SKG news!!!!
globetechnology.com
SIKAMAN GOLD RESOURCES LTD., PORT PERRY, ONT.
norstarmall.com
All-Canadian Internet shopping mall.
Founded: June, 1999
Revenue: Too early to tell
Sikaman Gold Resources is a mining company that decided to listen to
its shareholders and get into the Internet business.
After shopping around, executives at the company decided that
Norstarmall was "head and shoulders ahead of the pack," according to
Sikaman chief executive officer Paul Romanchuk. Sikaman bought
Norstarmall for about $1-million in stock, an investment Mr.
Romanchuk says will start generating a profit by December.
The site is clearly geared toward Canadian shoppers, offering prices in
Canadian dollars (Mr. Romanchuk says there are no "hidden costs")
and presenting a large list of homegrown Web merchants. In all, about
140 vendors lease space in the on-line mall, ranging from Dell
Computer Corp. to Chapters Inc.
One of the key attractions is the site's design. When Web users click
on the main browser, they are brought into the mall through the opening
of another browser. From there they can select different shopping
areas, such as automotive or computer, or search for a particular
product. When users want to enter a store, they click on the store and
open a new browser window. The design allows users to enter and
leave stores by simply opening and closing windows.
Another feature is the site's search engine. Type in a product, such as
"teddy bear," and a list of stores carrying teddy bears comes up. Click
on a particular store and you don't simply go to that store's home page,
you go directly to where you can buy the product.
Norstarmall makes money by leasing space in the virtual mall, getting
sales commissions and selling banner ads.
Sikaman has begun advertising on several Internet service provider
sites and the sports site TSN.ca. A radio and television ad campaign is
scheduled in late August to catch the back-to-school and
return-to-work shopping crowd. |
