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As an example of how internet use can transform a business, UK online for business cites Mansfield Motors 4×4 an independent Land Rover parts supplier and workshop as a case study.
Established in 1993, the garage based in Manningtree, Essex started as a traditional sales and service outlet with a catchment area of 25 miles.
Aware that international customers had difficulty sourcing Land Rover parts locally, it set up a web site in March 1998 to enable owners to purchase spare parts and obtain technical advice online.
According to managing director Duncan Mansfield, turnover doubled from £300,000 within two years and will exceed £1m this year.
Mansfield says one third of the company¹s turnover was ³internet generated².
He claims 10,000 people visit the site each month, 70 per cent of visitors are from overseas and internet orders are shipped to 160 countries.
UK online describes how Mansfield has boosted business by setting up a web site.
³By dealing directly with international customers, Mansfield has cut out the middle man, providing a fast turnaround time and competitively priced goods. By providing a virtual community for Land Rover enthusiasts, the company encourages visitors to return to its site.²
Due to its local trade being based in the agricultural community the success of the web site was vital during the foot and mouth crisis.
³We were badly hit by foot and mouth,² says Mansfield. ³The web kept us going.²
He says a spin-off of the web site¹s success has been the additional demands on the workshop. As a result the business is opening a new branch in Bury St Edmunds in February.
Last year it broadened its operation to cover Chrysler Jeep taking over a bankrupt business in Ipswich.
Mansfield Motors now plans to establish local representatives abroad to market the site in native languages.
³This way we really will be able to capitalise on the worldwide potential that the web has created,² says Mansfield.
In 1999 the site was highly commended in the Small and Medium Enterprises category of the Financial Times Business Web Site Award.
n Search www.mansfield-motors.com
Aware that international customers had difficulty sourcing Land Rover parts locally, it set up a web site in March 1998 to enable owners to purchase spare parts and obtain technical advice online.
According to managing director Duncan Mansfield, turnover doubled from £300,000 within two years and will exceed £1m this year.
Mansfield says one third of the company¹s turnover was ³internet generated².
He claims 10,000 people visit the site each month, 70 per cent of visitors are from overseas and internet orders are shipped to 160 countries.
UK online describes how Mansfield has boosted business by setting up a web site.
³By dealing directly with international customers, Mansfield has cut out the middle man, providing a fast turnaround time and competitively priced goods. By providing a virtual community for Land Rover enthusiasts, the company encourages visitors to return to its site.²
Due to its local trade being based in the agricultural community the success of the web site was vital during the foot and mouth crisis.
³We were badly hit by foot and mouth,² says Mansfield. ³The web kept us going.²
He says a spin-off of the web site¹s success has been the additional demands on the workshop. As a result the business is opening a new branch in Bury St Edmunds in February.
Last year it broadened its operation to cover Chrysler Jeep taking over a bankrupt business in Ipswich.
Mansfield Motors now plans to establish local representatives abroad to market the site in native languages.
³This way we really will be able to capitalise on the worldwide potential that the web has created,² says Mansfield.
In 1999 the site was highly commended in the Small and Medium Enterprises category of the Financial Times Business Web Site Award.
n Search www.mansfield-motors.com