More than toys - an interview with cheesybugtoys

Since 2005 Ivan Latter and his team run the online store cheesybugToys.co.uk. The Shop offers a great range of indoor and outdoor toys, pools, sports games as well as toys for babies and toddlers and educational toys. Cheesybugtoys offers free delivery for all items and a money back guarantee for consumers. Learn more about cheesybugtoys in the following interview.

What is the idea behind your online store?
www.CheesyBug.co.uk was created to give web presence for CheesyBugToys

Why did you decide to start an e-commerce business?
I was looking to start my own business having become disillusioned with working for other people and having worked in retail for my entire work life starting my own retail business seemed like the obvious choice. I had been selling items on ebay for a while and it seemed like the correct choice for me to create my own web presence. I didn’t really know what to sell, but it was suggested that I look at Educational Toys; I searched the web and found a company willing to supply me and it snow balled from there. We started online trading in September 2005 and www.cheesybugtoys.co.uk was created.

Could you tell us about your professional life before you started your online store?
I had worked in retail prior to starting the business and managed a number of high profile sports stores.

Do you work fulltime or part time for your online business?
Everyone works full time at www.cheesybug.co.uk

Which shop system are you currently using?
We currently use a 1&1 Professional Shop Package. This suits our needs and whilst being reasonably priced is compatible with most major card payment systems and search engines.

Which payment systems does your Shop offer?
We currently offer Credit Card payments via Protx which allows us to accept MasterCard, Visa, Maestro, Delta & Amex and also offer Paypal. There are no current plans to add any others.

What are the advantages of your online shop against a high street store?
We can keep expenses to a minimum and do not need to keep high volumes of stock. An online presence allows us to target a wider range of customers.

Do you also run a physical store?
We do not run a physical store.

Does your store have any special features or functions?
The store has a fully functioning search facility. Customers can create their own account, preventing the need to fill in delivery details every time they order. It automatically broadcasts product feed to Google Base and other search providers.

What measures have you taken to increase consumer confidence?
We have signed upto a number of safe shopping sites, with the main focus being on the Trusted Shops agreement which gives our customers a Full Money back Guarantee. A recent review of our Terms & Conditions and these are emailed to our customers once an order is placed as well as being visible on the site.

What did you do to increase the visibility of your shop?
We have taken several steps to optimize our online shop for search engines like Google. We are also investing in Google AdWords Reviewing the titles and descriptions of our products and including relevant keywords and information to become more search engine friendly.

What are you currently working on?
We are currently working building relationships with a number of other retailers and suppliers. In retail you just can’t sit still, so we are looking at sourcing new products and expanding our offer. We have also recently signed new agreements with our carriers to provide an improved service to speed the delivery of our products.

For more information click here or visit the Tusted Shops Shopprofile of cheesybugtoys.co.uk.