In the early 90s, the McCanns started experimenting online, with offerings on the online services Prodigy and CompuServe. In 1995, they launched their Web site. Ironically, as the online business has grown, the McCanns have begun building stores again, and now have 150 around the country. During a holiday week like this, McCann said he triples his phone and Web staffs to accommodate the surge in traffic. Web transactions are less expensive to process, he said, and give the company more control over its image.
Customers spend five to seven minutes on the phone.
We'll recommend a few products and you'll be happy. However, I haven't built a great image in your mind of our company. The only image you have in our mind is the person you talk to. Online, customers typically spend a longer time, from 12 to 15 minutes, McCann said, and are looking at a variety of products. This, he said, encourages additional purchases that are not just occasion-oriented.