Transact Store Upgrades to Retailer Platform after Great Success

Shopcreator catch up with founder and owner Dave Clayton to chat about his fast track success seen with Shopcreator's Transact and Retailer platform.

SC: Can you tell me a little bit about Big Laces?
BL: Big Laces (originally Tha Lace Place) started out on eBay in 2006 with the intention of providing retro shoelaces to a niche market. Sales grew, the range expanded and we now aim to provide a large range of shoelaces to an increasingly diverse customer base, whilst still retaining control of the retro shoelace market.

SC: Did you look at any other e-Commerce platforms aside from Shopcreator?
BL: Our original eCommerce provider was 1&1 Internet. We had a brief overlap of a few months to compare them and Shopcreator side by side but their customer service level and usability of the admin system fell far short of SC's so we decided to make the switch as soon as was practicable.

SC: Why did you choose Shopcreator for the Big Laces Site?
BL: From the free months trial we experienced very good looking site templates, a great admin system (although the manual could do with updating as not all aspects are covered in it), and very quick and thorough customer service which for an SME like us is invaluable.

SC: You initially began on our free Transact platform .Why did you decide to upgrade to the Retailer platform?
BL: We realised quickly that Shopcreator would provide us with a medium/long term solution for our exact needs. Although it costs a bit more per month, the added bonuses of the extra site features (FTP and discounts particularly) meant Retailer was a viable alternative to Transact.

SC: Why do you feel the need to sell online?
BL: To reach a niche market it was really the only way to do it.

SC: What were your online aim and objectives of the site?
BL: To provide an easy experience for the customer and in the not too distant future offer a valuable resource for information about shoelaces.

SC: Did you have any specific requirements for the site?
BL: Nothing above the usual requirements – the ability to display a good range of pictures and easy path through to sale.

SC: How did you find the Retailer platform in terms of usability and content management?
BL: Excellent. Other than needing explanations on a few of the aspects that are missing from the manual, it is very intuitive and extremely user friendly.

SC: What are the main benefits the site provides you with?
BL: Ease of use for amending pages/products etc.

SC: Have you ever needed much assistance and support from Shopcreator?
BL: Quite a bit in the early days when getting to grips with the basics of the system and the speed and quality of the responses we got were one of the main reasons we decided to go with SC in the longer term.

SC: What marketing activity do you carry out to promote the sites (if any)?
BL: Google PPC, Specialist site advertising, but mainly word of mouth......

SC: Do you track traffic to the website using the built in analytical tools?
BL: Yes, and we also use Google Analytics.

SC: What are Big Laces' future plans going forward?
BL: We aim within 5 years to be the leading online Business to Person shoelace retailer in the UK. Our medium term goal is to improve our site to increase conversions by 100% in 2 years, and we will expand our product range to help achieve this.

You can view Big Laces website at www.biglaces.com

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