A Cumbrian business has increased its footfall 30 per cent after revamping its online presence.

Keswick’s Thornthwaite Galleries is a contemporary art gallery showcasing work from local artists, an also offers holiday cottages at Gallery Mews, providing spectacular views over Skiddaw.

Despite being noted for its prime location and historic setting within a 200 year old Lakeland barn, the business had been struggling for footfall, partly due to a lacking online presence.

When Oliver Chalker took over the business three years ago he inherited two outdated websites (one for the galleries and one for the cottages) which could not be updated.

And while these old sites were clearly not drawing in customers like Oliver would have hoped, they were actually costing the business significantly, for no return.

To rectify the situation, Oliver reached out to local firm Commendium who helped build two entirely new sites with a business focussed approach aimed at bringing people into the galleries, and securing bookings for the cottages, with a particular focus on allowing late bookings.

And the new site has had an immediate impact, with Oliver estimating that cottage bookings have risen by 20 per cent, with footfall in the galleries up by 30 per cent, underlining the importance of e-commerce to local businesses.

“I don’t think we realised how much the old websites were holding us back until we updated them and saw this immediate growth.” Oliver said of the new sites.

And Oliver is now hoping to expand the businesses digital influence even further by expanding into an online store, offering art prints, photography, sculptures, jewellry and more.

Having seen the benefits of an improved online presence, the business is now also planning to increase its social media output, to connect with even customers.

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