Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/852169
24 • Footwear Insight ~ July/August 2017 footwearinsight.com RETAIL online can service many destinations and seasonal changes," Quiambao says. Boyle says she buys extra of styles she knows will be a hit in places far from her Brooklyn and Upper East Side locations — but that she makes sure that everything she buys has her store's imprimatur. That's an advantage to being an independent selling online, she says. "There's something about having a brick-and-mortar store to order from," she says, whether that's the fashion cred it confers or even that it's some assurance that the item you're getting isn't a knockoff. "There's a legitimacy that it's coming from a real store," she says. Service Service Service. And More Service. It goes without saying that having the right items is key: Being a destination for hot, limited-edition product is a business driver, and keeps you from having to compete with discount players, just like in brick-and-mortar. But also just like in store, owners say, it's service that carries the day. Boyle says answering emails, Instagram messages and lengthy phone calls about product has given her a personal relationship with shoppers all over the country that drive repeat business. "Once [consumers] find a place they like, it's strong," she says. "They call me and tell me, 'You're my plug.'" And that's extra critical online. "If someone comes into the store and doesn't have a great experience, you might get another chance with them" just based on proximity, Faustino says. "But if you have a bad experience online, you never click on that site again — there's another seller just a tab away. It couldn't be easier to switch over, so why be loyal at that point?" Whether it's quick answers to messages (phone, email or any of the social media channels a store operates), great, clear photos of the shoes, an easy-to-use website that lists only current, in-stock product or the so-critical fast shipping, the essence of good e-comm is good business, period. "I don't think it's rocket science," Faustino says. "It's retail 101," Boyle says. O At the Commonwealth sneaker stores, in-store and online work is shared, with staff dedicat- ing about 30 per- cent of their time to online sales.