Kathleen Staples of Vancouver, Canada has been called The Panty Lady, the Happy Panty Panderer, and even the EntrePANTYneur, thanks to her unusual business concept. Kathleen designs, manufactures and sells good quality silk underwear. The retail side of her business is conducted 100% over the Internet.

It started in 1995, when Kathleen began considering self-employment. She had been working as an antiques dealer for Sotheby's in London, but wasn't totally satisfied with the results.

"I found that I couldn't make a living selling one piece at a time, and I wanted to keep all the good items for myself. It didn't make for good business. So I said to myself, 'How can I sell people things that they need?'"

The answer came following a shopping expedition to purchase silk panties. "I wanted something that was both attractive and comfortable. I was shocked to discover that nothing was available in good knit silk.

"What I DID find had elastic exposed to the skin, had to be dry cleaned, and cost $160 US. What's more, they only came in sizes Small, Medium and Large. A lot of women need larger sizes than that" she reasons.

The idea to design and sell silk panties followed logically. Since Kathleen had run a bathing suit design business when she was a student, she was familiar with the process. Her business, known simply as "Staples" was established.

Kathleen designed the undies herself, then visited China to arrange for manufacturing and to ensure that the panties wouldn't be produced in sweat shop factory conditions.

The undergarments proved popular in Canada, with about 100 shops across the country agreeing to stock the product. However, Kathleen wanted some way to let people know where her products could be purchased, as well as offering direct sales.

The idea to market through a Web site came to Kathleen while she was promoting her product line to a department store chain. In a creative marketing ploy, dressed in snowshoes and a fur trader costume, she stood in front of the store, trading her "staples" - silk panties - to passers-by on the street. Suddenly the idea came to be a "new age" trader - one with snowshoes and a Web site!

"I wanted a way to promote my panties that would let me reach a larger market," she says. Kathleen favors the Internet because it allows her to sell retail to international audiences. "With a Web site, it sells while I sleep. It sells to every little nook and cranny that has Internet access.

"Web surveys say that there are about 80 million people on the Net. When I sell from a Web site, it's like having 80 million stores that are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year," Kathleen enthuses. "Even if people aren't on the Internet, they all know someone who is. They can figure out a way to see the Web site. It becomes a fun thing to do," she claims.

When it came to developing the site, Kathleen took a very 'hands-on" approach. She designed the graphics and wrote every word of the text herself. Then, like a true trader, the EntrePANTYneur approached a talented friend that she had met previously at a Hallowe'en party, and negotiated a barter.

"He developed my site, and I gave him three pair of gaunch in exchange. Then it cost $25 a month to store the site. Storage fees doubled later when I registered a domain name," she explains.

The initial site was designed and launched within two days. In the beginning, it was used purely for information, not marketing. But people from all over began making contact to ask where the products could be purchased. (The line had by then expanded to include undershirts and men's shorts).

"It became obvious that I needed to sell my undies on the Internet. Now I have a catalogue online, and I am selling retail from the Web site. I have also registered my own domain name to make it easier for people to find me," says Kathleen.

When accepting credit card transactions over the Web, it's good business to offer encryption and a secure line. The latter are often costly to incorporate in a site, but once again, "Trader Kathleen" negotiated a barter. She arranged a secure line with BC Tel Interactive, in exchange for a hyperlinked logo on her Web site.

Kathleen manages her own site, in the sense that she personally receives the email and takes the orders herself. "I have a shipping department, but I still take the Internet orders personally. My long term goal for the Web site is to increase offshore selling," she remarked. "Online retailing is the Sears Catalogue of the 21st century."

Kathleen promoted her site through both traditional and non-traditional methods. It's registered with the Search Engines, but she also cross-markets wherever possible. "I've taped a show for a national radio program, and it's aired about seven times. I do a lot of public relations activities - and I always mention the site.

"Every time I send out anything, it has my Web address on it. The URL appears on the tags on the underwear; it's on my business cards and stationery. I send out an email newsletter every month to interested persons. I even carry a rubber stamp to parties, and I stamp the URL on people's hands!"

"I'd like to participate more in news groups and chats and mailing lists to help promote the site. I have an endorsement from the Cancer Society. They say my undies are comfortable on the skin for people who are undergoing chemotherapy. I'd like to find a way to let people know about that," she explains.

People find the Staples site by surfing or searching and because of the public relations activities that Kathleen undertakes. "I'm more than pleased with the results of the Web site. "It's paid for itself many times over. I've sold to people in South Africa, Sweden, Brazil, Hong Kong. My customers are equal numbers of men and women, and they are between 30 and 50 years of age. I did $150 worth of business on the Web today, and I make 300% more because I'm selling retail."

Kathleen doesn't maintain a "traditional" business, since she has no store-front. Her lingerie line is sold wholesale or marketed retail on the Web. What does she like best about Web marketing? "I can't believe how much business it generates. I've made about $3000 on the Web so far, and that's nothing compared to what can be made!"

Staples
staples@staplesonline.com