Challenges of Transforming a Traditional Brick-and-Mortar Store into a Bricks-and-Clicks Model: A Small Business Case Study

This article addresses some of the unique challenges faced as small businesses try to establish a presence in the fiercely competitive online marketplace. Specifically, a small fragrance/aromatherapy boutique (named The Scent Network) is the organization examined. This brick-and-mortar retailer evolved into a bricks-and-clicks model while the business owner had little IT experience, a small budget, and little time to devote to the Web site. More failures were experienced than successes, resulting in numerous “lessons learnedâ€. By sharing these experiences, it is hoped that small business owners find success as a “dot.com†and avoid becoming a “dot.goneâ€.