Community & Economic Development Program Builder

BuyIowaOnline.com is an e-commerce ready website where Iowa entrepreneurs can post their products for sale. It is fully automated so that it is functional for full-time, part-time and occasional entrepreneurs.
This hands-on training workshop is designed to familiarize participants with the site’s functionality and set-up all the user accounts necessary so that they can leave ready to concentrate on selecting and packaging the product for the central fulfillment center for a faster start-up.
Participants work on laptops to:
•    set up a seller account,
•    practice using a seller account – uploading photographs, copy, etc.,
•    set up a payment account,
•    and be provided with FAQ sheets and links to resources supplied on a take home USB drive.
In addition participants will explore and engage in conversation about:
•    how to leverage the site’s presence through co-marketing venues,
•    product selection and price-pointing,
•    how to engage with the site’s social networking component to strengthen their sales,
•    and, how to use the available business description area in the account to begin engaging and building customer loyalty.

Within this program, Community Retailers are provided an interactive platform to facilitate ISU faculty and staff responses to Iowa Retail Businesses' current questions and needs.

An online group is created among community retailers—the group is encouraged to create subjects that prompt a short presentation (discussion point) that may be further discussed within the group with input from ISU faculty and staff. Depending on the depth of the subject, a conference call may be organized to deal with the subject discussed.

Google+ groups will be utilized for delivery of short presentations and for facilitation of discussions.

Each year the Iowa Retail Trade Analysis reports are updated for Iowa cities and counties. The Retail Trade Update program will summarize trends in retail trade and current retail topics being discussed by Iowa retailers.