Small team, big success!
Highly Commended in our 2024 Online Store Awards, Louise Brindle and her daughter Suzy Shinner are showing what a small team can pull off in a big way. We fired some questions across to the Good Health Boutique, Retford, pair...
Q What’s the story of your online store?
We launched the website in 2017. It was built by a local web designer who knew the shop, along with input from Louise.
In 2019, Suzy left her job in London and moved up north to help with the business. She became responsible for the day-to-day running of the website (adding products, SEO etc), blog and newsletter writing. Since the website was launched we have evolved our product offering and have built up a collection of blog posts and healthy recipes.
During Covid, the website was put to the test with a huge increase in the number of online orders. As a result, we had to adapt the business to deal with this, for example, packing up large numbers of orders and making local deliveries ourselves after the shop shut in the afternoons.
Q How do you promote it?
We promote the website in-store and on social media. We encourage clients to buy both in-store and online, and often find people have searched our website before they come into the shop. We aim to respond to all comments on our website and always try to incorporate customer feedback where we can!
Q Who handles despatch?
Despatch is handled in-store by us. We always put a handwritten card in with every order, along with freebies we think the customer will love – sometimes chocolate, skincare samples, supplement samples etc. We hope that this builds customer loyalty online and repeat custom.
Q Do you offer click & collect?
Yes we do! And also, we will deliver in and around Retford on the same day.
Q What comes next?
We feel the online business is a really important part of our store. We aim to create a community online, with evidence-based information and good quality products.
Suzy is a nutritional therapist (Suzy Shinner Nutrition), and we have done online events through the website – the latest was a webinar on perimenopause. She also offers client discount on products bought through the good health boutique website.
goodhealthboutique.co.uk
The personal touch
Our Secret Shopper had this to say about this online shop: “Sensibly organised and easy to use” and, tellingly, “my order is delivered in good time along with a friendly note which is a nice personal touch.”
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