After beavering away for most of the day apart from meeting customers at the workshop i have today completed all the hard work for our new fireplace packages from altering all our current limestone listings with the new mantel sizes and doing all the dimension drawings.
All this work is hidden unfortunately so im now sat in my office thinking what exactly have i done today ive added a couple of brand new products but thats all our customers can see im afraid.
If i look a little closer all the new items are in our admin section they just need options adding and photograpahs attaching to the text so im sure all the hard work is done.
Anyone who has anything to do with websites will know how tedious and time consuming it is if its just a couple of things its great and really quick but when adding over 50 now packages (with mantel size changes) it makes for quite a few days work.
Still it will be worth it i have added our New Monarch Arched insert cast with the Brompton surround which is due into stock around October and added this to the item so customers can view it but orders will be refused untill it is in stock.
This gives our customers a chance to view new products and it will be changed once we have shipping arrival date so they can be pre-ordered online.
Speaking of pre-ordering i have today ordered some new thing related to our website and i will explain more when it is confirmed they are arriving cant wait for that.
So expect to see many new items being listed Thursday and Friday and hopefully come the weekend it will all be online.
Oh forgot to say within 30 minutes yesterday of adding 48″ Brompton package to our website we sold one to
Mrs S of Windsor who will be the first to take delivery of new mantel even before mine arrives at home to replace our pembroke.
Posts Tagged ‘Website’
All the hard work for new fireplaces is done
Tuesday, July 20th, 2010Fireplace Website Problems Solved Today
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010After yesterdays nightmare i am happy it has gone to plan today and heres a brief about the new options
So after quite a few weeks testing the tile choice option we are pleased to say it has gone live today so it now makes it easier to choose them online as you now have a photo to view without the need to navigate away from the page you are looking at.
To Order the Tiles just click the Tile Selection Tab shown in red as highlighted in photo below
This will then take you to all the tiles available with this fireplace and you just need to add them to the Shopping Cart as well as the fireplace you have selected. It really is simple and allows you to see all the tiles with a photo instead of going backwards and forwards looking at Tiles
Also we have added a new shopping basket on the left hand side of the website which you can add multiple items too without the need of keeping going backwards and forwards and then checkout when you are ready and have added all the items you need. This is also shown in photo below so you can become used to it when shopping online with us
These subtle changes to our Fireplaces website will enhance the easy shopping system we have and I am sure will make it easier for you our customers if you do have any queries just ring or email me or if you do have any suggestions as to how we could improve our website we do take all this information on board
New Shopping Cart on test for Fireplace Website
Thursday, April 29th, 2010As we all know checking out on a website has to be the most simple thing your website does and here at Castfireplaces we are no different.
There are things we need like postcodes contact phone numbers etc they cant be avoided and we have been tweaking a new cart on our test pages we run to see how it responds in normal website running conditions to improve our checkout process.
This fireplace test site is a full working site as our own is and this is where we have been trying out the new tile selection format too.
We are just adding the final bits to make the shopping cart even easier to see and navigate too instead of being just at the top of the page i think it really looks great and works a treat.
So with a little bit of luck it should all be ready to impliment next week which will make our website even easier to use again.
If any of our customers would like to send us any information on ways we can improve our service and website we will always have a look at them as different minds see things in a different way.
We do have further things planned to improve your shopping experience with us and ill tell you more about them when they are ready to go live.
Othere website retailers do visit our site (normally everyday) to view various things and see what we are doing i suppose they will really seeing as we are one of if not the best fireplace website on the internet
So ill keep you all informed when things are ready to go
Bye for Now Mark
Alterations to all our prices on new fireplace website update
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009Now Today i have tried to set aside the day to adjust the prices on our website so that the price increase we are having from Gallery Fireplaces is ready to go when the new updated pages go live.
Now with over 600 products online and we do have around another 100 to add it is proving very time consuming indeed to do this.
Although the system we are using is easier to alter than our current one (hence why prices are staying the same) it is still going to take an age to do i think today i have done about 50 in between answering the phone taking orders and arranging delivery runs for this week to what seems the whole of the UK.
With this in mind and it being the busiest time of year for us it is going to be one hell of a push if we are going to have site ready to go live in the first week of December, and to be honest im not going to rush it just for the sake of it so it will arrive before Christmas i hope.
Nothing seems to very easy in the world of time mangement and i do think sometimes i wish i had kept my mouth shut and just announced it when it was live but im very exciteable and like to tell people whats happening here and some of our customers do ask me things and i know they have been reading our blog even our suppliers read it. I suppose it is just a way of making our website more user friendly and interactive than others that and with a wealth of information available regarding Fireplaces and Stoves im sure people will find something interesting for them.
On another note i can not believe we are in the Last Week of November and we are already taking orders to ensure pre christams deliverys of some items which we are running short of will explain more tomorrow
New Stoves and Fireplaces to be launched on our Website
Wednesday, August 26th, 2009A small disaster has struck us here at Cast Fireplaces my wife Rhian has returned from girls weekend away only to be struck down with Swine Flu. So she has been quarantined in the Bedroom so the kids and myself don’t catch it she is on tamiflu and lemsip and is starting to feel slightly better again.
So again I find myself between the Office and the factory as we have deliveries planned and items need wrapping and loading to ensure your fireplace arrives how it should via our terrific Home delivery service. Speaking of travelling to and fro today I had to help an old man who had fell in front of my van today, honestly I did not knock him over so I covered him in blankets we use for wrapping fireplaces up in and rung ambulance I was then late back for dinner and lunch was cold but hey he was alright.
So if you do enquire about items you will get me again I am afraid. We had a rep from a company that supplies stoves visit us yesterday and fingers crossed should the discount rates add up we have negotiated we will be offering another range of Multi Fuel Stoves to compliment those we already offer.
As you know we manufacture timber surrounds and we have just ordered a cold spray wax system to quicken up the hand finish of all our timer surrounds it uses the same wax we already use and instead of applying by brush or cloth you just spray it on them wipe of excess and then hand buff to required finish we already spray on water based stain so it is another process that will be quicker which will again lower the price of our Timber surrounds to make our prices even cheaper and as asda say every little helps.
We are constantly on the search for new products and have already got 4 new ranges to launch when website updates are in place so we can again offer a bigger range with more choice and diversity than most shops online.
So anyway that’s it for now I am off to check on my patient and check the kids are still happy see you soon.
Are Cast Fireplaces a reputable company
Sunday, August 16th, 2009When shopping at Cast Fireplaces you can be assured we are a reputable Limited Company who are VAT registered and issue invoices with all our purchases and offer the security of credit card payments for all our customers.
The reason I am writing this is because today through one of our customers we have come across a website who sells fireplaces who only takes cash or cheque payment and refused to take a card payment when asked to do so.
They also offered him the option of paying cash without a receipt as “he was going on holiday and wanted some extra spending money”
Don’t worry mr fireplace man we will be reporting you to vat and tax Monday morning. I Really would love to name and shame your company and website you give online retailers a bad name.
If this sort of dealings with a fireplace company doesn’t start alarm bells ringing I am not sure what will. The chances of anybody actually receiving the fireplace after they had paid cash or cheque seems very unlikely to me. God help anyone who has ordered from them if anything goes wrong and they need to claim under warranty.
The best thing was his items were not even very cheap they were near high street retail price so not only did our new customer save some money he will also benefit from extra security of credit card payment and the security of buying from one of the best fireplace shops to be found online.
And finally we are an established Business so the warranty you get from us is valid and in the unusual event of anything going wrong will be dealt by us at our expense.
So if you are looking for a new Cast Iron Fireplace please buy this in mind when searching the Internet and beware of the dodgy dealers we know who you are.
Alteration to our Fireplace website are taking place today
Monday, August 10th, 2009A few alterations to our Fireplaces website will be taking place today nothing will look any different for the time being but we are moving hosts so that our forthcoming category changes making the way you shop on our website can take place with minimum fuss.
These new categories include a larger more easy to navigate Modern Fireplace Section along with a larger range of firebaskets and fire basket suites.
We are also adding new simpler features to make shopping online even easier than the system we currently operate.
It will make tile choices and finish of items easier to change and in the whole a much simpler way of ordering.
Looking around at other fireplace and stove websites I already think we have the easiest website to use so these little tweaks will keep us there and our current offers and bargain packages are set to grow so we offer the best range online and through our showroom at some of the best prices to be found on or offline.
If for any reason when you visit our website and find it not working which I am told could be up to 24 hours please bear with us and check back later as it will be resolved ASAP
Anyway off to the factory now as we have been away over the weekend and we have North Run tomorrow so I need to load Stuarts van and raise delivery notes.
Hopefully by the time most of you read this all the work should have been undertaken and all is running well
Six years online selling Gallery Fireplaces
Thursday, July 30th, 2009Next Week it is 6years since Cast Fireplaces started selling our Fireplaces online we started from a small workshop on a farm at Heage after I had left a Large Furniture and Antique Warehouse in Belper.
This Space we had now seems so small with no Pallet truck Forklift and even back then it was full of fireplaces from floor to ceiling with no room to move.
I always knew what I wanted to do with them and started selling them online and was one of the very first companies to put them on Ebay to see how they went and from Day 1 we were busy so we had our own website built and have never looked back from then. We now really don’t bother with Ebay its full of cheap copies and inferior products.
I had a little Ford Fiesta Van that lasted 2 months before we bought a larger van which was a Nissan Vanette Cargo which was twice the size but all the mileage soon had its toll on this van and it was eventually part exchanged for our 1st New Vauxhall Movano van.
This was sign written with large picture and writing and straight away we had orders for our fireplaces, as this was a driving advertisement. We still have all our vans Sign written so customers can see us coming and people know who we are.
The Range of Gallery fireplaces we still offer and a lot has changed since then with the introduction of our Limestone Fireplaces which are very popular and seem to have replaced Wooden surrounds as the choice of the Modern fireplace surround.
We now have 1700 sq ft of Factory and Showroom 2 vans, a full time delivery driver, a full time timber surround manufacturer and me and my wife Rhian. So as you can see things have grown but we have not lost that personal touch and you are always a valued customer of ours not just an invoice number.
We are a genuine Family Business and all work very closely together to make sure you the customer get the best possible friendly service at the best prices to be found online and we hope you enjoy your shopping experience with us