Apologies Bloggers,
It's been a little while since we last posted! It has been a hectic summer, with many projects on the go at once. There are lots of things to tell you about, but I thought I'd start with the 3 major projects that spring to mind.
One of the main things we've been working on is the introduction of a new management system, which works as a stock control & order dispatch system as well as an accountancy & reporting package. After researching all the available packages on the market we decided to go with one called Linnworks, as it integrates seamlessly with our Magento E-commerce store.
With any new system it takes a while to implement, learn & test before everything is as it should be. There was a lot of data entry to do, but now all that initial information has been inputted it will simply be a matter of keeping it up to date. Easier said than done I'm sure!
We also had the Corporate Restructuring, as detailed in an earlier blog. This has also been a time consuming & ongoing process, but we feel it was important to prepare for the changes that will soon be introduced, rather than re-acting to changes when they are made required. The restructure also involved a lot of physical & administrative changes, but we are almost there!
Finally, we have also been gearing up for our busiest time of year - Christmas! (Ho ho ho!) Both the warehouse and office staff have to start preparing months in advance. All the products are decided upon, ordered and Christmas hampers designed & photographed throughout the summer. We also have to bring in extra staff and prepare the order processing systems. We try not to play any Christmas music until at least November, although I think I might have heard "Oh I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday" coming from the warehouse last week though!
The BG Team
Wednesday, 2 November 2011
Friday, 24 June 2011
basketsgalore.ie
Our Top 10 Mistakes: (Part 1 of 2)
As Basketsgalore approaches its 10th Birthday we’re looking back at some of the highs and lows of setting up an online gift basket business.
As you can imagine a lot has changed since the first Basketsgalore website went live in 2001. Over the years the primary website has seen five rewrites with numerous amendments in between. Here is a selection of our most memorable mistakes.
And on the basis that more is learnt from our mistakes than our successes, we begin with the aforementioned.
1) Maya the talking Mannequin.
This was a great idea in theory. It involved purchasing a software licence to enable a 3D character to talk to the customer and deal with their most frequently asked questions. The character had to be programmed to blink and make facial changes.
We got to the point of beginning voice recordings for the character and programming changes in facial expressions. Maya was uploaded to the website, but was met with a hail of opposition. “What’s that dummy doing in the corner?” was the most frequent question. Maya was quietly dropped from version IV of the website.
2) Animation Website
The animation was brilliant, we got the detail perfectly and it was drawn by an excellent company from Canada. We wanted something which set us apart from the competition and the animation captured it brilliantly. Unfortunately it slowed the website. With Google’s emphasis placed on fast loading times, it became a casualty of progress.
You can see it confined to the annals of e-history at:: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuOiwRG_8Dw
3) Babygifts.basketsgalore.co.uk. In the olden days of the early 2000s, sub-domains were highly effective. Over the years we simply didn’t have enough resources to tackle this domain effectively. It is now in its 3rd incarnation and has been transferred to a new domain; babybasketsgalore.co.uk. However, the 2nd version was a horror and is a testimony to what happens when you keep patching and repairing a website. Navigation was confusing, imagery, shapes and fonts were mish-mashed. When design and technology do not coordinate this web-site is the result.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:rLnyZwUxS4cJ:babygifts.basketsgalore.co.uk/clothes.html+babygifts.basketsgalore&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&source=www.google.co.uk
4) Valentines Gift Boxes. Perhaps our favourite mistake of all as it was an elementary and idealistic novice’s mistake. When the company started off we targeted Valentines Day as a great potential market for our gift baskets. We wanted red boxes and we would wrap them for delivery around our local area. The supplier needed a minimum order quantity and we agreed. We had no idea what 1000 boxes looked like, but its quite a lot when you’re working from 2 downstairs rooms and a garage.
Looking back on it now, we sold quite well as we were running around drumming up sales days in advance with flyers and calls to local businesses. However, the legacy of the red boxes is that 80% of them are still floating around. They are still wrapped in their original brown paper and at least provide some amount of insulation in our roofspace.
5) Brochure No 1. Our first brochure was a horror from a financial and marketing perspective It was designed in 2002 and bears testimony to naïve and irrational youthful exuberance. We chuckle about it now as it was 10 years ago and we have moved on eons since then. It was full A4 sized 16 page colour glossy brochure. It was expensive, cumbersome and completely ineffective. In our defence it must be remembered that the internet was not like the way it is today. E-Commerce sales were still very much in their infancy. Our beautiful brochure was obsolete as soon as it was printed. Thankfully we could not afford to print many. Nevertheless it is remarkable how certain elements of that brochure can still be seen today, so on that basis perhaps it was worth it. There was category segmentation, imagination, and clear competitive differentiation from anything else in the market place. It was a Gift Basket brochure designed for Northern Ireland which was theoretically sound, but practically incorrect on a national basis.
Click to view original brochure.
Hopefully if you are thinking of starting up a gift basket or hamper business, you will recognise some of these issues and consider our experiences. Maybe it will help to prevent you from making the same mistakes.
Second part of our Top 10 mistakes of the past 10 years next week.
As Basketsgalore approaches its 10th Birthday we’re looking back at some of the highs and lows of setting up an online gift basket business.
As you can imagine a lot has changed since the first Basketsgalore website went live in 2001. Over the years the primary website has seen five rewrites with numerous amendments in between. Here is a selection of our most memorable mistakes.
And on the basis that more is learnt from our mistakes than our successes, we begin with the aforementioned.
1) Maya the talking Mannequin.
This was a great idea in theory. It involved purchasing a software licence to enable a 3D character to talk to the customer and deal with their most frequently asked questions. The character had to be programmed to blink and make facial changes.
We got to the point of beginning voice recordings for the character and programming changes in facial expressions. Maya was uploaded to the website, but was met with a hail of opposition. “What’s that dummy doing in the corner?” was the most frequent question. Maya was quietly dropped from version IV of the website.
2) Animation Website
The animation was brilliant, we got the detail perfectly and it was drawn by an excellent company from Canada. We wanted something which set us apart from the competition and the animation captured it brilliantly. Unfortunately it slowed the website. With Google’s emphasis placed on fast loading times, it became a casualty of progress.
You can see it confined to the annals of e-history at:: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuOiwRG_8Dw
3) Babygifts.basketsgalore.co.uk. In the olden days of the early 2000s, sub-domains were highly effective. Over the years we simply didn’t have enough resources to tackle this domain effectively. It is now in its 3rd incarnation and has been transferred to a new domain; babybasketsgalore.co.uk. However, the 2nd version was a horror and is a testimony to what happens when you keep patching and repairing a website. Navigation was confusing, imagery, shapes and fonts were mish-mashed. When design and technology do not coordinate this web-site is the result.
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:rLnyZwUxS4cJ:babygifts.basketsgalore.co.uk/clothes.html+babygifts.basketsgalore&cd=4&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&source=www.google.co.uk
4) Valentines Gift Boxes. Perhaps our favourite mistake of all as it was an elementary and idealistic novice’s mistake. When the company started off we targeted Valentines Day as a great potential market for our gift baskets. We wanted red boxes and we would wrap them for delivery around our local area. The supplier needed a minimum order quantity and we agreed. We had no idea what 1000 boxes looked like, but its quite a lot when you’re working from 2 downstairs rooms and a garage.
Looking back on it now, we sold quite well as we were running around drumming up sales days in advance with flyers and calls to local businesses. However, the legacy of the red boxes is that 80% of them are still floating around. They are still wrapped in their original brown paper and at least provide some amount of insulation in our roofspace.
5) Brochure No 1. Our first brochure was a horror from a financial and marketing perspective It was designed in 2002 and bears testimony to naïve and irrational youthful exuberance. We chuckle about it now as it was 10 years ago and we have moved on eons since then. It was full A4 sized 16 page colour glossy brochure. It was expensive, cumbersome and completely ineffective. In our defence it must be remembered that the internet was not like the way it is today. E-Commerce sales were still very much in their infancy. Our beautiful brochure was obsolete as soon as it was printed. Thankfully we could not afford to print many. Nevertheless it is remarkable how certain elements of that brochure can still be seen today, so on that basis perhaps it was worth it. There was category segmentation, imagination, and clear competitive differentiation from anything else in the market place. It was a Gift Basket brochure designed for Northern Ireland which was theoretically sound, but practically incorrect on a national basis.
Click to view original brochure.
Hopefully if you are thinking of starting up a gift basket or hamper business, you will recognise some of these issues and consider our experiences. Maybe it will help to prevent you from making the same mistakes.
Second part of our Top 10 mistakes of the past 10 years next week.
Thursday, 9 June 2011
Father's Day Gift Baskets
Well Folks, that next occasion to celebrate is just around the corner - Father's Day falls on Sunday 19th June this year. Have you thought about what present you might get your long suffering dad? At BasketsGalore we have created a range of manly gift baskets, perfect for a Father's Day present.
This range of gift baskets contain yummy gourmet treats that dads everywhere will love, from delicious creamy cheeses to Sicilian koppa ham, chilli nuts and stuffed peppers & olives. They say the way to a mans heart is through his stomach after all! You can also create your own basket of goodies if you prefer.
We can deliver all over the UK & Ireland on a next day or 2 day basis, so there is still plenty of time to place your order. Simply choose to have the gift delivered on Thursday 16th or Friday 17th June, or there is a special Saturday delivery service for an extra charge to UK addresses.
We are also offering one lucky facebook fan the chance to win one of these Father's Day gift baskets. Simply like us on Facebook & tag yourself in one of the Father's Day gift basket images. Everyone tagged will then be entered into the draw. 20 finalists will be selected at random & these 20 will then compete for the gift basket. We are currently coming up with a fun game for staff members to play on your behalf, that will narrow the finalists down to 3 & then down to the eventual winner! Check back next week to see the video of what we got up to & who won.
The BGie Team
This range of gift baskets contain yummy gourmet treats that dads everywhere will love, from delicious creamy cheeses to Sicilian koppa ham, chilli nuts and stuffed peppers & olives. They say the way to a mans heart is through his stomach after all! You can also create your own basket of goodies if you prefer.
We can deliver all over the UK & Ireland on a next day or 2 day basis, so there is still plenty of time to place your order. Simply choose to have the gift delivered on Thursday 16th or Friday 17th June, or there is a special Saturday delivery service for an extra charge to UK addresses.
We are also offering one lucky facebook fan the chance to win one of these Father's Day gift baskets. Simply like us on Facebook & tag yourself in one of the Father's Day gift basket images. Everyone tagged will then be entered into the draw. 20 finalists will be selected at random & these 20 will then compete for the gift basket. We are currently coming up with a fun game for staff members to play on your behalf, that will narrow the finalists down to 3 & then down to the eventual winner! Check back next week to see the video of what we got up to & who won.
The BGie Team
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Mother's Day Gifts...again?
Only a month or so ago you would have noticed us talking about Mother's Day (Sunday 3rd April), yet here we are blogging about it again already!
This is because the majority of countries around the world actually celebrate Mothering Sunday on the 2nd Sunday in May & this year that means Sunday 8th May (yes this Sunday!) The list below shows all the countries who celebrate in May, whereas in Ireland & the UK we celebrate on the 4th Sunday of Lent:
* Anguilla
* Aruba
* Australia
* Austria
* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Bangladesh
* Belgium
* Belize
* Bermuda
* Bonaire
* Brazil
* Canada
* Chile
* China
* Colombia
* Cuba
* Croatia
* Curaçao
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Ecuador
* Estonia
* Finland
* Germany
* Greece
* Grenada
* Honduras
* Hong Kong
* Iceland
* Italy
* Jamaica
* Japan
* Latvia
* Malta
* Malaysia
* Netherlands
* New Zealand
* Peru
* Philippines
* Puerto Rico
* Singapore
* Slovakia
* South Africa
* Suriname
* Switzerland
* Taiwan
* Trinidad and Tobago
* Turkey
* United States
* Uruguay
* Venezuela
* Zimbabwe
Of course there are countries who celebrate at other times besides March/April or May. In Thailand, for example, it is on 12th August, as this is Queen Sirikit Kitiyakara's birthday!
If your mum is living in Ireland or Britain then why not celebrate the May Mother's Day by sending her a lovely card & pressie. It is also very handy if you forgot to send something on the UK date! We have lots of Mother's Day gift baskets to choose from & each is sent with your personalised gift card message.
We can also deliver to Europe from as little as €22.99 remember. We noticed a few European countries (like Belgium & Germany) also celebrate Mother's Day on May 8th, so there is still time to send your Mothers Day gift today.
Remember...Mum's the word!
The BGie Team
This is because the majority of countries around the world actually celebrate Mothering Sunday on the 2nd Sunday in May & this year that means Sunday 8th May (yes this Sunday!) The list below shows all the countries who celebrate in May, whereas in Ireland & the UK we celebrate on the 4th Sunday of Lent:
* Anguilla
* Aruba
* Australia
* Austria
* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Bangladesh
* Belgium
* Belize
* Bermuda
* Bonaire
* Brazil
* Canada
* Chile
* China
* Colombia
* Cuba
* Croatia
* Curaçao
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Ecuador
* Estonia
* Finland
* Germany
* Greece
* Grenada
* Honduras
* Hong Kong
* Iceland
* Italy
* Jamaica
* Japan
* Latvia
* Malta
* Malaysia
* Netherlands
* New Zealand
* Peru
* Philippines
* Puerto Rico
* Singapore
* Slovakia
* South Africa
* Suriname
* Switzerland
* Taiwan
* Trinidad and Tobago
* Turkey
* United States
* Uruguay
* Venezuela
* Zimbabwe
Of course there are countries who celebrate at other times besides March/April or May. In Thailand, for example, it is on 12th August, as this is Queen Sirikit Kitiyakara's birthday!
If your mum is living in Ireland or Britain then why not celebrate the May Mother's Day by sending her a lovely card & pressie. It is also very handy if you forgot to send something on the UK date! We have lots of Mother's Day gift baskets to choose from & each is sent with your personalised gift card message.
We can also deliver to Europe from as little as €22.99 remember. We noticed a few European countries (like Belgium & Germany) also celebrate Mother's Day on May 8th, so there is still time to send your Mothers Day gift today.
Remember...Mum's the word!
The BGie Team
Wednesday, 27 April 2011
May Day Holiday
Can you believe the Easter Holidays are over already! We hope you all had fun in the sun barbequing and picnicking and spending time with friends & family.! Operations at BG have returned to normal, but only for a couple of days as there are some more holidays coming up..yey!
Next Monday, 2nd May, is the May Day Bank Holiday which means the courier companies will not be collecting or delivering on this day.
This Friday 29th April is also the Royal Wedding of Prince William & Kate Middleton in London. Because of this the day has been made a UK Bank Holiday & so our courier companies will not be collecting or delivering. We copy the courier holidays so BG will be closed too.
With these holidays in mind, any orders placed on Friday & over the long weekend will be dispatched on Tuesday 3rd May.
There are still normal deliveries tomorrow - Thursday 28th & Friday 29th in Ireland, so please get in touch if you would like a Friday delivery to an address in these areas. The wee calendar at the checkout will show Friday delivery isn't an option, but that is because of the Bank Holiday in the UK. If your order is for delivery in Ireland, then simply place your order & reply to your email confirmation requesting a Friday 29th delivery (possible for orders placed before 3pm on Thursday 28th to Irish addresses)
Many thanks,
The BG Team
Next Monday, 2nd May, is the May Day Bank Holiday which means the courier companies will not be collecting or delivering on this day.
This Friday 29th April is also the Royal Wedding of Prince William & Kate Middleton in London. Because of this the day has been made a UK Bank Holiday & so our courier companies will not be collecting or delivering. We copy the courier holidays so BG will be closed too.
With these holidays in mind, any orders placed on Friday & over the long weekend will be dispatched on Tuesday 3rd May.
There are still normal deliveries tomorrow - Thursday 28th & Friday 29th in Ireland, so please get in touch if you would like a Friday delivery to an address in these areas. The wee calendar at the checkout will show Friday delivery isn't an option, but that is because of the Bank Holiday in the UK. If your order is for delivery in Ireland, then simply place your order & reply to your email confirmation requesting a Friday 29th delivery (possible for orders placed before 3pm on Thursday 28th to Irish addresses)
Many thanks,
The BG Team
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
Easter Deliveries
Well all your Easter orders are now winging their way to their lucky recipients! Due to arrive in time for the Easter Holidays & to be enjoyed in the sunshine!
However, if you forgot to get your order in on time, there is still a chance if the delivery address is in Ireland! Couriers in Ireland still operate on Good Friday, but are closed on Easter Monday & Tuesday.
When you order you will see the calendar tells you Tuesday is your next available delivery day, which is true if the delivery address is in England, Wales or Scotland.
If your order is going to Ireland we can still dispatch these on Thursday for delivery on Friday 22nd (if order placed before 3pm on Thursday 21st) Just place the order & pick the "next available day" shipping option. We will know to send the gift ASAP if you have included an Easter message. Or feel free to reply to your order receipt email to confirm you would like a Friday delivery if possible! Remember this is for addresses in Ireland & Northen Ireland only.
Easter Holiday Delivery Schedule:
Addresses in Ireland/ N Ireland:
Orders placed on Wednesday Night & Thursday 21st (up til 3pm) - Delivery Friday 22nd
Orders placed Thursday (21st) Night & Friday (22nd) Morning - Delivery Wednesday 27th
Addresses in GB: (GB Couriers are closed Fri 22nd & Mon 25th, but re-open Tues 26th)
Orders placed on Wed Night, Thursday 21st or Friday 22nd (up til 3pm) - Delivery Tuesday 26th April
Orders placed between Friday Night & Tuesday 26th (up until 2pm) - Delivery Wednesday 27th
If this is all too confusing, drop us an email to check!
Happy Easter!
The BGie Team
However, if you forgot to get your order in on time, there is still a chance if the delivery address is in Ireland! Couriers in Ireland still operate on Good Friday, but are closed on Easter Monday & Tuesday.
When you order you will see the calendar tells you Tuesday is your next available delivery day, which is true if the delivery address is in England, Wales or Scotland.
If your order is going to Ireland we can still dispatch these on Thursday for delivery on Friday 22nd (if order placed before 3pm on Thursday 21st) Just place the order & pick the "next available day" shipping option. We will know to send the gift ASAP if you have included an Easter message. Or feel free to reply to your order receipt email to confirm you would like a Friday delivery if possible! Remember this is for addresses in Ireland & Northen Ireland only.
Easter Holiday Delivery Schedule:
Addresses in Ireland/ N Ireland:
Orders placed on Wednesday Night & Thursday 21st (up til 3pm) - Delivery Friday 22nd
Orders placed Thursday (21st) Night & Friday (22nd) Morning - Delivery Wednesday 27th
Addresses in GB: (GB Couriers are closed Fri 22nd & Mon 25th, but re-open Tues 26th)
Orders placed on Wed Night, Thursday 21st or Friday 22nd (up til 3pm) - Delivery Tuesday 26th April
Orders placed between Friday Night & Tuesday 26th (up until 2pm) - Delivery Wednesday 27th
If this is all too confusing, drop us an email to check!
Happy Easter!
The BGie Team
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Easter Gift Basket Treats
Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day! It could well be time to dust the old barbeques off! A bit of warmer weather has arrived & people seem to be a lot happier when there is a bit of sunshine around! Spring has sprung which means Easter will soon be here too. Good Friday is the 22nd April this year, with Easter Sunday on the 24th & Easter Monday the 25th April.
Easter is one of our favourites times at BasketsGalore, as it goes hand-in-hand with baskets. They remind me of Easter picnics & Easter Egg hunts! Easter baskets are also a great gift idea. For Easter 2011 we have introduced lots of new Easter gift baskets, some for children (or big kids!) and some for the whole family to enjoy!
As well as Easter Eggs, chocolates, lollipops and sweets you might find the Easter bunny himself! The goody basket is decorated in pretty ribbons & is then ready to be unwrapped by the lucky recipient! In our Family Easter baskets you will also find all these things, but with the addition of freshly baked cakes, flapjacks, muffins and cupcakes!
You can reserve your Easter gift basket by ordering now & picking a delivery date just before Easter. Couriers won't be delivering on the public holidays, so we advise picking a delivery day a few days in advance. In Ireland the couriers tend to work on Good Friday & then take Easter Monday & Tuesday off. Whereas in the UK they tend to take Good Friday & Easter Monday off, but work on Easter Tuesday. Your gift arriving a bit early will help mums & dads to keep the kids entertained on the school holidays anyway sure!
If you think the kids may be all chocolated out, then maybe a children's activity gift basket would be more suitable. For the grown-ups simply take your pick of the many gorgeous gift hampers on offer!
The BGie Team
Easter is one of our favourites times at BasketsGalore, as it goes hand-in-hand with baskets. They remind me of Easter picnics & Easter Egg hunts! Easter baskets are also a great gift idea. For Easter 2011 we have introduced lots of new Easter gift baskets, some for children (or big kids!) and some for the whole family to enjoy!
As well as Easter Eggs, chocolates, lollipops and sweets you might find the Easter bunny himself! The goody basket is decorated in pretty ribbons & is then ready to be unwrapped by the lucky recipient! In our Family Easter baskets you will also find all these things, but with the addition of freshly baked cakes, flapjacks, muffins and cupcakes!
You can reserve your Easter gift basket by ordering now & picking a delivery date just before Easter. Couriers won't be delivering on the public holidays, so we advise picking a delivery day a few days in advance. In Ireland the couriers tend to work on Good Friday & then take Easter Monday & Tuesday off. Whereas in the UK they tend to take Good Friday & Easter Monday off, but work on Easter Tuesday. Your gift arriving a bit early will help mums & dads to keep the kids entertained on the school holidays anyway sure!
If you think the kids may be all chocolated out, then maybe a children's activity gift basket would be more suitable. For the grown-ups simply take your pick of the many gorgeous gift hampers on offer!
The BGie Team
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