The OPTIMISE Fund is designed to help Irish small businesses improve their online presence and increase their use of e-commerce. The Fund was developed based on key findings of research undertaken for the Domain Name Industry Report 2010. The results of a survey of the .ie namespace showed that Irish businesses were slow to harness the potential of the Internet as a sales channel for their business. In fact only 66% of Irish businesses had any kind of website by 2009, compared with 40% in 2000. Of those 66%, only 21% had e-commerce functionality on their website, a marginal increase of just 3% since 2000.

The IEDR decided to establish the OPTIMISE e-Commerce

Website Development Fund for Irish SMEs and Micro-

Enterprises. The goal of the Fund is to raise awareness of

the fact that Irish companies could, and should, do more

to make their websites work for them. The Internet offers

Irish SMEs a 24-hour channel through which to increase

sales, profitability and market reach. The OPTIMISE Fund

was designed to help the successful SMEs to sell goods

and services 24/7 to a global marketplace online.

Each recipient received professional technical and

marketing support. These supports allow them to

begin the process of transforming their existing online

presence. The goal of the OPTIMISE Fund is to help drive

the winners’ websites into fully featured, transactional

offerings which are designed around their specific business

needs and requirements. Over 100 applications were

received for the OPTIMISE Fund 2012. Each application

was individually judged on a range of criteria including

their current business model, the potential for growth

and the perceived impact that the Fund would have

on their business. The judging was carried out by an

independent judging panel consisting of representatives

from the Small Firms Association (SFA), Chambers Ireland

and the Irish Internet Association (IIA).

OPTIMISEHelping Irish small businesses improve their online presence

Research undertaken by one of the providers of the

OPTIMISE Fund, Elucidate highlighted some of the

common barriers to growth of the winning companies

which are depicted in the chart below.

Common Barriers to Growth

32%

23%14%

9%

9%

4%

4%

5%

Lack of resources within winning companies

Lack of knowledge of how to use online to deliver business goals

Over ambitious in terms of setting business goals

Website didn’t effectively sell the business

Inability to strategically identify what gives them competitive advantage online

Poor articulation of business proposition or offer

The website was not visible online e.g. via search

Lack of knowledge of how best to serve clients online

Source: Research undertaken by Elucidate for the OPTIMISE Fund 2012.

The OPTIMISE Fund seeks to remove these barriers

wherever possible and allow the winners to successfully

grow their business by exploiting the online markets

that are available to them.

The following 15 Irish SMEs were selected as the

winners of the IEDR OPTIMISE e-Commerce Website

Development Fund 2012:

CateringEquipment.ie

Catering Equipment specialise in the supply and service

of catering equipment for hotels, bars, restaurants, fast

food outlets and delicatessens throughout the island

of Ireland. They offer a vast range of catering products

which include cooking, ware washing, beverage, laundry

machines, stainless steel manufacture, a full range of

industrial detergents and many more.

Catering Equipment wanted to use the OPTIMISE Fund

to allow them to sell their products online. To benefit

from e-commerce the company needed a website that

could display their vast product range along with the

detailed specifications for each product. This was a big

challenge and required extensive collation of data. The

OPTIMISE Fund enabled Catering Equipment to progress

the development of their website while also incorporating

a brand new, fully functioning online shop, something

which would allow them to transact online and grow

their sales.

DoolinCave.ie

Doolin Cave is a tourist attraction in the Burren Region,

Co. Clare and home to the longest free hanging stalactite

in the northern hemisphere. The site also includes a

farmland nature trail, cafe and a gift shop which offers

pottery made from the glacial clay of the cave. Highly

recommended on TripAdvisor, Doolin Cave is a fantastic

Irish attraction that offers a truly memorable experience

to all its visitors.

The OPTIMISE Fund revamped their website to show

users exactly what was on offer at the caves and to

display the many activities that were available to visitors.

We created new pages, a revised navigation system and

integrated social media into the website. Along with

this detailed research was conducted into specific target

markets for the business. Training was provided via

the Fund in the use of email newsletters, blogs, videos,

adwords and website analytics which allowed the Doolin

Cave team to actively target these markets and to

develop a coherent online presence and message.

DBSL.ie

Based in Dublin, DBS Print and Sign is a thriving printing

business which utilises the latest technologies to

specialise in short print runs at exceptionally competitive

prices. The company has an established base of offline

customers and provides unique printed solutions and

installations for high profile brands such as Paddy Power

and Eddie Rockets.

The OPTIMISE Fund worked to help DBSL develop

an online market for their products, with a particular

emphasis being placed on converting customers, new

and old, from placing orders via phone to their online

booking tool. In order to make this happen the Fund

allowed DBSL to define their online target market and

work to improve the websites’ SEO so that it would be

easier for new customers to find DBSL in online searches.

Training in email marketing was provided to reach out

to their existing client base and a website redesign was

proposed to modernise their online presence.

GagaBaby.ie

When Mairead O’Sullivan made a baby grow in the

Dublin colours for her new born she was inundated

with compliments from people they met who wanted

to know where they could buy their own. A business

idea was formed and after a lot of hard work GagaBaby.

ie was launched in 2007 to sell county-themed baby

wear to parents all over Ireland and beyond. Most of their

product ranges are made in-house which allows them

the flexibility to offer special and customised clothes

to their customers.

The OPTIMISE Fund helped GagaBaby to redevelop

their website to a more fully functional e-commerce

platform. Their purchase ordering system has been

rebuilt to allow the GagaBaby team to spend more

time marketing their products and engaging with their

customer base. Simply put, the website now works for

them and helps to simplify the order fulfilment process.

IFA-MS.ie

The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) is an organisation

designed to represent the Irish farming community

and works to promote and protect the Irish agricultural

industry. The IFA has a membership of over 87,000 Irish

farmers which is served by 947 branches nationwide. The

Member Services division of the IFA offers members of

the association deals on products such as mobile phones,

broadband, laptops and more.

The Member Services website used the OPTIMISE Fund

to develop their website to offer their members an online

platform where they could avail of all the services on

offer to them. The website was developed on a solid

e-commerce platform which now enables the IFA to offer

their members the chance to buy products they need at

discounted prices from the comfort of their own homes.

MorrisOil.ie

Kilkenny-based company Morris Oil is the only family

owned oil importer in the South East of Ireland. For

over 50 years the company has provided households,

businesses, schools, factories and churches with oil. Morris

Oil employs over 30 staff and has 11 delivery trucks on

the road. The company pride themselves on knowing its

customers and understanding their energy requirements.

The oil market is a very competitive one and Morris Oil

sought to use the OPTIMISE Fund and e-commerce in

general to give them an advantage over their rivals.

To do this a highly-targeted Google Adwords campaign

was implemented and used in tandem with Google

Analytics to track and monitor their website traffic.

Furthermore the OPTIMISE Fund allowed Morris Oil to

investigate new ways of interacting with their customers,

for example a mobile version of the site was investigated

along with different online payment options. The Fund

also enabled a full SEO review of the website, which in

tandem with some improved usability modifications

to their content, has made it easier for Morris Oil

customers to purchase online.

Project51.ie

Project 51 is an Irish design collective based in 51 South

William Street, Dublin. The shop allows designers based

in Ireland to create and sell their products in a unique

environment. Opened in 2011, the shop initially focussed

on building its offline customer base. Their website was

designed to inform shop visitors about what they could

expect to find in store. The next phase for Project 51 was

to start selling online.

The OPTIMISE Fund worked to help them achieve this

goal by setting up their online shop. The main challenge

was to collate all of their designers’ products, and pictures

of said products in a stylish manner that was easy to

navigate by customers. Now people all over the world

can buy products from Project 51 online. This has opened

up an entirely new market for Project 51’s designers.

WaterfordTechnologies.ie

In 2001 Waterford Technologies delivered the first email

management software for reporting and analysing

vast amounts of email. The software provided new and

unique information about email usage. From this solid

platform the company has consistently developed and

increased their product offerings in the fields of email and

file archiving to position themselves as a leader in the

data management market and the only Irish developed

company in this field.

The OPTIMISE Fund developed a comprehensive online

strategy for Waterford Technologies. The strategy allowed

for the creation of a comprehensive website specification

which would enable the company to progress with the

redevelopment of their website while also engaging with

web development companies in a clear and transparent

manner. The online strategy included workshops,

benchmarking, competitor analysis, functional and design

requirements and the Fund also allowed for new content

to be created for the website.

ParadeRing.ie

ParadeRing.ie is an online thoroughbred catalogue

for buying and selling thoroughbred horses with a

clear mission of making the buying and selling of Irish

racehorses easier and more convenient for all parties

involved. The website allows breeders and trainers a

platform to sell their horses in a more cost-effective

and time-efficient manner. It is also designed to

help buyers source quality Irish horses easily and the

information provided on each horse includes photos,

guide prices and pedigree pages to assist the buying

process wherever possible.

ParadeRing.ie won the OPTIMISE Fund while the company

was still in the start-up phase so the Fund was utilised

to focus on providing the company with information on

their competitors and offering advice on their business

proposition through detailed market analysis. The Fund

was also used to help the website build deeper content

for its users through the use of a blog and various social

media strategies along with the implementation of a

comprehensive linking strategy. In addition to this the

Fund allowed ParadeRing to investigate and implement

monetization options such as affiliate marketing on their

website.

Opticks.ie

Opticks is an opticians with two locations, in central

Dublin and Dun Laoghaire, who pride themselves on

offering their customers the most advanced diagnostic

equipment, eye test and lens solutions in Ireland. Their

shops offer stylish contemporary ranges of eyewear and

their staff focus completely on providing their individual

clients with high levels of attention and quality in every

consultation.

Working closely with Opticks’ Graphic Designer the

OPTIMISE Fund allowed the opticians to build a new

website to better display their ranges online while also

allowing for online bookings and the sale of certain

products. Furthermore, the new website will allow the

Opticks team to be proactive with their website and

respond instantaneously to market demands online.

JustDance.ie

Founded in 2002, Just Dance provides dance classes

throughout Dublin. Dance forms include Salsa, Tango, Jive,

Pole Fitness, Waltz and many more. All classes are taught

by top professional instructors so clients can be assured

that they are being taught the real dances.

The company was heavily engaged in traditional

marketing methods such as the use of printed fliers and

this was absorbing a lot of their time. The OPTIMISE

Fund helped Just Dance to switch to online promotional

methods to allow for a greater reach and return on the

time invested in marketing activities. A survey of existing

customers was undertaken to guide all of the OPTIMISE

work and developments. The company established and

refined its social media presence and worked to develop

platforms such as Facebook and Twitter as bona fide

sales channels. Furthermore, design improvements were

implemented on the website and videos were created to

allow visitors to the site the chance to see elements of

the classes.

OideasGael.ie

Since its foundation in 1984, Oideas Gael has attracted

hundreds of participants to its highly acclaimed language

courses for adults and Irish activity holiday and cultural

programmes each year. Visitors come from all over the

world to enjoy a unique cultural education. Oideas Gael

continually seeks to enable its guests to participate fully

in the daily life of the Gaeltacht, while also promoting the

Irish language and culture to anybody who wants to learn

about it.

The OPTIMISE Fund helped to devise a web strategy for

Oideas Gael, and from that, created a web specification

to design and develop a website that would support

online bookings, along with improved customer service

and engagement. It will also enable them to showcase

their brand and provide easy access for all visitors to the

site to find out exactly what’s on offer from Oideas Gael.

TourAmerica.ie

One of Ireland’s leading North America tour operators,

Tour America provides Irish consumers with the best value

holidays to America. The company was founded 17 years

ago and Tour America has grown from a staff of 3 to

now employ over 50 travel enthusiasts. Customers are

looked after from start to finish, from before they book

to after they return. Everything that Tour America sells to

its customers is recommended from personal experience.

Tour America decided to use the OPTIMISE Fund to

upgrade their technical and online marketing skills and

knowledge base to bring them up a level that would

allow them to stay ahead of competition. In particular,

a portion of the Fund focused on providing training in

Google Adwords with a focus on increasing the ROI on

their existing budget through better optimisation and

an improved reporting set-up.

Sheridan.ie

Established in 1964 this family-run insurance business

employs 45 people in offices in Wexford, New Ross and

Kilkenny. Providing a full range of insurance services

including car, house, travel and health, Sheridan Insurance

operates a high-touch model where all of their customers

are assigned an individual member of staff to fully cater

for their needs.

Sheridan Insurance wanted to use the OPTIMISE Fund to

make their online presence their fourth office by bringing

their exemplary service and skills to the online market.

A full website review was conducted which allowed for

the creation and implementation of SEO in tandem with

an adwords campaign. The Sheridan marketing team also

received training in website analytics and the creation of

marketing e-zines.

FurnitureFair.ie

FurnitureFair.ie is one of Ireland’s leading online

Irish furniture retailer of quality furniture. Their

comprehensive ranges include dining furniture,

bedroom furniture, occasional furniture, mattresses,

bespoke sliding wardrobes, leather, fabric and custom

made sofas. Trading as Rossmore Furniture the company

has been in business for over 50 years, operating from

its offices and factory outlet at Latlurcan, Co. Monaghan.

The website FurnitureFair.ie was developed to allow

the Rossmore Furniture team to sell their products to

the online market in Ireland, the UK and beyond. The

OPTIMISE Fund allowed them to develop their online

shop and analyse their online payment system with a

view to making it easier for their customers to complete

their transactions online. The Fund also undertook an

in-depth research project into the scope for selling

furniture online with a focus on the definition of target

markets and strategies to improve sales.

Our Providers

The IE Domain Registry works closely with two companies who operate, implement and provide the services

of the OPTIMISE Fund on its behalf.

Elucidate is one of Ireland’s leading online strategy development and implementation companies. They work with clients

to help them utilise the web to support their business and organisational goals. This is done by researching, analysing and

identifying how people use the web and, along with Elucidate’s experience and the use of industry best practices, they

develop an online strategy to drive the business forward and deliver on goals.

Elucidate work with public and private organisations throughout Ireland to help them maximise their online

presence through a wide range of expertise and services including web strategy, research & analytics, e-marketing,

communications, web design, web content and web optimisation.

Software Design provides world-class professional services spanning all aspects of the software development life cycle.

The company comprises of a team of expert designers, developers and engineers. The company is dedicated to the

provision of professional software design and development services. With a client base including RTÉ, Ernst and Young,

Enterprise Ireland, Eirgrid, BT and many more, Software Design has a broad skill set and multi-faceted experience in

providing comprehensive solutions for their clients’ online needs.

For more information please visit www.w

hy.i

e/op

timise

IE Domain Registry Limited

Harbour Square, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, Ireland

Tel +353 1 236 5400

Email registrations@iedr.ie

www.iedr.ie