We’ve seen many products going online over recent years and we’re all used to buying everything from our mobile phone to our grocery shopping to booking our holidays. In fact, our latest research into the value of a website showed that 83% of Irish consumers believe that every business should at least have a basic website. However, there are some products that we just probably never thought we would see online.
What is different about your business or website?
With this in mind, we started to think about how some dot ie websites are trying to change the game. We wanted to look for businesses that are using digital tools and their websites to disrupt their industry. This particular success story comes via one of our accredited dot ie Registrars – Hosting Ireland, who recently mentioned one of their clients who’s really turned their industry on its head.
Tanks.ie has become the online market leader for the supply of oil and water tanks in Ireland. Who would have thought a few years ago that we would see oil tanks being sold online? Oil tanks were traditionally a product that was sourced from local oil suppliers or builder merchants. They often had significant lead times, especially if you were trying to source a specific size or capacity.
How did Tanks.ie use their website to disrupt their market?
Tanks.ie had a simple approach, a one-stop shop for everything related to tanks; offering a complete portfolio of tanks and accessories from major manufacturers, with free delivery anywhere in Ireland.
“It all started with the domain name. We researched the market, various brands and keywords, but to our amazement, no one had registered tanks.ie; the domain was perfect for what we planned to do.” stated Tony Murphy, Managing Director of Tanks.ie. “We already knew Hosting Ireland, also based in Waterford, so they registered the dot ie domain name for us and have continued to look after our domain management and web hosting ever since.”
Tanks.ie has a fully mobile responsive website that enables existing and potential clients to search and view an extensive portfolio of oil tanks, water tanks, chemical tanks, wastewater tanks and accessories. The website also features a TANKOLOGY section, where frequently asked questions and regulatory information is freely available.
How does this apply to my website?
Our point is that traditional ways of marketing & selling products and services have changed dramatically in the past decade due to increased web awareness and a shift in customer expectations. There are many businesses who wondered if their products would sell online, decided to ‘give it a go’ and found to their amazement that it was just the vehicle needed to drive them towards success.
Our key learning from this is that if you have an idea you should do your research and get started. It does not matter how small the idea or business may be to start with, don’t get too bogged down with over thinking everything. The simple clear businesses ideas are often the best and you can develop your online presence as the business builds, don’t try and get everything perfect from day one because you won’t.
So, if you have a product that’s not currently sold online maybe it’s time to start building your website!
Source:- Hosting Ireland / IEDR Success Story
Would you like your business profiled here? Just contact management@hostingireland.ie
