Annual Stock Take

Well, it's that time of year again. This week is our Annual Stock Take week.

I apologise for all those who have wanted to place orders through our website but couldn't, and all those who have pulled their hair out, cursed at the monitor, and thrown their base unit across the room before realising that there is a banner on the top stating what is happening. (Yes, I do that. I miss things. It's easily done, and I'm blonde, which is a recipe for disaster really)

We will be back for business as usual on the 25th of June, so don't run away. Come back then and you'll be able to place your order with no hassle at all.

I know it's annoying, but it is a necessity I'm afraid. And there are a few advantages to it.

The first is that we get on top of what stock we have.

The second is that we usually find long-forgotten products hiding in the darkest corners of our warehouse.

And the third - and most important - I get a day off. As I work with dispatch and we are not shipping anything at the moment, I am unneeded, surplus to requirements, obsolete. So I will be a lady of leisure tomorrow, spending some quality time with my cat, and getting some personal writing done, dragging myself nearer to the end of my novel and closer to the publishers . . . wishful thinking . . .

See? It's not all bad now, is it . . . ?

D. Ilott

Cybercheckout

Rise of the Cybercheckout Machines...!

I went to the Cinema on Wednesday and saw the Fourth installation of the Terminator films. I'm sorry, but I've always been a big fan of these; good ol` Arnie dressed in leather with dark glasses, and riding a bike while brandishing a gun. It's all-out action from beginning to end, and don't forget how spectacular the second one was when it first came out.

Back then, the special effects in Terminator II was evidence of our technological evolution. Things were on the rise. And today we are even further along with our advances.

Retail can be alluded to in the same way. First things were sold on market stalls; then came shops; now there is the Internet. You don't even have to leave the comforts of your own home to do your weekly shop - or buy a tent. How impressive is that?

But it raises the question of how close to reality these films are? How far can we advance before technology turns around and bites us on the *&!*?

I personally believe it's already begun - right here at Cybercheckout. Our online system is developing a mind of its own, and it's out to sabotage our good name. The affects so far are only small, and you may think me strange (no shocker there) but it's present none-the-less. At the moment it's curled up and laying dormant in our spellchecker on our emails. It's chosen one word so far to use and prove its existence, and all you have to do is spell it wrong.

The chosen word is Inconvenience.

Now, how many of you have spelt this word wrong and spellchecker has automatically corrected it, without you realising, to Incontinence?

I rest my case.

I sincerely apologise for any Incontinence this blog has caused...

But don't worry...I'll be back!!!

D. Ilott

Cybercheckout

Our Secret Equestrian Life . . . .

My poor cat got combed to death on Saturday. Being a Persian cat, she needs brushing everyday, but even if you keep up with it, you can still get a build up of dead fur that is prone to matting, especially in those hard-to-reach areas. So once or twice a year, I treat her to a professional groom, and it just so happened to fall on last weekend.

The lady who came round to groom her was very nice, and while my cat was attempting to bite and claw us to death, we were merrily chatting away.

It turned out that she kept horses, and so I brought up the subject of our Equestrian range - trying to do a bit of weekend advertising. She had no idea that we sold horse rugs, and was surprised. She said that by looking at our company name, Cybercheckout, there is nothing there to suggest of our Equestrian range, which got me wondering how many other horsey people in our local area are unaware of us.

http://www.cybercheckout.co.uk/c-4-equestrian-products.aspx

Maybe we should get a life-size model of a horse, put one of our rugs on its back, and stand it outside our office. It would also provide us with immense fun, watching and counting to see how many people climb on and attempt to ride off with it . . .

"Get off your horse, and drink your milk...!"

D. Ilott

Cybercheckout

On An Upward Route . . .

For those of you who have frequented our website recently - as in the last few days - you may have noticed something different.

We have a new website!

It's been something that has been worked on for a few months now, and the other day we had our exciting launch! It looks smarter, items are easier to find, and there's a one-page checkout system. All-in-all it's a much better setup than our original website - and what with our new images and improved item descriptions, things are beginning to look up.

This has been such a huge job for us to do - especially for our marketing guru. Bless him, he's worked so hard on this project, I'm surprised he hasn't started pulling his hair out. He dreaded the launch in case it didn't go well, and even tried to put it off. But he's done a grand job.

Yes, there are a few teething problems, but that is only natural when it comes to something like this. Some problems lay hidden until such a moment, and you can never tell that they are there unless you take the leap and make it live. Then you can spot them and fix them.

And that's what we are doing at the moment. There have only been a few so far - touch wood - but it seems as soon as we correct something, our actions have an affect on something else. It's an ongoing process at the moment, but I have faith that we will get there, and soon too.

A big well done to everyone involved on the project.

But despite the problems, I'm still going to partake in some champagne. Anyone care to join me?

D. Ilott

Cybercheckout Ltd

Onwards and Upwards

Advertising!

If you're a regular reader of this blog, then you may be aware that we've been getting our clipboards out and doing a lot of marketing work just recently. We've had team building days, re-familiarising ourselves with our tents; we've had road trips to our main warehouse to re-photo products for our website; we're redesigning things etc. And they've even got me blogging! It's been a busy and fun couple of months, and the end isn't in sight yet.

But what actually attracts you to an ad? Say, for instance, you're looking for a chocolate fountain (blog below, just had to point out). Out of all the products you see, what stands out the most in your eye? What screams to you 'Buy Me!'?

Firstly - and I'm just speculating here - if you're buying online you need to be reassured that you're not going to be ripped off. You need to feel secure. Then, maybe it's all to do with the images provided and the description. Maybe, subconsciously, if you think the layout of the ad looks attractive, it makes the product more appealing. (That's actually what I do with my blog. If I add pretty pictures, it makes the piece look less boring. Whether it actually works though is another thing.) The same could be said with the description.

So what if we go just that one step further and add video clips with our products? (I've mentioned our video work before.) We have a very talented team on board here at the world of Cybercheckout (all hail Kieron), and as we speak, they're working on a couple of videos now. We already have one for our memory foam products, but this is something that still needs working on. Video advertising is all new to us, and every step we take is a learning curve.

This also gives you a chance to learn more about us as people rather than a business, maybe giving you more reassurance of who we are. And it gives you a chance to finally see our Spiritual Guide. Yes, he's the one who provides us with Monster Munch on team building days, and whose memory foam bed I've been on (marketing purposes, purely marketing purposes). At the moment, he is the only one willing enough to stand in front of the camera and jabber on about our products.

And so, what I'm curious about is whether these video clips will make our ad more attractive to your eye. Will they make it scream out to you saying `Buy Me!'? (Not literally, I hope) Or will the mere sight of our `Spiritual Guide` just scare you away?

Please post suggestions to . . . .

Onwards and Upwards, and all that malarkey. . .

D. Ilott

Cybercheckout Ltd