Small Business Internet Commerce: A Case Study

This paper studies the case of a small traditional retailer, Getzs Company, transforming itself to take advantage of Internet commerce. The study examines the company's e-commerce strategies, experiences, and transformation from a 100-year-old traditional retailer to a successful brick-and-click store. The overall goal was to provide a meaningful contribution to an area of research sorely lacking in relevant cases-small business Internet commerce. Founded in 1898, Getzs is a Michigan-based retailer that made its first attempt in Internet commerce in 1997. The company specializes in marketing rugged outdoor clothing to local customers. By studying the company, the authors of this paper have developed a list of six critical success factors attributing to the positive impact that Internet commerce has upon the company. Despite its success, the company and other small business e-commerce firms everywhere face many challenges. The generalizable conclusions gathered from this paper will be applicable to the broad universe of small businesses that seek to utilize the Internet to expand their target market, serve their customers, reduce costs, and increase revenue.