A guest post by Janet E. Leach.

I’ve been doing a bit of juggling since we last touched base.

We’re gearing up to begin construction of a four story building in New Farm, Brisbane, and are sorting out the finalities of the building feasibility study.

I’ve always imagined myself enjoying having my own physical store and the new building will house a little 50 square meter shop for me amongst other commercial tenants, and apartments; pretty exciting times.

I’m a Visual Merchandiser by trade, so the store window is my natural domain. Surprisingly though, it’s not too dissimilar to a computer screen. The same rules of balance, colour, visual navigation, and presentation are used so I can slip in and out of each realm fairly easily and keep these rules and principles as my guide.

I was computer illiterate up until seven years ago, one of the last to go through school or Uni without having used them. My ignorance annoyed me, so I made it my business to get amongst it.

I’ve learnt a lot along the way. I still know little.

So, why am I doing this, opening a traditional retail storefront? Don’t I have enough on my hands?

Yes, I do.

The website, our Ebay store, YouTube Channel, Twitter, Facebook, my design blog, this column, and our newsletter keep me busy, but, I feel it’s the next natural progression for my business.

Multi-channel retailing is a necessity in today’s competitive environment as it establishes more ways for new customers to find you, and more ways for new and existing customers to shop with you.

After all, people have very different consumer patterns and preferences.

The wider the net, the broader the demographic segments you are able to catch.

Marketing from your database therefore, can reach customers using methods that may be different from the channel where they originally made their first purchase.

The cycle continues, hopefully one strengthens the other, and if you’re on target a little bit of ‘brand love’ may be born.

I’ll still remain loyal to my online roots though.The store will be called ArteryStore.com, so as to direct traffic back to the e-commerce mothership, and there’ll be an iPad browsing booth where the full stock range can be viewed.

When I consider my business goals and strategy for the future, I can see that there is much work to be done.

The success of my business cannot lie within a single approach.

I also wonder how much today’s environment will change as we progress to that place in time. One thing is for sure; it’s not going to stay the same, and it’s not going to get any easier.

Janet E. Leach is an entrepreneur and owner/director of ArteryStore.com.

She has fingers in a couple of other pies and is a well travelled mother of three, with a full bodied life story and a rock ‘n’ roll approach to business.

Image source.