Tampa Medical hops on e-commerce bandwagon

TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa Medical Supply has launched bracesbandagesandbeyond.com, a new e-commerce website, to meet consumer demand.

“We'd get a lot of calls out of the blue: 'Do you have wheelchairs? Do you have this? Do you have that?,'” said Greg Grambor, president of Tampa Medical Supply. “That's how we saw that there was a need out there and this (website) is our response.”

Braces, Bandages and Beyond carries an array of products including braces, incontinence, CPAP machines, wheelchairs, compression stockings and aids to daily living.

The website is Tampa Medical Supply's second online venture, its first being vascularprn.com, a distributor of prescription level compression equipment to nursing homes, hospitals and surgery centers.

With big box stores like Kmart and Toys R Us closing left and right, not only is e-commerce the wave of the future, but it's a great option for companies seeking to minimize overhead, says Grambor, who utilizes drop shipping direct from the manufacturer.

However, with so many companies opening online shops, Grambor says it's important to differentiate yourself from the competition.

“We offer personalized assistance,” he said. “We invite people on the website to call us if they have questions or need help selecting a product. When they call us they don't get an operator who doesn't know anything, they get one of our long time employees. You don't get that from amazon.”

One development Grambor never expected was the volume of walk-ins the company—which is little more than an office facility/warehouse—receives. When that happens, “they're quite happy that we'll sit down with them at a terminal and help them place their order,” he said.

Grambor's advice for those looking to start their own e-commerce website: Invest in at least one site engine optimization service.

“Otherwise you have to wait two to four years before people find you,” he said.