Honest feedback from Mums required ...

[AngelGiftCo]

Have been running my site selling baby gifts for a while now & not much success. If you have time please have a look & tell me what you think. I personalise the boxes for friends / family but don't currently offer this online ..do you think doing this will help?? I am after candid feedback from Mums ....thanks for your help

www.angelgiftcompany.co.uk
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[smirnoff]

i have had a look!
i like your site, its really clear and easy to use!

[Tanya]

I must be honest with you

I love your site, your products are beautiful, I don't know how you can improve it to make them sell better

Is it well marketed??

It might be nice to offer personalisation to the boxes :unsure:

[Tanya]

I meant is it well advertised

[Chell]

Your site looks lovely, I have seen your link on one of the business forums.

Your boxes look nice and I am sure the products are good quality but the boxes look like they don;t contaiin much. Perhaps if you added more information to the descriptions to sell them to the customer it would help.

For example, the little shoes, are they Daisy Roots, Starchild etc or from Asda? Do you see what I mean? I had Starchilds for my DS which I loved. If I knew more about the product it would sell it to me better.

Is it possible to add more than one image per product. The photos look great, very professional but its hard to see what the clothes really look like.

Good luck, I hope sales improve.

[Ruthierhyme]

I agree with TJ on the personalisation this could be a major unique selling point (usp) .. you have a beautiful site - uncluttered and well laid out ..

but to be completely honest .. they do seem quite expensive when you add the p&P in as well, sorry :blusingan just my opinion though

[Tanya]

I agree with TJ on the personalisation this could be a major unique selling point (usp) .. you have a beautiful site - uncluttered and well laid out ..

but to be completely honest .. they do seem quite expensive when you add the p&P in as well, sorry :blusingan just my opinion though

yes I agree, some of the boxes are quite expensive, if I am buying a gift for someone (doesn't matter who it is) I always have a budget of approx £25

sorry if I've offended

[helen.broadhead]

Your site is beautiful.
he look of it is lovely, very clean looking and it does make you very interested in what you are selling.

I think the downfall are your actual product descriptions. I really liked the look of the products, your photographs of them are excellent and really show them off to their best, but your description really lets them down.

The descriptions need to be as inspriing and descriptive as the description you have on the 'our packaging' page. I would add the description you have on there to every product page.

Not everyone reads all the pages and they only tend to look at the actual product pages. So if these dont catch you by inspiring descriptions customers will leave your website.

I do think your products are fantastic and it is a very well designed and beautiful looking site.

Are you marketing it alot also? Have you contacted magazines with press releases, advertised on forums? Maybe try google adwords if you havent already.

Sorry if I am repeating things you have already tried.

Good luck with it, stick with it and im sure it will be a huge success

Helen x

[feistygal]

I think the site is clear and easy to use which is a big plus as is the fact that looks pro.

I agree that more photgraphs would be useful - particularly close ups of the clothes.

I also agree that personalisation is a good idea as any extras add to your USP and add value to your product.

I don't think that your prices are too high at all, especially when compared with the (non-wahm) big players in this market. A lot of people these days are looking for something other than the standard babygro, blanket and teddy approach though, when they are buying a new baby gift.

I think it would be well worth your time and energy to market your gift boxes to the corporate side. We've just started to offer this type of service (off-line) and it's already paying off. Companies like the idea of unusual and quality items to give employees when they go on maternity leave and again when the baby has been born.

Contact the personnel managers at local companies and let them know what you can offer. Even for an online business, off-line marketing is very important.

[Tanya]

well I sound like a right cheapskate now don't I lol

[whirl]

Hi there,

This is the first time that I have come accross your site. I really like the idea and I think that your layout photography is fab. I have a few points, they are just my opinion so please dont take any of this the wrong way.

I think that when you click on either girls or boys boxes the page layout should be in like a list to left going form cheapest to highest, with a small description of each box to the right. Because i think to look at intially they look quite similar and its hard to see what you are getting for the extra money.

i also think that it may in your interest to consider putting in a few lower cost items to pad the box out a little. Such as .... A handcrafted welcome to the world card, a little baby boy or baby girl bar of soap (http://www.willow-works.net/www.willow-works.net/info.php?p=4&pno=0&pid=494654&cat=6617&ack=9&search=&sought=) I have seen these in person and the have a nice traditional look to them. A pair of baby bootees, a tiny hairbrush, babys first rattle. I think that you can still do great quality boxes that have more items in. I think for the £85 box there needs to be more in, I think something like a foot moulding kit would be fab.

I think you could also expand and do a my first birthday box, a to my mummy/daddy box. That spouses could buy as gifts from the children.

Have you thought about offering anything like putting in a newspaper from the day they were born, or other things along similar lines.

I wish you the best of luck,

Jazz. x

[Lemon]

Some really really good ideas already for you to work on. When you say it hasn't been a success - have you had any orders ? I think the first year for a website is generally slow and a good opportunity to get things right, try and be patient and make sure you concentrate on your marketing as well as getting the site right. HTH x

[storm]

I cant get your site, clicked on the link and it came up with "page cannot be displayed"

[wokkies]

I cant get your site, clicked on the link and it came up with "page cannot be displayed"
same for me:unsure:

[whirl]

Hi again,

I was thinking about your site and had an idea of doing a 'pick & mix box'

you could have selection of stock that people choose to make the box up to the value they can afford.

Maybe also offer a choice of cards and an option for the customer to order what they would lik written in it. Then it could be sent straight to the new parents.

OOOh what about an 'expecting a baby box' or 'congratulations on your pregnancy box'.

Jazz. x

[AngelGiftCo]

I think the site is clear and easy to use which is a big plus as is the fact that looks pro.

I agree that more photgraphs would be useful - particularly close ups of the clothes.

I also agree that personalisation is a good idea as any extras add to your USP and add value to your product.

I don't think that your prices are too high at all, especially when compared with the (non-wahm) big players in this market. A lot of people these days are looking for something other than the standard babygro, blanket and teddy approach though, when they are buying a new baby gift.

I think it would be well worth your time and energy to market your gift boxes to the corporate side. We've just started to offer this type of service (off-line) and it's already paying off. Companies like the idea of unusual and quality items to give employees when they go on maternity leave and again when the baby has been born.

Contact the personnel managers at local companies and let them know what you can offer. Even for an online business, off-line marketing is very important.

Thanks for the feedback!! Yes I had intended to target corporate business but haven't got very far with this - any tips would be appreciated - do you just cold call? Will try & focus on my product descriptions too !!

[sadierhianne]

I have seen your site before - i think that it is incredibly easy to navigate, BUT i simply would not pay that amount for so little. What are the boxes made from? Now, if the clothes were top notch quality - we had a baby designer shop near us and the little babygrows were retailing at £13 each and had a name on them - if your outfit is of that quality then it needs to be mentioned.

maybe you could do two differnt priced boxes? One with cheaper contents and one with designer contents to appeal to different markets. See if i was filthy rich i'd buy one as long as i knew that they contents were good good quality and not just say mothercare quality - quality isn't the right word but i think you KWIM.

I also think that personalisation is a nice idea but often people want to give the baby gift whilst mum is still in hospital or whilst baby is very new - would it not take time to get the extra work done? I'd have thought that the neutral one might have sold better but then it would all depend on how long it takes to dispatch and arrive with the customer - it would be one of those gifts that i wanted yesterday rather than having to wait for.

Also if you are very new to business it will take time to get noticed although if you are getting hits but no sales - hmm you aren't any different to others on here - moi - i think it's just the way that it goes, i get lots of hits but not lots of sales or not enough to make me happy.

What about doing an organic box? Organic babygrow might sell well - i just think that a few varieties of the same product might work.

I love the box ideas - there was the women on telly who'd started the same thing and was making a fortune - how about addind a baby's first tooth trinket or a birth certificate holder? This might bump the price of the box up but they might look more substantial.

just my opinion.

Anne

[Chell]

What about adding a gift for Mum like some baby powder scented bath bombs or a baby powder scented candle in a tin. www.wicknwax.co.uk do the type I mean.

[smirnoff]

Hi again,

I was thinking about your site and had an idea of doing a 'pick & mix box'

you could have selection of stock that people choose to make the box up to the value they can afford.

Maybe also offer a choice of cards and an option for the customer to order what they would lik written in it. Then it could be sent straight to the new parents.

OOOh what about an 'expecting a baby box' or 'congratulations on your pregnancy box'.

Jazz. x
i love this idea, but thats coz i am always on a tight budget adn dont spend much on anyone!

[Seren]

I looked at your site when I was looking for a gift for my cousin when she had her boy. I did not buy from you because the cost seemed high and I didn't know what brands the items were. Your website is great. As a buyer I found that
1) I didn't know what brand the items were
2) How good the quality was of the box ( what was so special about the box compared a normal one from WH Smith for example)
3) The items looked lost in the box

If you had said that the soft toy was a Keel one and that the box was acid free and sturdy to enable the items to be stored for many years IYKWIM then I think I would have made a purchase. Also it would have been nice to see a box made up.

The idea is fab, my budget was £25 more or less inc delivery.

If you are using well known brands then you need to shout that from the roof tops esp if the toy is a Keel or even M&P

HTH and hope I didn't offend

Keep up the good work

[Tinkabell]

The site looks lovely and agree with the others about description.

I would not buy from your site due to the cost, I'm like a lot of people looking for gifts on a tight budget. The £85 box seems very expensive for so few items, my first thought at looking at it was 'is that all I get' and then thinking I could make a box up myself with Asda or Primark products and receive a lot more.

Sorry, don't mean to offend, but that is my honest opinion and I think most people want a bargain or if they are paying a lot of money want more and good brand names.

Hope the sales pick up, it is hard trying to generate sales through your website. Do you use ebay to sell your products, we always have listings on ebay for our software as most of our sales are generated through there.

[AngelGiftCo]

I looked at your site when I was looking for a gift for my cousin when she had her boy. I did not buy from you because the cost seemed high and I didn't know what brands the items were. Your website is great. As a buyer I found that
1) I didn't know what brand the items were
2) How good the quality was of the box ( what was so special about the box compared a normal one from WH Smith for example)
3) The items looked lost in the box

If you had said that the soft toy was a Keel one and that the box was acid free and sturdy to enable the items to be stored for many years IYKWIM then I think I would have made a purchase. Also it would have been nice to see a box made up.

The idea is fab, my budget was £25 more or less inc delivery.

If you are using well known brands then you need to shout that from the roof tops esp if the toy is a Keel or even M&P

HTH and hope I didn't offend

Keep up the good work

Thankyou so much for the feedback. I am now going to site down tonight & update my product descriptions !!! Just for future ref all my bears are GUND and he clothes in the 2 larger boxes are "nurtured by nature" (sold at Selfridges at highly inflated prices !!! ) also my shoes are Inch Blue & the boxes are very sturdy & intended at keep as keepsake treasure box. Off now to do some rewriting !! Thanks for the tips !!

[sadierhianne]

Well then they are great quality items and so that makes the boxes look like a very reasonable price but the customers need to know that - hopefully with some added info you should start to sell more. maybe adding a page of info about the companies that you use - had you thought about selling the bears or a variety of bears without the box? people might like to just buy a good quality toy but not want the whole box - same with the clothing, this broadens your available products too.

[feistygal]

The fact that you use those three brands is even better - so definitely make sure to work that clearly into your descriptions.

I have to disagree with the poster that said most people are on a budget - whilst that is certainly 100% true for parenting forums, the majority of your customers won't be.

I really wouldn't down-value the site by putting in cheaper items or items of less quality. There are hundreds of baby gift box sites where the boxes are cheap - keep yours at the quality end and you keep your USP and better value customers too.

Answering your question about approaching the corporate market, we got into this as my DP works at a business centre and one of the companies asked if we could provide the service. I'm going to be using a marketing company to help me establish a direct campaign for new corporate customers though. You could easily just cold call and ask for an appointment with the personnel manager.

[Tanya]

The fact that you use those three brands is even better - so definitely make sure to work that clearly into your descriptions.

I have to disagree with the poster that said most people are on a budget - whilst that is certainly 100% true for parenting forums, the majority of your customers won't be.


yes that was me, sorry about that, hope I didn't offend anyone. I'm just a cheapskate sometimes but that was before I knew how good the products were in each box.

I apologise

[feistygal]

yes that was me, sorry about that, hope I didn't offend anyone. I'm just a cheapskate sometimes but that was before I knew how good the products were in each box.

I apologise

Don't apologise -your statement is true for the massive majority of people on parenting forums. All I was saying is that these gift boxes really aren't aimed at that customer.

[*debbie*]

Hi...i love your site...its very easy to use. I would like to see abit more colour used..a few brighter colours, and i am sorry to say...its just my opinion.. to me its very expensive. I dont know how much the individual products cost to make up the boxes, or the quality of them, they do look good quality from the pics. But i could easy make up a box myself to send to somone a bit cheaper. I am sorry if i sound harsh :unsure: :blusingan Anyway, your site is great and the products too :happy72:

[Tinkabell]

Sorry I said the same as well about cost, and even when we had two incomes and no kids I still would have not paid that much for a gift. Maybe I am just a cheap present buyer lol.

[babybiz]

The answer you're looking for in part is in this thread, your descriptions which you know about and you should always mention the brands as that's a big selling point. Tell the customer WHY they are better brands too so they know they are buying something exclusive. Claire points out a very valid thing too - you are probably targeting the wrong customers. You've chosen brands that would appeal to a certain type of person so you need to find that type of person and market to them. I agree that parenting forums are not the best medium for this (although I disagree that it's 100% by any stretch). If people will pardon me for the description because I don't mean any offence by it but you want to avoid the ebay brigade - i.e those who are looking for a bargain (of which I am one sometimes too ;)). The type of customer you want is more driven by the type of product and not the cost of the product.

Good luck just persevere and you'll get there. I'm still learning about my customers and still a long way from knowing how to market to them properly although I'll be putting into place a huge strategy next year which I'm really excited about. :)

Tashxx

[Seren]

Thankyou so much for the feedback. I am now going to site down tonight & update my product descriptions !!! Just for future ref all my bears are GUND and he clothes in the 2 larger boxes are "nurtured by nature" (sold at Selfridges at highly inflated prices !!! ) also my shoes are Inch Blue & the boxes are very sturdy & intended at keep as keepsake treasure box. Off now to do some rewriting !! Thanks for the tips !!

Arrh, now you see if I had known what brands they were then I would have made a purchase, I didn't have the time to ask. SHOUT out the brands names, some people love labels, I would also say that they are usually sold in stores such as Selfridges

Have you advertised in Junior?

Hope all goes well, let us know when you have finished, would love to see the update
""cutey""b

[funkyfish]

I agree with Mama B advertsing in Junior is a good idea...

Also, have you tried monitoring your site statistics? It would be interesting to know how many visitors you are getting each day to assess whether its a price problem or if you are simply not getting enough hits to generate those valuable sales.

After a quick peek I noticed you are not really appearing very high up in the search engine results so maybe you could spend a bit of time getting listed on some shopping directories.

I presume you have submitted yourself to the search engines and of course to DMOZ??

Also, the baby gift arena is a very competive sector so it is important to highlight anything that is very special about your company.

Really get creative with marketing.....

Good luck