new web catalogs - Brief Article
From a lavender line by Rona Barrett to retro gear for bowlers, these new online catalogs speak to the unique.
BowlingShirt.com
Thanks to demand for all things retro, BowlingShirt.com is on a roll. Launched as a full-fledged e-commerce site in August 2000 (it was an information-only site for a year prior), it sells a broad range of bowling shirts and bowling-related accessories, with an emphasis on ’50s-inspired styles. Prices range from $2.95 for themed shot glasses to $69.95 for fully embroidered shirts. The merchandise is similar to that offered by its St. Louis-based parent company, Cruisin’ USA, which also produces a print catalog.
Webmaster Jason Schankman, who designed and markets the site, says the company also has a strong niche in custom-order shirts for companies with inhouse bowling teams; clients include Sun Micro Systems, Newsweek magazine, and MTV. The Website accounted for half of Cruisin’ USA’s approximately $2 million in sales last year, but Schankman expects it to account for a somewhat greater share of sales this year.
To grow the Web business, Schankman has forged partnerships with the Bowling Hall of Fame and Websites such as Sopranoland.com (an online fanzine for the HBO series The Sopranos), with links to and ads for his site. Also, coverage in December in InStyle and Time magazines helped to increase traffic.