Fast deliveries spell success for baby gift/flower company

UK (SANEPR.com) June 17, 2008 -- One woman's hunt for a unique yet practical gift for new mums was the inspiration for Babyblooms http://www.babyblooms.co.uk and its line of beautifully presented 'bouquets' made up of cleverly presented baby essentials. Today Lisa Roberts, who founded the company in 2005 along with her mother and sister, runs a thriving online business. The gifts are so popular that Babyblooms has moved into wholesale and is making inroads into the US and Europe. The majority of orders, 80%, go out through Royal Mail Special Delivery, which says Lisa has been instrumental in their company's success.
Happier customers
'People want the gift to have the maximum impact by being there when the new mum comes back from hospital with her new arrival. We chose Royal Mail because we felt that it was a recognised and trusted name and because of the accountability – customers can track and trace the orders. Using the online tracking number the customer check the progress of the parcel and verify delivery without coming back to us.' With a workforce of just 10, mostly part-time employees, keeping the phone lines free for orders rather than order tracking is a huge bonus.
Family values
The Wokingham-based business is still very much a family affair. Her mum, who Lisa admits is the artistic one, designs the prototypes and the bouquet arrangements. 'A lot of thought has gone into not only the presentation of the gifts but also in the garments themselves. We get a lot of feedback from mums to find out exactly what they want. That's why all our pieces are cut to accommodate real nappies and they don't have labels in the neck, which often irritate babies.'
In fact it was Lisa's own experience of motherhood that gave her the initial idea. 'I was inundated with fresh flowers and beautiful outfits when my sons, who are now nine and seven, were born. It's a shame really as by the time you get back from the hospital the flowers are past their best and, while you may love the cute outfits, what you really need are practical pieces like bodysuits and sleepsuits, things you can wash and dry quickly.'
From strength to strength
It didn't take long for the idea of beautifully presented essentials to catch on. 'We're in our third year of business and have seen a year-on-year increase of 100% in volume. We've gone from one collection a day in a small van to a lorry at 3pm and another smaller collection at 5pm.'
For the 50% of its customers who are corporate clients, a guaranteed next day delivery is crucial. 'The gifts are often presented at maternity leaving-dos in the office. We get lots of repeat business from companies, and many of them choose us as their preferred supplier for maternity gifts because they know they can rely on us.'
Targeting potential customers
Royal Mail has also played a significant role in driving the business forward. Lisa says, 'It has helped us hugely with marketing and the development of our business.' Now, for the first time the company is sending out its brochure as a piece of direct mail to prospective clients.
'We're quite excited because we're going to use our new brochures for some specific targeted direct mail. Up until now, most of our promotion, apart from online advertising has been through shows, events and PR. Royal Mail is helping us to make proper use of our customer database to analyse and profile our customers, which has involved us visiting the Royal Mail Media Centre in London.' Babyblooms is using the data to work out who their shoppers and repeat shoppers are, in order to identify target areas to mail more people like them.
New horizons
The demand from overseas customers is also growing steadily, mainly in the US and Europe, and Airsure® 'although not as fast as Special Delivery Next Day is as reliable and allows customers to track their order,' says Lisa.
Meanwhile, in the UK, the company relies on Parcelforce Worldwide for the wholesale delivery of its products to a network of more than 250 independent retailers. And with the launch of a loyalty programme, pamper products for mums, as well as first birthday and christening gifts for babies, business really is booming.