Name of your website?Jack Franklin Ties
Your name?
Jack Franklin
Your Location (city, etc)
Salt Lake City
Please give us a short summary of your website?
wearjack.com is a website designed to give high-quality products at reasonable prices. We're starting with ties, and plan to branch out soon to other products like cufflinks, leather bags, collar stays, etc.
What inspired you to launch your own website?
I was tired of spending 200-300% (if not more) more for a product simply because of the name on the tag. I recently became friends with one of the owners of one of the largest tie mills in the world, who makes ties for Brooks Brothers, Jos A Bank, and many top English brands. I decided I would make ties that were better than all of these brands---and sell them for 1/3 of the price.
When did you launch your first website, and what was it?
My first website is www.wearjack.com. It has been a great experience. Because of the lack of retail space and other traditional business costs, I have been able to pass the savings on to the customer and sell my products for even less than competitors. I plan to branch out the business and create other sites in coming months.
How did you decide on a name for your website?
Because the brand name is Jack Franklin, we originally tried to purchase www.jackfranklin.com, but this was not available. This proved to be a worthy setback, because it forced us to come up with a more creative name for our site. In the end we settled on www.wearjack.com, which we are excited about because it is memorable and allows us to branch out into other products.
What makes your website different from other, similar offerings?
Put simply, it is simple and ego-free. Other brands that have been around for years charge you an arm and a leg for their name. I don't do that and never plan to. I have a no questions asked return policy because I know people will be surprised with just how great these ties are.
What is your eventual goal? (To sell it, keep it for income, secure a book or other mainstream media deal?)
The eventual goal is for this business to become successful enough that I can branch out into other products that fit into the Jack Franklin philosophy of bringing brand name quality products at a reasonable price.
How does your investment of time and money balance against your success?
As an online business, the investment has been somewhat minimal. There is no space to rent, lots of employees to hire, etc. Our success initially has been great. I didn't anticipate how many people like me are sick of overpaying for great quality. I expect as the word gets out, the demand will continue to grow.
If you had an unlimited development budget for development, how would you change your site?
I would constantly strive to improve the customer experience. I'm a huge believer in behavioral targeting. I would implement a product like Omniture Test&Target that allows marketers to serve content to people based on an anonymous profile. I would also add flash videos and tutorials on how to tie ties, the history of ties, etc. The future of successful online businesses is in relevance and engagement. So I would invest in tools that allow me to better serve relevant and engaging content.
If your site got really big, really quickly, would you be able to keep up with the demand?
I have fulfillment centers and storage facilities in place in anticipation of the growth. My hope is that fast growth will be our largest problem!
What unexpected costs and headaches have you had to deal with?
Taking products pictures was more difficult than we anticipated. With clothing, especially ties, the photo is critical. When a customer cannot hold the tie, feel its thickness and quality, and see the intricate texture, it is critical that the picture communicates as much of this as possible. Some of our initial pictures did not do this, and we had to reshoot. We created a photo zoom unlike any other website that we have seen. Our photos can be viewed almost full screen in high resolution, so the texture of the tie is visible. Our customers have given us great feedback on this.
What has been your biggest challenge?
One of our biggest challenges has been getting people to sign-up for our newsletter. Because e-mail can be successful so many companies have been exploiting it, and consumers are weary about subscribing to a new newsletter. I recognize this as one of our greatest opportunities as well, so we are working to provide incentives to customers.
What method has been most successful for promoting your website?
As we are still new, our greatest promotion tool has been word of mouth. That being said, we have not explored PPC much, but I plan it will be a huge source of traffic.
How has running your website differed from your expectations?
As this is my first website, I have been surprised about how much attention I want to give to it. It is like my little child, and I often find myself thinking about how I can improve it.
How long have you run the site already, and how long will you continue to keep it up if you don't enjoy big gains in traffic, income or popularity?
The site has been up since December 5, 2008. The website, I hope, will be up for years to come.
What has been the response from your customers?
Our customers have been very surprised with the quality of our ties. It is not uncommon in any business to exaggerate the quality of a product. So, when people buy our ties for 1/3 to 1/4 the price of a brand-name tie, they may not really expect the ties to be better than those ties. But they are! I am always pleased when I receive an email or see a comment on the site from a customer who says they'll never buy a tie for 150 bucks again.
What is your website address?
Jack Franklin Ties
