It’s amazing to me that people are still asking this question. The answer is “OF COURSE!”
The answer should possibly have more than one exclamation point, but I don’t want to be overly dramatic.
The next question is, “But, we don’t sell our merchandise on-line.”
The answer remains the same. Always. The reason is that your customers are still looking for you on line, even if they have no intention of buying from you on line. They want to know your hours, your phone number, you product lines and anything else about your store that might make them just a bit more confident about getting in the car and driving over to your place.
My web development partner, Thomas Tucker of Hover Studios wrote a nice explanation of this and uses one of his clients, a Jeweler in Evansville, Indiana as an example.
I agree with you Dave – why NOT go online?? In my line of work, I meet lots of people who are scared to get a web site. But most of the time, it’s because they just don’t know what they’re doing. We have to remember that yes, there still are people in the world who have no idea what the internet can do for their businesses! So I guess it’s our job to teach them about marketing services, branding, and the great opportunities (and profit) that being on the internet can bring.