{"id":30625,"date":"2021-04-27T11:42:09","date_gmt":"2021-04-27T17:42:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vendasta.com\/blog\/?p=30625"},"modified":"2026-02-19T16:30:18","modified_gmt":"2026-02-19T16:30:18","slug":"ecommerce-case-study-amazing-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vendasta.com\/blog\/ecommerce-case-study-amazing-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"Vendasta Local Business Case Study: Amazing Stories"},"content":{"rendered":"

[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text admin_label=”Introduction” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

Jeff Kocur\u2019s love of pop culture began early on in his life. Comics were always a big interest and taught him how to read. He formed connections with the characters within the illustrated pages. In August of 1993, Kocur turned his passion into a way of earning a living and supporting his family. He opened Amazing Stories<\/a> and has served the community in Saskatoon, Canada for nearly three decades since. The store\u2019s shelves are filled with comics, action figures, games, and sought-after pop culture memorabilia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_video src=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=zzyoVBQPpqY” admin_label=”Video Case Study” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_video][et_pb_text admin_label=”The Journey To Ecommerce ” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

The Journey To Ecommerce<\/h2>\n

Over the years, the team at Amazing Stories has built personal relationships with customers and those strong connections often become excited and honest conversations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

\u201cPeople are passionate about their hobbies, the comics, the toys and all that. They\u2019ll tell you all about the websites they go to and shop at, so you\u2019re aware. Even the people that shop with us today – they\u2019re all shopping online as well,\u201d Kocur says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n
\n

\u201cGetting an ecommerce website set up was always in the back of our brains,\u201d says Amazing Stories Media Expert Jody Cason. She explains that the team always said, \u201c\u2018one of these days we need to get off our butts and do this\u2019 but it never happened … and then it HAD to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Survival: The One True Mission + Turning to The Trusted Local Expert” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

Survival: The One True Mission<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n

On March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a global pandemic. Within two weeks, Jeff and his team at Amazing Stories were forced to close the doors. Other than a few curb-side sales each day, painstakingly managed manually over the phone and through their Facebook page, the retail store had no way to make its thousands of in-store products available to customers.<\/p>\n

“You would hustle for every single sale and then at the end of the day you had only completed 10 transactions and were completely exhausted,\u201d Cason says.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

\u201cBasically it was panic from then on, and wondering, how do we survive? How are we going to keep our revenue going if we can\u2019t have our doors open?\u201d Kocur says.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

Like the many villains featured throughout the pages of their comics, COVID-19 wreaked havoc. Revenues were torched and a dead stop was put
on shipments of their most popular inventory. Amazing Stories needed a way to showcase its offerings online and make it available to customers quickly before the pandemic nemesis sank the battleship for good.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n

Turning to The Trusted Local Expert<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Saddled with the challenge of trying to figure out how to launch an online store and no idea where to begin, Jeff turned to a Vendasta partner and one of the top digital marketing experts in their area for answers.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got a local agency to help us out and basically they held our hand and showed us everything. There was a lot to do – from entering inventory, to social media,\u201d Kocur says.<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n

The agency worked closely with Jeff and his team to identify areas that needed to be addressed immediately to get Amazing Stories selling online. Kicking off the process, the agency conducted an in-depth review and analysis of the business\u2019s digital footprint, using Snapshot Report<\/a>, Vendasta\u2019s award- winning automated sales intelligence tool.<\/p>\n

Once that assessment was completed, the agency partner assisted in developing an informed digital strategy that helped this small business client:<\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n