BES Blog

At Autumn Fair this year I chaired a panel on ‘Lessons learned from journeys into ecommerce' with two independent retailers who are successfully selling online. I was so impressed with the ways that my two panelists had made sales without spending big money on expensive websites that I thought I’d share them with you:

Low Cost Digital Marketing

On the panel were Alice Wheeler from Wonderland near Glasgow and Claire Rose from Miss Claire Rose in Harrogate. Both have bricks and mortar stores and both sell online. It’s worth following them on their social media pages, which have been a big part of their sales success. You can find them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram via their websites.

Both retailers have purchased their web domains and used free or low cost software like Weebly to get simple, responsive (shows well on mobiles) websites up. The sites show where they are, what they sell and have easy shopping cart software which enables them to take orders. This isn’t the bulk of where their sales come from though.

Social media is an important part of how they sell. It really is as simple as taking photos of what they have on offer (often just using the camera on their phones) and posting them straight to their social media accounts. Their followers then like and share them across a larger audience than the retailers initial fan base. Customers will often order just by messaging them on these platforms.

Selling on Facebook

If you look at Wonderland’s Facebook page, for example, Alice has photographed images of products underneath which her followers will post comments. As customers ask questions, Alice then engages with them quickly (You can set your phone to alert you when customers message or  comment). The more engagement she has the higher her posts show on other FB news feeds and all of the Facebook friends of the customer potentially get to see the interaction.

The median average number of Facebook friends is 200. Imagine the equivalent scenario in your shop. Someone browsing and asking a member of your sales team questions would have up to 200 people watching the interaction and seeing what you are both doing. If it’s a product that sells well you are very likely to get additional sales from this interaction.

What’s important is that it’s all from the hip and quick and easy for Alice to do. She doesn’t prep high end photos in photoshop. She doesn’t put text on the image with pricing, colourways or dimensions. Less is more. You want engagement and you want customers asking questions and interacting on your page.

If someone chooses to purchase they might then message Alice via Facebook Messenger. Payment can then be taken quickly and easily by Paypal or later if collected in person.

Shipping to Your Fans

Both retailers offer to ship their orders to customers for a small fee and use their local post office for shipping. As the volumes increase they can look to outsource this aspect or talk to suppliers about drop shipping. For now though they are up and running and selling online.

One of the key things that struck me was how powerful a small local fan base of your shop is. Obviously you have to stock products that people want at a price that’s right and displayed in a attractive way. Once you get this right your fan base will grow and you need to build this base on social media. You don’t need lots of followers, just focus on people who love what you do.

Your raving fans are easier to sell more to, give great reviews and constantly refer new customers to you. It’s better to have 100 good followers like this than 10,000 you paid for that don’t care. To get going it’s useful to encourage friends and family members to like you on social media. Then make sure your social media details are on your bags, till receipts, website and marketing.

Negative Feedback

One of the main fears retailers often have about selling online is negative feedback. The fact of the matter is that you can’t escape this. Even if you don’t have website you may already have negative feedback online. It’s better to engage with customers by being online. Then you can turn it around.

Another important aspect of meeting customer expectations is to empower your team to be able to make decisions and take care of customers. At Blue Eyed Sun and with our wedding website www.IvyEllen.com know that if they can fix a problem for £50 or less then they can get on and sort it. That way they can act quickly to post out replacements for damages or missing items without causing our customers and delays or further frustration.

Free Listings

TripAdvisor was cited as a great way of dealing with feedback head on. It’s not just for hotels and restaurants, you can also register your store. Encourage your core fans and friends to write some good reviews to get you going. Because people use TripAdvisor to plan their trips (including where they will shop) you can increase footfall to your bricks and mortar shop. If you have not registered your store on there yet, it’s free and worth doing.

Miss Claire Rose also links to her TripAdvisor page from her website which has over 70 positive reviews giving added reassurance to new customers.

Make sure you also list your shop on Google so that it shows up on Googlemaps for keywords on products you sell. It’s free to do and again you can get reviews of your store on Google so that more people visit you online and offline. Visit www.google.co.uk/business to get started.

Instagram

Claire also uses Instagram to present a Smorgasbord of delicious product that she stocks in her shop. Images have to be nicer on Instagram and the app has a range of filters to help you with this. Using hashtags like #greetingcards will get your post seen by a wider range of people than just your followers because people use the hashtags to search for images on subjects they are interested in. Followers who like products can message you to order and like your photos to increase your marketing reach.

Getting Started

As anyone who retails online or offline, business is an ongoing exercise in improvement. What I found most inspiring about hearing from Claire and Alice is the way they just got on with it. So, if you have smartphone, what’s stopping you? If they can do it, so can you. Often we can hold ourselves back by trying to be too perfect. Their success shows how selling online can be as simple as setting up a Facebook page.

9 tips for social selling

How to get started with digital marketing

10 things to do before using social media for business

Blue Eyed Sun Ltd, a handmade greeting card company selling direct to retail, has been officially presented the Queen’s Award for International Trade by the Lord-Lieutenant of West Sussex.

The presentation took place at their new factory in Burgess Hill and was attended by the High Sheriff of West Sussex, the Mayor of Burgess Hill, the Chairman of West Sussex County Council and the Chairman of Mid-Sussex County Council.

“We are thrilled to have won this prestigious award and were honoured that such a distinguished group of local dignitaries came to celebrate with us, along with many wonderful customers, suppliers, family and friends of Blue Eyed Sun. This award is an amazing tribute to the dedication and hard work of our fantastic team.”

- Jeremy Corner, MD of Blue Eyed Sun

Guests enjoyed a tour of the publisher’s new production and distribution facility, which the company recently acquired in Victoria Road, Burgess Hill. Founded by artist Jo Corner (from a tiny bedsit in Brighton in 2000), Blue Eyed Sun has grown to sixteen staff  and sells tens of thousands of handmade cards every week in over 20 countries around the world. UK customers include Fortnum and Mason, Paperchase John Lewis, Waitrose, Fenwicks and a host of design-led independent retailers. Their international expansion has been particularly impressive in the last four years.

Jo and Jeremy attended a special Queen’s Award event at Buckingham Palace in July where they presented her Majesty the Queen with one of their 90th Birthday cards. The Queen has received over 100,000 cards celebrating her ninetieth birthday year.

The UK greeting card market leads the world in terms of design, with £1.7 billion in annual sales (up 5% on the previous year). British consumers buy more cards per person than any other country. Cards are sold in one in six retail outlets in the UK.

Read about Blue Eyed Sun's visit to Buckingham Palace

Watch a short video about Blue Eyed Sun's export success

Learn how to grow your export sales

The Henries Awards Winners 2016 for the best greeting cards and card publishers in the UK have been announced!

Here is a complete list of the Henries winners and finalists for this year.

A special congratulations to Gary Rowley, MD of UK Greetings, who won the Honorary Achievement Award

Sara Miller, creative director and founder of Sara Miller London won Most Promising Young Designer Or Artist

Finalists

Elliott Bennett, designer of Hearts Designs

Rebecca Crouch, founder and creative director of Raspberry Blossom

Sarah Knight, founder and designer of Stormy Knight

Emma Pearce, senior designer for Hotchpotch

Louise Tiler, founder and designer of Louise Tiler

Sausage Dog from Sooshichacha  won Best Cute Range

Finalists

Cuckoo from Paper Bird Publishing

Hannah Pontin: Doodle & Block from ArtPress

Mischief from I Drew This

Quackers from Stop The Clock Design

Toby Little Dude from The Art Group

Love You More Valentine's Day from Stop The Clock Design won Best Spring Seasons Range

Finalists

Alice Scott Mother’s Day from Pigment

Colourful Captions Valentine's Day from Tache Crafts

Grin & Tonic Father's Day from Brainbox Candy

Paloma Mother's Day from Belly Button Designs

The Pigment Collection Easter from Laura Darrington

Pretty Things Mother's Day from Paper Salad

Tropicana from Second Nature  won Best Contemporary Trend Range

Finalists

Aquarelle from Ling Design

Aries from Meraki

Charmed from YTR Design

Facematts from Brainbox Candy

Sara Miller London from The Art File

Gin + Frolics from Rosie Made A Thing won Best Humorous Range

Finalists

Etched from Pigment

Good Things from Redback Cards

Just Saying from Paperlink

Mungo & Shoddy from Tillovision

Scribbles from Hallmark

Landmarks from I Drew This won Best Art Range

Finalists

Jewels from Bug Art

Sara Miller London from The Art File

Stick and Stitch from Catherine Kleeli

The Thing About Dogs from Pigment

Wild Life Botanical from Lola Design

Silver Leaf from Janie Wilson  won Best Handmade or Hand-finished Range

Finalists

Extended Scrabbley Neons from Bexy Boo

Glitter Dogs + Cats from English Graphics

Paper Diamonds Deluxe from Wendy Jones-Blackett

Say It With Lace from Image Plus

Veneer from Cinnamon Aitch

Gibson Core Line from UK Greetings won Best Traditional Words or Sentiments Range

Finalists

Essence from IC&G

Heartfelt from Ling Design

Letterpress from Words 'n' Wishes

Velvet from Jonny Javelin

Wishes from The Original Poster Company

Words of Wisdom from Dandelion Stationery  won Best Contemporary Words or Sentiments Range

Finalists

Flora from Stop The Clock Design

Mad Dots from Hearts Designs

On The Cards from The Art Group

Simply Quotes from Rambling Mansion

Velvet Ink from Clare Maddicott Publications

Geronimo from The Art File won Best Male Range

Finalists

Black Lines from Stop The Clock Design

Bomicks from Ivorymint

Gold Gentlemen from Louise Tiler

Look And Learn from Cath Tate Cards

Manochrome from Noel Tatt

Facematt Funimals from Brainbox Candy won Best Children's Range

Finalists

Children's Range from Sooshichacha

The Happy Birthday Range from Laura Skilbeck

Kiddiwinks from Think Of Me

Scribbles from Rachel Ellen Designs

Sugar and Spice from Janie Wilson

Gold Female Contemporary from Hambledon Studios won Best Wholesale Range

Finalists

Crème Brulee from BGC Studios

Hebe's Garden from Hambledon Studios

Opacity from Xpress Yourself

Prelude Wedding Collection from BGC Studios

Trinkets from Simon Elvin

Paper Diamonds Deluxe from Wendy Jones-Blackett  won Best Occasions or Relations Range

Finalists

Cherished Mini-Cards from Lagom Design

Gemma Correll Collection from Ohh Deer

Jaz&Baz from Portfolio

Mimosa from Paperlink

Sassafras Occasions from Cardmix

Paloma from Belly Button Designs won Best Christmas Box or Pack

Finalists

Art House - Paper House from The Great British Card Company (GBCC)

Boots 2016 Christmas Boxed Cards from UK Greetings

A Christmas Cracker from Wrendale Designs

Dear To Me Xmas Boxes from Dear To Me Studio

Deer Box from Woodmansterne

Christmas Keepsakes from Rachel Ellen Designs won Best Christmas Counter Cards Range

Finalists

Christmas Sparkle On Clay from English Graphics

Jaz&Baz from Portfolio

Festive from Designed by Mrs Lovesy

Moonbeams and Magic from Five Dollar Shake

Traditional Christmas from UK Greetings

1000 Words from U Studio won Best Photographic Range

Finalists

Alicia Bock from Lagom Design

Life Is Sweet from Icon

Loose Leashes from Woodmansterne

Take A View from UK Greetings

Winter from Mine Osman

Star Wars: The Force Awakens from Hallmark won Best Licensed Card Range

Finalists

Disney Originals from UK Greetings

Happy Jackson from Pigment

Off The Leash from Cardmix

PAW Patrol from Danilo

Quentin Blake from Woodmansterne

Neon Revolution from Glick Best Giftwrappings Collection

Finalists

Birds of Paradise from Artebene

Cornflower Giftbags from Cinnamon Aitch

Platinum Male Collection from Belly Button Bubble

Sara Miller London from Penny Kennedy

Summer Tropical from Deva Designs

Rainbow from Ling Design won The Henry Cole Classic Award

Finalists

Bottomline from Paperlink

Drama Queen from Cardmix

Edward Monkton from Really Good

Pizazz from Nigel Quiney Publications

Best Service To The Independent Retailer

Winners 2016

International Cards and Gifts (IC&G) - Gold Award

Noel Tatt - Silver Award

UK Greetings - Bronze Award

Finalists

Abacus Cards

Cherry Orchard

Jonny Javelin

Nigel Quiney

Paperlink

Pigment

Second Nature

Woodmansterne

Words n Wishes

The Henries Awards winners 2016 were revealed at a glamorous Bollywood themed Henries Ball on Thursday 6th October at the Lancaster London Hotel, overlooking HydePark.

Over 15,000 cards were entered into this year’s Henries and these were judged by an impressive Judging Panel, made up of top retailers (including buyers from John Lewis, WHSmith, Tesco, Paperchase, Scribbler, National Trust, House of Cards, Waterstones, Funky Pigeon as well as many leading independents). Congratulations to all of the Henries Awards winners and everyone who made it through to the finals.

See previous Henries Awards winners and finalists by clicking here

Read some award winning advice for the Henries and other awards here

For anyone considering social media for business it can be overwhelming. No sooner do you have your Facebook page sorted, the algorithms change and your posts don’t get seen as often. You set up your Instagram and then Snapchat is supposed to be the new thing. Plus some platforms fizzle out and become less popular.

Marketeers are often quick to jump on the next big thing in social media. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement. If it’s not a new social media platform like Snapchat or WhatsApp, it’s new buzzwords like Social Selling. How can you unsure that you aren’t wasting your time and are best positioned to reap the benefits from these tools?

Here’s how to get started:

1. Know your customers

It’s no good setting up any social media accounts without knowing your customers, so that you can find them and others like them online. What demographics do your customers fit into and are these groups using social media? If so, which platforms are they using? Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, Pinterest are all good, although you may find that your audience favours some more than others.

Track which customers are your biggest fans and return to purchase most often or spend the most. Ask them why thy like your store, what social media they use and what they’d like to see from you online. Over time you may find that the customers online differ from those coming into your store. Pay attention and give each group what they need in ways that appeal to each.

2. A Good Offering

It's no good driving footfall to your door if you don't have the right offering for these people when they arrive. Do you stock products that customers you are marketing to will want and at prices that are right for them? Are they displayed attractively and is your store the right type of environment for them? If you know the profile of your biggest fans what can you do to make your business and your offering even more appealing to them?

3. What Makes You Different?

As well as knowing your customers you must know yourself and how you are perceived. Niches are the key to success in business these days. You can’t be all things to all people. What is your unique selling point? Remember, good service is expected as standard these days. What is it that motivates your fans to buy from you? What makes you stand out from the crowd? Knowing this will help you attract more of the right customers and it will also drive engagement on the right social media networks. For Blue Eyed Sun it’s “gorgeous handmade greeting cards for design-led shops.”

4. Communicate your Specialness

It's all very well having a great USP (unique selling point), but if you don't tell your customers about it you are missing a trick. Communicating your uniqueness consistently across your marketing will help get your story across when you are using social media for business. Keep it simple, clear and concise. Remember to mention what makes you special in your bios when you set up your social media accounts. If you can say what you do and who it’s for then even better.

5. Your website works

Surveys have shown that you have less than 8 seconds to engage with visitors to your site before they move on or choose to stay. Once you have spent time and money driving customers to your door you want to make sure that they don't leave because of something that you haven't got working on your site. If your website is slow loading, not up to date, has broken links or doesn't deliver on what is expected then people will leave very quickly. It's worth focussing on what you want customers to do when they visit your website and then making sure everything on it funnels them towards this goal.

6. A well trained team

If you send a load of time and energy driving people to your business and your team don’t deliver then you are wasting resources. Make sure that your staff are on message with your brand and understand what the business focus is. Then give them the support and tools to be able to deliver satisfaction to your customers and resolve issues fast and satisfactorily. If you are delivering products make sure that you have good operations and logistics set up to get your products to customers quickly. Amazon have set the bar very high for all of us. Do your best to make meeting high expectations standard procedure for your team.

7. A useful blog

Blogging has been the backbone to all of the social media and digital marketing activity for Blue Eyed Sun and our wedding stationery business, Ivy Ellen. Customer focussed content helps drive traffic through these platforms to your website and enhances your SEO (search engine optimisation) so that you are well ranked on Google. Try to avoid just writing about yourself and selling your products on your blog. People want to read informative articles on subjects that interest them or they find amusing. None of us like to be sold to, even though most of us like to buy.

8. Performance Tracking

You need to analyse what’s working and what isn’t on your website so that you can adjust accordingly. Sign up for Google’s free analytics tool at www.google.co.uk/analytics/. Google will send you a short piece of hidden code that you can have your website developer add to your website for very little cost. This fantastic tool will provide you with an incredible amount of data on how many people come to your site, how they navigate through it and where the come from to find you. It will show you which social media sites are driving the most traffic and help you to improve what you do.

9. Social strategy

Always listen first when you start using social media for business. Are you in the right place? Watch what works and what doesn’t before you post. What do you like to share and engage with online? Don’t just blast sales messages out, remember that interaction is more important on these networks than broadcasting. Plan out when you will broadcast your social media messages and run tests on the times of day that best suit your audience. Also plan when to check in and read the tweets and messages of those you follow in your industry. Remember to leave them a like, a share, a retweet or a message to let them know you were there and to engage with them.

10. Engaged fan network

The more engaged you are with your loyal fan network offline the more likely you will be able to take this onto social media. You can easily connect with your customer email database when you set up your accounts on these platforms. Good customers who are already online are more likely to share you with their friends and the wider your audience will become over time. It's great to have a lot of followers, but a small network of engaged followers is more powerful and will give you better results.

Whilst it’s important to set up your business brand on social media, remember that you and your team are the faces of your business. People like to buy from people so be aware of the importance of your own personal brand online and use it to help your business along.

One of the biggest shifts I’ve personally had to make when using social media for business is towards network thinking (which is open, random and supportive) and away from the institutional thinking (which is closed, selective and controlling). What this means for you practically is that digital marketing is more about community and engagement. You can be selective about who you follow and engage with, but you will often find that opportunities arise from unlikely and random places so it’s worth following most people who follow and engage with you. You cannot control the internet so it’s also best to be a nice, helpful and friendly person online.

What is ORS network thinking?

Learn about social psychology in social media

Why you should always listen first on social media

 

I was recently invited by Sage to Chicago to speak at their annual Sage Summit. The business focussed event, held over 3-4 days, is an opportunity to network, learn and grow. It featured some amazing keynote speakers and loads of smaller breakout sessions and interesting seminars.

As you can see by the photos on this page I was lucky enough to meet some of these amazing people and learn some useful business lessons from them. Here are my highlights:

Determination

On my Virgin Atlantic flight there I wondered what it would be like to meet Richard Branson and decided to do everything I could to make it happen. Incredibly, the very next morning I was shaking his hand. I then set myself the challenge of meeting the rest of the celebrity speakers that week. It wasn’t easy. I was just determined and had a good energy for making it happen. I believed that I could do it. I even managed to blag backstage access to The Killers gig that week. Determination and self belief are so important to achieving your goals.

Don’t be needy

At the same time as being determined it’s important not to be desperate. Although I believed that I could achieve my goals, I was also prepared to fail. I just didn’t focus on the failure. I focused on what I wanted but not to the point where it consumed me. In a cab ride in Chicago, the adventurer and philanthropist Justin Packshaw shared similar advice he once received from an experienced entrepreneur, “Needy ain’t sexy.” It sums this up nicely I think.

Your Team

Richard Branson, whose Virgin group comprises more than 400 companies, could never have grown without delegating. As he says, “Find someone better than you to run your business.”

Star of  Shark Tank (America’s Dragon’s Den) Robert Herjavec agrees “If you’re going to do everything in your business, you’re always going to stay small. The only way to grow is with a great team.”

Do what you love

Fellow TV Personality and entrepreneur Daymond John explains how to achieve this: “Make a list of things you love doing and things you don’t. Then, outsource everything you don’t love doing and it will change your life.”

One Word

I caught up with business youtuber Evan Carmichael who has a book coming out called: Your One Word. The book is about finding the core word that has meaning for you and truly inspires your business and team. Evan’s word is ‘Believe’ and his team is so into 'believing in entrepreneurs' that one of them even has the word 'Believe' as a tattoo on her arm. Having a focus for what you are about and what you want to achieve with your business is so powerful.

Power of Focus

Hearing actress Gwyneth Paltrow talk about KPI’s (key performance indicators) and sales funnel strategies was an eye opener. I find it inspiring that anyone can shift career, take on new challenges and start up a business. As the founder of successful online retailer Goop, Gwyneth’s key take away was to remember to focus, “Where you look is where you go. Keep your eye on the prize and believe in yourself.”

Understanding Customers

Another actress, Zooey Deschanel, also made the shift to business even though she didn’t see herself as particularly business minded. She partnered with experienced people and created HelloGiggles, a positive online community focussed on empowering millennial women. For Zooey, she felt instinctively that “If I like it someone else will like it.” She then shaped her brand around her audience which helped it to grow. It’s so important to put yourself in the shoes of your customers to understand your business and grow.

Solicit Feedback

I was invited to lunch with Donald Brydon the Chairman of Sage and a handful of Sage customers. He was very interested in what customers thought about Sage, good and bad. It really doesn’t matter whether you have a small business of a large FTSE 100 plc to run, soliciting feedback from your customers is essential. If the Chairman can make time to do it, so can we.

Social Conversation

Actor and tech investor with over 150 companies in his portfolio, Ashton Kutcher, is a social media whizz and arguably has generated a lot of his business success through his use of Twitter and other social platforms. Social media is not a broadcast platform he says, “It’s a conversation with a feedback loop.” You must engage with your followers. Just as you must engage with your customers.

What’s your Story?

I’m fascinated by how companies create the emotions attached to logos, how customers perceive brands and how brands endure over time. Understanding what your focus is and communicating that well are key to success. I was lucky enough to spend some time with branding expert Sasha Strauss from Innovation Protocol who reminded me how important it is for the brand message to work at every level throughout your company. For example, did you know that every employee at Disneyland is called a cast member? From the toilet cleaners through to the performers they are all cast members focussed on creating an amazing show for their customers.

Saving Time and Money

Taking time to of my busy schedule to attend an event which isn't directly connected to my card business doesn’t seem that sensible, but opportunities are everywhere to generate more business or to cut costs. I always pick up useful titbits of information at Sage Summit. On the export panel I sat on, my friend Gemma Price from SuperFood Market mentioned how she saved thousands renegotiating her courier costs. That single piece of advice has now been actioned and will save our business in excess of £5,000 this year alone.

Not just about the money

Global public benefit company Kickstarter has generated over $5 billion for start ups and created over 300,000 jobs through it’s crowd funding model that helps a range of creative projects get off the ground. It’s co-founder Yancey Strickler reminded us at Sage Summit that supporting someone’s idea and investing in their passion, even without receiving equity in return, is a hugely valuable way of contributing to the world.

The Value of PR

One of the reasons I’ve been able to maintain such good levels of PR and marketing over the years is that those in the media know that I am quick to respond and happy to help. Because of this I got the opportunity to be interviewed on Bloomberg Radio in Chicago which was broadcast throughout America. I shared the success of our greeting card business and even generated a sales lead from an American business wanting to send cards to their customers. It’s important to make PR a regular activity in your business. Click here to listen to my interview.

Network Power

Last year I made friends with Huffington Post blogger, Sandy Abrams, and Social Media Expert, Rebecca Coleman. We kept in touch online and supported one another’s talks, blog posts and social media activity at Sage Summit. If you want to have good reach on social media you need to build a network of supportive friends. I think it’s essential in business too.

Picture It 

It’s so easy to dismiss selfies as narcissistic and self indulgent. I changed strategy this year with the aim of increasing my personal brand and awareness of my businesses. Images are a very powerful way of doing this. When you tag people in the images it shows up in their feed so they can then easily remember you and share you with their networks. Search engines all index them. Images with celebs have a similar power and high level of engagement so grab selfies whenever the opportunities arise.

One of the reasons I leapt at the chance to attend my second Sage Summit is the insatiable appetite I have for learning and growing. Being around inspiring people who are all focussed on improving their businesses and their lives is incredibly energising. It’s definitely worth setting aside time in your calendar each year to sharpen your saw rather than keeping on hacking away with the same blunt instrument and wondering why it’s not working.

Jeremy is speaking on ‘Ten things to do in business before using social media’ at the Autumn Fair eCommerce Theatre on Sunday 4th September.

Read my daily diary from the Chicago Sage Summit on the Sage UK blog

Discover the 12 business lessons I learned at Sage Summit 2015 in New Orleans

Thinking of You Week 2016 is the Greeting Card Association's campaign to send a card a day and create a worldwide wave of love, caring and happiness during the last week of September each year. This year Thinking Of You Week runs from the 26th September to the 2nd October 2016.

More people than ever are getting involved in Thinking of You Week 2016 including retailers, publishers, suppliers, schools, charities and individuals all organising special activities to promote this exciting event and to create that special feel-good wave.

Below is a a flyer that you can download and print out for your shop window display. Just drag the image to your desktop or right click on your mouse and save. The GCA are also giving a prize for the Best Event and Best Window Display to retailers so be sure to share your images on social media using #ThinkingOfYouWeek for a chance to win!

Feel free to download the banner from the top of this page by right clicking and selecting 'save image as' to add it to your desktop. From there you should be able to use it as a cover image for your Facebook and Twitter pages during the months of August and September.

We'd love to share what you are doing for Thinking of You Week 2016 so do let us know what you get up to.

Why you should care about Thinking of You Week

Download the GCA Thinking of You Week PR toolkit

Science proves that receiving cards is good for people

Blue Eyed Sun have added twelve new designs to their best selling Vintage Too collection

Vintage Too is based on original embroidered artworks by textile artist, Jo Corner. These beautiful cards are litho printed and embossed to give a realistic look and feel. They are all hand finished with jewels.

Vintage Too cards are all blank inside and all come cello wrapped with an envelope that is 165mm x 165mm. Sold in sixes the designs are available for trade customers to order through our agents, by brochure, at shows or on our website. All board used for Vintage Too is responsibly sourced from sustained and managed forests by FSC accredited suppliers.

You can see these wonderful Vintage Too greeting cards first in person at:

Autumn Fair 2016 at the NEC in Birmingham 4-7 September - Hall 4 - Stand 4D03.

To stock these cards in your shop click here. If you'd like to see them in your local shop please tell them and point them in the direction of www.blueeyedsun.co.uk or recommend a shop to us by clicking here. You can also visit our stockists page to find a store near you that may be selling them. To see what else is new from Blue Eyed Sun click here.

Blue Eyed Sun will soon be exhibiting at the Autumn Fair 2016 trade show at the NEC. Officially launching at the show are additions to our beautiful new 2017 Spring Seasons designs along with our new best selling ranges Vintage Too, Fleur, Alchemy, Tahiti and Crochet Critters so be sure to stop by and see us.

About Autumn Fair 2016

Autumn Fair 2016 runs for four days from Sunday 4th September to Wednesday 7th September from 09:00 - 18:00 at the NEC in Birmingham. It brings toether an inspirational showcase of over 1,400 British and International Exhibitors and attracts buyers from all over the world. It's a great opportunity to stock up on goods for that all important Christmas season and to see what's new for Spring seasons next year.

To register for Autumn Fair International 2016 please click here

Seminars not to miss

10 Things to do in your business before using social media

Sunday 4th September - 14:10 - 14:40 Ecommerce Theatre in Hall 5

Panel: Lessons learned from journeys into ecommerce

Monday 5th September - 13:25 - 14:00 Ecommerce Theatre in Hall 5.

Where to Stay at Autumn fair 2016

Accommodation is a lot easier to find at Autumn Fair than Spring Fair and prices tend to be cheaper too. There are now several hotels on the NEC site, including Holiday Inn Express, The Hilton Metropole, The Arden, and a Premier Inn. Click here for more accommodation options at Autumn Fair.

Where to Eat at Autumn Fair

Check out our 5 Great Restaurants near the NEC Birmingham blog post.

How to get to Autumn Fair 2016

Travel to the show is easy with excellent rail and motorway links. The NEC post code is B40 1NT (if you use a sat nav). You can park for free in several car parks on site, all of which have free shuttle buses to take you around the complex. Birmingham International Rail Station is a 5 minute walk from the show as is Birmingham International Airport. It is an 80 minute train ride from London Euston Rail Station. You can also click on the map below to plan your journey.

When you get to Birmingham do remember to come and see us in Hall 4 on Stand 4D03.

Can't make the show? Click here to request access all of our designs online.

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Next Father's Day falls on the Sunday 18th June 2017 and Blue Eyed Sun have some gorgeous new Fathers Day cards available to choose from, so it's time for retailers to start thinking about putting their Spring orders together including Mothers Day cards, and Valentines cards. Here's what's new for Father's Day 2017...

Pictured above is our new Carnival range. Hand finished in the UK with decoupage elements and jewels, these beautiful Fathers Day cards are 160mm x 160mm.

Sold in sixes to trade buyers only, all of our Fathers Day cards are blank inside, barcoded and cello-wrapped with an envelope. All are printed on lovely thick board from sustainable sources. Retailers can order online from the trade only section of our site.

To stock these ranges in your shop click here. If you'd like to see them in your local shop please tell them and point them in the direction of  www.blueeyedsun.co.uk or you can recommend a shop to us by clicking here. You can also visit our stockists page to find a store near you that may be selling them.

See these Fathers Day cards in person at Autumn Fair 2017 - Stand 4D03

Click here to see our 2017 Valentine designs

See our 2017 Mothers Day designs

Just what is the point of trade associations? I’ve been asking myself this question a lot of late, having just become the new Vice-Chairman of the Giftware Association (GA) as well as being Treasurer for the Greeting Card Association (GCA). Since getting more closely involved with these two trade groups over the last few years and helping to improve their offering and membership numbers it’s really got me thinking hard about what makes joining them a must rather than just a should.

Blue Eyed Sun has been a member of the GCA, the GA and the FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) for over a decade now. We’ve also been approached by a number of others over the years including local enterprise groups and other specialist trade bodies like ACID. It’s quite easy to see the direct debits siphoning off your hard earned cash each year and wonder whether it’s all worth it. So what are the benefits of joining?

Financial Benefits

As supplier members, there are key financial benefits that each offer. In Blue Eyed Sun’s case we enjoy 5% off our stands at the Spring Fair and Autumn Fair trade shows through the GA and 10% off our stand at PG Live through the GCA.

We also get discounted rates from key suppliers through both organisations. Both leverage the numbers of their memberships to negotiate member deals with website designers, courier companies, insurers, credit controllers and credit checkers.

GA retailer members benefit from member to member trade show discounts, discounted hotel costs, cheaper Retail Week subscriptions, retail advice and legal insurance protection.

Each trade association also has free half hour calls to top legal experts dealing with key industry issues like brand protection, sales agents and copyright law.

Protection

The GA has a scheme set up called Copywatch which helps companies register and protect their designs as well as warding off plagiarists with their Copywatch logo on brochures and websites. They also have a credit discussion group to identify and help deal with customers who are slow to pay or in danger of defaulting.

The GCA has a really useful Range Name Register which Blue Eyed Sun checks every time we release a new range so that we don’t inadvertently market products with the same range name as another publisher. With so many companies and ranges out there this is easily done even after the usual Google and the IPO Trade Mark Register checks.

Marketing

Members of both the GCA and the GA have profile listings on their websites, which makes it easier for customers and suppliers to find them and help grow their businesses. More customers means more sales and better suppliers can mean cost savings and improved service for your customers. These listings also have strong SEO (search engine optimisation) benefits and are a good opportunity to show off what you do. The GA also offers competitive advertising opportunities on their website for those looking to enhance their industry profile.

GCA Associate members who supply publishers and retailers get listings in the supplier directory on the GCA site, free access to the GCA market report (worth £500) and exclusive access to members at GCA events and online.

Both organisations offer the opportunity to be featured in their newsletters or magazines. Progressive Greetings, the official journal of the GCA, has a section called Innovations which offers free editorial to members and newcomers to the card industry. The GA have an email newsletter called Giftwrap which goes out regularly to a large database of retailers and suppliers and is always looking to feature stories on it’s members. They also have a free weekly email called GA Reflect which includes relevant industry news.

Credibility

The GA and the GCA logos add credibility to your business. You can use them on our website, email signatures, letterheads, at your premises and in your brochure. We have their logos on our trade show stands as they add another level of reassurance to customers that we are a credible well established business with strong links to our industry community.

Events

Both associations put on regular events like seminars and networking gatherings. The GCA has some fantastic seminars on subjects like improving sales with sales agents and distributors. Recently they’ve also been adding video footage of their events to their website so you can see their latest seminar on licensing and distribution on their YouTube channel. These events give members a chance to keep up to date with legislative changes and ask questions from more experienced members.

Similarly the GA have had some excellent Business Boost days to help members drive sales and cut costs. They also organise Meet the Buyers days with retailers like John Lewis where suppliers get face time and invaluable feedback with leading retailers who in turn get to discover exciting new products for their stores.

Both trade associations have inspiring AGM / Members’ Day events that are well worth adding to your diary and attending. This recent GA Members day included keynotes specialising in customer service, branding and network thinking as well as informative talks on auto-enrolment pension changes, resale price maintenance compliance and HR recruitment.

Last year’s GCA AGM featured brilliant keynotes from the experienced card retailer Dominique Schurman (CEO of Clintons), rising publishing star Hannah Wrendale and inspirational comedian Sanderson Jones (founder of Sunday Assembley). If you missed them you can catch up on the GCA YouTube channel.

This year’s GCA AGM is on the Tuesday 8th November at the Royal Horseguards in London and promises another fantastic lineup.

No Trade Associations?

All of these benefits and more for both retailers and suppliers deal with the “what’s in it for me?” question most non-members ask before joining. Understandably, prospective members want to know the immediate return they get for their money.

There is a more important consideration though: What would we do if they didn’t exist?

For example, how would we respond to industry threats? Who would lobby government on our behalf to protect our interests when legislation changes or needs changing? Who would support new companies into our card and gift industries to keep our industry fresh and vibrant? Who would help us when we find ourselves in difficulty? Who would mediate and offer opportunities for competitors to come together and protect their industries? As busy business owners or companies, these are not tasks you or I might be able take on on our own and yet they are absolutely vital to all our livelihoods. It’s easy to forget that the real purpose of these organisations that is to make us stronger together as a group.

Both Chief Executives of the GCA  (Sharon Little) and the GA (Sarah Ward) have a wealth of experience, industry knowledge and a network of contacts that can help almost any member in a business situation they are having difficulty with. I find having these two experts on the end of the phone an invaluable benefit of our membership.

Community

When you sit on the committees at these organisations you join a group of passionate business men and women who see beyond their own businesses and recognise the importance of the bigger picture. It’s a great way of connecting with influencers and thought leaders and I have grown so much from spending time with such wonderfully inspiring industry peers. The organisations thrive on these hubs of passion and dedication to our industries. All are volunteers and most don’t even claim expenses for travel or their time attending multiple meetings in London and Birmingham each year.

Beyond the committees, the membership of these associations is a thriving community of businesses and entrepreneurs who all want the best for their industry’s future. After the recent EU referendum we are all aware of how important being a member of a group can be.

Those who set up the GA, the GCA and other trade bodies decades before us recognised the importance of contributing a small share to provide a focus for the well being of the industries in which they trade and we must continue to do the same.

Even if the benefits I’ve listed above are of little or no use to you, contributing to our community is something worth paying for. This is what makes membership a must rather than a should.

Join the Giftware Association

Join the Greeting Card Association

Are Trade Shows still worth it?