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How did the project start?
It was late November 2008 when I launched the redeveloped TicWatches website. I remember being nervous about launching such a radically evolved site at such a busy time. I also look back on the decision as being one of the most significant of my entrepreneurial career. However, to fully educate an audience on why this time was so significant, my story must begin two years previous.
December 2006; I had been made redundant from my job as a graphic designer. My frustration was compounded by the lack of any job opportunities and further to this any career direction. I eventually took a step back, carefully considering my future options and envisaged where I wanted to be in the future.
My passion was to run my own business and my attention moved swiftly to opportunities in Ebay trading; a hobby I was fond of and which enveloped most of my free time. I spent time researching the online market, using Ebay as an indicator as to what sells online and where niche opportunities existed.
It was designer watches which I not only saw a niche opportunity in; I also had a great enthusiasm and genuine interest for. However, I understood that there was a need for me to develop a high quality store through a website independent of Ebay to attract my brands and attract customers.
I was supported throughout the development of my business through the Prince’s Trust, Catalyst 2, Business Link and Inbiz. As finances were restricted, I wanted the best eCommerce solution available to me; I felt that I could contribute to the design myself saving money for marketing the site.
The launch of ticwatches.co.uk was hugely successful, however it as through months of hard work that I was able to establish the site as a true online competitor amongst its peers. Through working closely with Visualsoft to effectively grow and market the website, my business grew to the point where I was ready to heavily reinvest in the business.
What options did you consider?
I did consider investing in a shop to further build the business, however, this would have required significant investment in the suffering high street climate. In trading to a worldwide audience through the web, I also felt that it would be a step backwards to cater specifically for a Regional audience.
Investing further in the website to further build our online perception and service offering online was the natural next step for the business. I naturally wanted to continue my relationship with Visualsoft; from initial concept they had been the technology arm of my business and I wanted this to continue.
What help and expertise did you receive?
I worked closely with Visualsoft in redeveloping the Tic Watches website; however this time, I allowed Visualsoft to look after the complete site redevelopment, with myself offering industry and product knowledge to the project. We agreed that further building the perception of quality and desirability through the aesthetics was essential and so we began the project from the logo.
We took the time to analyse the business, looking at the strengths and weaknesses and developing a clear purpose and plan to grow the business effectively online. Examining analytics and online marketing performance became a passion as we strove to stand apart from rivals in product, customer and web knowledge.
The project was supported by Business Link, who offered funding towards the project as well a continued business consultancy.
Did you face and challenges or learn any lessons?
I have been learning constantly about the web throughout my two years in running Tic Watches. It is through the experiences I had in working with my initial website that I learnt the lessons to apply to my new redeveloped website. Most importantly, through detailed analytics, I have come to understand user and shopping behaviour online. I also learnt to appreciate the power of perception online and the importance of aesthetics providing a platform to display highly desirable brands.
What are the outcomes and how has it improved your business?
An option to go live with the site early was offered to me by Visualsoft. My existing site was very well established and producing great results for my business, with Christmas sales already in full flight. Both parties felt slightly nervous about this re launch, however, the potential benefits of the powerful new platform prompted an impulse decision from me within a few minutes.
Christmas came early last year, with the new site increasing December turnover by a staggering multiple of three on the previous year. Since its launch, the site has set new sales records month on month. Most notable achievements have included the business supplying watches to ASOS.com, probably the largest online fashion retailer in the UK and Europe.
Tic Watches is now also a distributor for Andy Warhol and Penguin watches within the UK. Also, the website has quickly scaled Google Search rank positions for hundreds of key terms.
What are your plans for the future?
The future plan for Tic Watches is simple; to continue growth of the company online and establish the business as the no.1 supplier of designer watches throughout the UK and Europe. To do this, we are looking to further expand the product range, whilst also introducing our own product range.
The success through eCommerce for my business has been achieved through a steep learning curve and I would also like to apply this knowledge to other industry sectors.
