chilly Chiles, agrees that e-business has become a necessary component. “People who own a store should be on the web,” he explains. “It’s a changing retail world. People expect to be able to go on the web (to find your business; to shop).”

And though Chilly Chiles didn’t begin its existence through online means – “it was around before the Internet was really invented,” jokes Myers – the mail-order-and-storefront business has been using its shopping website as an important retail tool for well over a decade.

Myers and wife and co-owner Alison Steele-Myers – who currently run their Chilly Chiles retail shop out of Navan – added the online component to their fiery food business in 1995 when mail-order alone simply became too pricey.

Offering both online and in-person shopping has become the “ideal” combination, he continues. “A lot of people seem to think (online business) is just a website, but there are lots of other things behind it,” he explains, highlighting both the storage space and shipping needs that come with both.

Their advantage also comes from being able to offer easy-access, at-home shopping, but with a phone number and a real person to answer any questions or concerns, Myers says. “It’s an exciting part of retail – there are a lot of different options a lot of different ways of reaching customers,” he adds.

Barry Nabatian, general manager of Market Research Corp., says while e-business is thriving across the country and throughout the Ottawa region, there are some exceptions. Items like books, music and computer components often work well for online shopping, he explains, though other products like clothing or food may not. “Anything that has got to do with personal touch, personal taste – those things are really very weak everywhere, but particularly in Canada,” Nabatian says, adding that if an online business can specialize and offer something completely unique, niche markets can be hugely rewarding.

The advantages of an online business are plenty, he continues, including its quick, convenient sales format and the ability to do business at a much lower cost. “You need less space, fewer employees, less insurance, less liability – all those things,” Nabatian explains. “The cost is lower, therefore the profit margin can be higher.”

On the downside, he adds, online is a tough field in which to compete against big-name companies. “Larger companies can offer much lower prices,” Nabatian says. “The competition is even worse than between a shopping centre and an independent store outside. It’s almost really impossible to compete against amazon.com and other companies like it.”

In the world of e-business, however, the positive benefits tend to outweigh the negative obstacles, he continues. “Generally it’s more advantageous (than not to have an online business),” Nabatian says. “The more people get used to shopping on the Internet, the higher the profitability for the businesses.” For more information on Daisy Blue and Chilly Chiles, please visit www.daisyblue.ca and www.chillychiles.com