We established Get Back Supply Co in 1997. We sell St. Christopher Surf Medals on our website and in surf shops around the world. We are a (very) small, family owned business, with a commitment to ace customer service.
Based in San Diego, California, we are a mother/son team. Nick handles sales, marketing, social media and new product. Brenda is all business pants, accounting, administration, product development.
A quick education in St. Christopher ‘surf’ medals: In the 1960’s surfers wore St. Christopher medals for good luck and protection in the ocean. The medals were exchanged as a sign of ‘going steady’, a token of teenage romance. The medal itself is iconic. The legendary Christopher the giant is said to have carried the baby Jesus across a rushing river. While we aren’t religious and Saint Christopher was recently stripped of sainthood, we love the mythical bravery of our favorite gutsy giant. He’s our good luck charm.
Back in 1997 we started with five medal colors in one local San Diego surf shop. From that humble beginning, we’ve grown to supply over 300 brick and mortar stores with our products.
Our website is an opportunity for retail customers to purchase direct. With Shopify, we wanted a simple, beautiful, user friendly site that reflected our aesthetic and culture. We love how things turned out.
How did you earn your first sales? Which channels are now generating the most traffic and sales for you?
Our old site was a bit of a mess. Dated and confusing! We launched our new Shopify site three months ago and although sales are about the same, the order amounts are larger. Our old site was up for 12 years, so we would expect it to take a little time for the new site to gain steam. Currently, Organic Search is generating about 49%, with Direct comprising 37%. Referrals are 13%+- and Social sites are a paltry 1.6%. We are working on that! 63% of visitors to the site are new, 37% are returning. The best part is knowing. Now we have to tools to work on traffic channels and increase sales!
Tell us about the back-end of your business. What tools and apps do you use to run your store? How do you handle shipping and fulfillment?
I am thrilled with the back-end of our site. It is so easy! We use Shippo and love it. It grooves very well with Shopify. I print out the orders, fulfill on Shopify, then move to Shippo to print the the mailing label. I like that Shippo provides me with a tracking number and ship status. We also use the Order Printer and Variant Image Applications.
Next up on the application list: Mailchimp for email marketing. We want to explore Cross-sell as well. The possibilities are endless, really!
What are your top recommendations for new ecommerce entrepreneurs?
Ask questions. The Shopify customer service ‘Gurus’ are extraordinarily helpful. I am not particularly computer savvy—I email any questions to a guru and the support team gets back to me right away!
Explore all the available ‘plug-ins’ to suit the needs of your particular business. Photographs are crucial. A good site represents the aesthetic of the company. Learn to Blog. It is a great way to connect.