Valparaiso Magazine - Winter 2021

tech for success | THE NEW AGE OF TECHNOLOGY FOR COMMERCE
THE NEW AGE OF TECHNOLOGY
FOR COMMERCE
By Doug Ross
M
aintaining the physical presence for
businesses, at the workplace and at
home offices, has been a challenge
lately. Maintaining an online presence
is important, too. Businesses might want their
customers to get in line, but they’re going
online first. There are many skilled people
working to help our businesses not only keep
alive but also thrive.
Commerce doesn’t just happen at the
cash register or over the phone now. There
are many pieces to the puzzle, and it seems
the pieces keep moving. It takes highly
skilled people to keep all the correct pieces in
the correct places. It’s important to have
an online presence now. More than 70
percent of consumers rely on the internet
before using a business. That statistic was
from before the pandemic.
“The power lies in the hands of the consumer,
if you aren’t meeting them where they are
(online), then you’re missing an opportunity.
Having information on pricing, product
attributes, payment and delivery options
is just a starting point. If they can’t find
information about your product or service on
your web and social channels, they’ll find it
from your competitors.”
JRS Mar/Com is a digital marketing agency
focused on helping businesses be seen and
be heard. The develop professional online
personas for businesses. They have a local
office at the Purdue Technology Center (9800
Connecticut Dr. Crown Point, IN 46307).
(312-339-9359 | www.jrsmarcom.com)
The pandemic also drove shoppers to look
online to see whether a product is in stock,
whether the shop is open, what colors and
styles the product comes in and what the
store’s price for it is before running to the
store. It’s especially important now to let
customers know whether you have enough
of a product to meet their needs. That’s
especially true if supplies are tight. Businesses
don’t want to have a shopper at their store
expressing disappointment about an inability
to keep enough inventory on hand to meet
their needs. It’s all about building good
rapport with the customers.
Creating a digital
strategy
Marketers’ relationships with clients start with
one key step – figuring out what the client’s
goals are. “What are their objectives? What
are their six-month, six-year goals?” said
Courtney Nicholson, founder and CEO of
“People were using technology to check
out businesses before COVID,” said Chris
Barbauld, president of Barbauld Agency.
The Barbauld Agency is located at 158 S
Napoleon St., Ste 305, in Valparaiso and
specializes in branding, website, strategy
development, marketing and more.
(219-649-1227 | www.barbauldagency.com)
Molly Randolph, vice president
and Chris Barbauld, president,
THE BARBAULD AGENCY
14 VALPARAISO MAGAZINE | WINTER 2021