view Newsletter: March

           
The thought of developing a website and selling products online is understandably daunting for many companies. Exploring the mostly unknown territory of ecommerce can often be time consuming and expensive, but we shouldnt be so intimidated by the task ahead. For those wishing to stay afloat, or even expand their business in the years to come, online retailing is an increasingly profitable and easy area to master.

As the UK high street continues to falter and more of us choose to stay in our existing homes, it is evident that an improve, dont move culture has well and truly set in. But retailers should look to the internet for hope as a new generation of consumer starts to emerge. In the UK alone, online sales have grown from 23 billion to well over 43 billion in the last two years, confirming the buoyancy of this particular market.

The internet already provides us with many examples of well-designed online shops. So with the help of Nick Pratt of ecommerce specialists Sitemakers Ltd, we looked at a number of these features, starting with well-established brand Graham and Green (www.grahamandgreen.co.uk). This website contains a good use of branding on the home page this confirms to the customer that they are on the right site, Nick explains. The phone number is also visible throughout the website - helping customers who are looking for assistance and product advice. He goes on to mention the importance of leading the consumer to the checkout: Product pages make good use of images - large and multiple images are known to increase sales.

Interiors Birmingham exhibitors Cushion Couture provide an example of a comparatively smaller company who have also modelled a good website (www.cushioncouture.com). Featured products are highlighted on this home page this makes life easy for customers to get quickly to a specific item, outlines Nick. There is clear product category navigation on the left side of the page - where customers expect to find it - and the product pages show suggested alternatives and accessories, this is good for increasing basket value.

In these uncertain times, it is easy just to stick to traditional retailing, but past recessions have shown that the companies who do not go out and find new business are the ones who fail. So we asked Sitemakers Ltd to provide us with their top tips for companies wishing to defy the downturn and improve an existing website:

1. Review current performance using existing website statistics. Look critically at abandoned baskets and conversion rates.
2. Ask customers for feedback and views on their use of the site.
3. Compare your site's features with competitors to look for potential new features and functionality.
4. Try to view your own website critically from the viewpoint of a customer.
5. Confirm that you meet current regulations such as distance selling and card payment security (PCI DSS).
6. Review search engine positions and marketing activities to improve performance.
7. Treat current performance as a baseline from which to improve - regularly review performance to make improvements.

It seems the message is clear: with 65% of UK households now online, retailers must move into the electronic age and provide their customers with an efficient online version of their business. If retailers have the drive to succeed and do the job properly, they can expect to reap the rewards.

Sitemakers Ltd offers class-leading design and ecommerce solutions for online retailers. For more information visit www.sitemakers.co.uk . Sitemakers Ltd brought their ecommerce seminar to Interiors Birmingham 09. They are offering to send a free copy of their book Successful Tips for Online Retailing to any business looking to make a profitable move into ecommerce. Please go to www.sitemakers.co.uk/book to request your free copy.

It is the general consensus that the Middle East is a haven for undertaking your wildest design fantasies, where one is presented with unlimited budgets and full carte blanche. However, this is somewhat of an urban myth and doesn't fully represent the philosophies of design within the UAE, although to contradict, in earlier years this was possibly more of a reality within some of the GCC countries where design integrity and aesthetics were surrendered to the expression of wealth.  Some still seem to undermine the credibility of the flourishing high end design that is being generated within the region but on the flip side, others coin the phrase a decorators dream.

Abu Dhabi is a world class capital city that delivers challenging and exciting opportunities for interior design companies such as ourselves. The city, along with the surrounding emirates, have seemed to mature in stature, streamlining their business and philosophical ideas with the West, creating a '21st century Arabia' and replicating their successful global branding. It is this association with the West that has become increasingly evident during this current global crisis and has left it somewhat exposed, although not as severe as it may appear upon the surface.

The effects are considerable with disruptions within every industry that has concretized it's foundations within the region of which architecture and interior design are an integral part. We can all sit and argue the pro's and con's of such, but yet we remain positive and rightly so, as designing within the Middle East has always presented a continuous challenge with seemingly impossible time frames, deadlines and client expectations. This, thrown into the mix with the general pace of day to day existence along with the ecological conditions of the demographic and so on, you start to understand the bigger picture!

There are still plenty of projects being carried out, Abu Dhabi had the foresight to plan for infrastructure ahead of time and an estimated USD 200 billion is earmarked for future projects. With the population growth rate predicted at over 6% a year, Abu Dhabi will be one of the worlds fastest growing rich cities over the next decade.

Therefore, it is in our stride that we endeavour to take these growing concerns of global crisis upon the chin as the stalwarts of the UAE and the industry continue to go about their daily business.

Putting these sentiments aside, and to diverse, we duly confess that BDA have upon numerous occasions been decreed creative carte blanche. This allows ourselves the freedom to continuously challenge the boundaries of design pioneering, cutting edge solutions through all materials inherent within the industry, embracing change but paying respect to tradition.

It has been over the years that BDA's carefully selected and established client base has presented the opportunities to do so, although fortunate in our selection of projects and clients represented we have never abandoned the values that we uphold as designers and artists alike. By applying avant-garde solutions to varying scenarios we have been, and continue, to be a founding contributor to the ever changing urban fabric of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the UAE itself.?

Paul Bishop
Bishop Design Associates
www.bishopdesignassociates.com
info@bishopdesignassociates.com
+971 4332 7803

            

Karen Howes, co-director of award winning Taylor Howes Designs and responsible for some of the most stunning interiors of the moment, will be discussing international design trends at this years Decorex pavilion, part of the Interiors UAE exhibition in Abu Dhabi. Delighted to be in the United Arab Emirates, which is currently at the absolute forefront of innovative design, Karen is presenting Taylor Howes’ most innovative projects, which encapsulates the hottest trends.  

Taylor Howes Designs provides a comprehensive design service for private clients, property developers and hoteliers.  Founded in 1991, the practice has grown into one of the most respected businesses in its field; carving a unique niche in the market with the continual production of some of the most beautiful interiors of the time.  Karen will be explaining how the latest catwalk collections influence interiors and the importance of trend forecasting, which is one of her favourite subjects.

It cannot be denied that the current global economic crisis will affect the world of interiors in 2009. However with home improvement high on peoples’ priority lists all around the globe, now more than ever we should be considering those interior design trends, which put quality and longevity first.  Karen will also be highlighting how styles and trends need to be adapted in different climates looking at flexible living spaces, materials used and the use of timeless design. 

Creating a 5* experience is of utmost importance in forward-thinking trends and Karen will be discussing all the different ways in how to achieve this, looking at the wow factor and bespoke furnishings within interiors.  To conclude, Karen will reveal what to look out for in 2010 to stay ahead of the game.

See Karen Howes’ presentation at Interiors UAE, Abu Dhabi on Sunday 29 March at 12pm. More details of her presentation will be publicised after the event.

www.interiorsuae.com
www.thdesigns.co.uk