cusuperstore.com reaping the benefits of the cost efficiencies of an e-shop

WORLD WIDE WEB - There are a lot of debates about whether the new business paradigms created by the Web will produce profitable companies or failed start-ups, but one thing few can argue with is the affordability of a Web storefront. Compared to brick and mortar, developing a Web presence is dirt cheap, said Blair Englehart, president of cusuperstore.com, a site that offers credit unions "logo-ized" clothing, office supplies and other items right from the site. At press time, the site was for credit unions only. "The beauty of the e-commerce world is that turn around time is so quick, and costs are lower. Not being the traditional brick and mortar, we don't have the overhead," said Englehart. "We have a graphic designer and someone managing the site, and that's it." Englehart said the site's sales are 50% higher than the company anticipated. "Our predictions are to do a million dollars in clothes this year," he said. Credit unions don't have to buy the logo products directly from the site; they can order catalogs at the site and then place orders over the phone. The site is getting about 30 catalog requests a month. The product line is so diverse, said Englehart, that there's no way cusuperstore.com could keep an adequate inventory on hand. But with the Web, inventory isn't necessary. "We sell anything you can slap a logo on, notepads, jackets, whatever. We buy directly from the manufacturers and use local companies to do the embroidering," said Englehart. Like many other things sold on the Web, credit unions using cusuperstore.com said the convenience factor was key for buying their logo-wear via the Web. "Their response time was better than we have ever had from local vendors and their selection was incredible. This is the quickest, easiest ... way to buy our logo wear," said Brian Warble, vice president of FPL FCU, Miami. Englehart admitted that he's surprised how well cusuperstore.com is doing, having only unveiled the site on April 15. He said one factor could be the growing popularity of casual days at credit unions. Englehart, who is also president of Englehart Dicken, an Indianapolis-based advertising and design agency, said he saw a niche for an online customized clothing logo site, because it's something all credit unions do. "There isn't a credit union in the world that doesn't buy logo clothing. It's something they have to do," he said. "Credit unions all need data processing, we don't do that. They need marketing, we already do that. And they need logo clothing-that was our opportunity." Catalog requests and orders are coming from credit unions as as small as $2 million and as large as $1 billion, said Englehart. The company is seeing a lot of requests for clothing, especially hats, that are embossed with the credit union's Web address. First Resource FCU, St. Joseph, Mich., recently ordered hats for employees and members that have the CU's Web address featured on the front. Englheart noted that CUNA recently selected Englehart Dicken to redesign six Web sites for CUNA's assorted councils. "These sites will be groundbreaking," he said. -pgentile@cutimes.com