Merchandising tool solution for e-commerce novice.

Advertising in an overcrowded market place just became a little easier.

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Owning a small business can be difficult when trying to compete with large corporations, says a Sudbury-based entrepreneur.

Merchandising and advertising are as much a part of a successful business venture as the quality of the product itself, says Michael Fragomele, who recently launched an online merchandising tool.

While the classic genres of television commercials and radio advertising still exist, Internet sales and personalized Web sites have become a popular medium for advertising, and thus viewed by many forward-thinking companies as a must to remain competitive, says Fragomele.

Creating and maintaining a Web site are not always simple tasks, says Fragomele.

Fragomele, founder of CANpress.com, realized that while some small companies are aware of the benefits of selling their products online, most lack either the means or the know-how to take the first steps.

In response, he created an online merchandising tool.

His company provides a service that eliminates the hassle of having to create and maintain a Web site by taking care of the work while the seller reaps the benefits.

"Any individual can create an account," Fragomele says.

The accounts are set up via e-mail through the canpress.com Web site.

"When you create an account we ask you for a store ID to customize your Web site."

When an account is created the company is then given their own online store accessible through canpress.com, where visitors can browse and purchase merchandise offered by the company.

"If your store ID was, my store, your Web site would be accessible by visiting http://www.canpress.com/mystore," Fragomele says.

CANpress.com offers two types of stores to choose from. One is the basic store option that is available at no charge and allows the merchant to offer one product to shoppers. The other option is the unlimited store.

The unlimited store is available at a small fee, but allows the merchant to offer as many types of products they wish.

When shopping online, the most popular means of exchange is through credit card sales, he says.

The procedure is all taken care of when becoming a member of CANpress.com.

"We do the credit card application," Fragomele says. "We also take care of the shipping of the product."

The Web site is six years in the making and was launched in March. Still in its early stages of development, the company has already had a few members sign on and Fragomele is optimistic about the possibilities.

"The products we offer are mostly promotional apparel, but as the site grows we will begin to offer more products."

There are currently 14 types of products to choose from when visiting the Web site. Fragomele stresses how simple the procedure can be.

"It can be as easy as wanting to put a picture of your dog on a T-shirt," he says. "What you do is upload images and we superimpose the image on what you selected."

With all the services provided by CANpress.com, the merchant has simply to set the price of their product to set their own profit margin.

"You do all the things a real store manager does without having to worry about all the extra work."

By RICK HOULE

For Northern Ontario Business