Nick Cooper (six foot nine and with size 15 feet) couldn’t find stylish, affordable clothes for himself anywhere on the high street. So he founded Big Tall Order, the online clothes store for bigger or taller men. I asked Nick about how he turned his business idea into reality, what advice he took along the way, and whether he had any tips for budding online retailers.
What was the incentive to go into business?
“I’d given up asking about clothes on the high street in my size. I knew there was a market niche ready to be filled, because I was in it!”
What sort of research did you do?
“It took me 18 months to research the market. I discovered that there were clothes for larger men sold online, but they were overpriced, the range was poor, and the fit never quite right.”
How did you start trading?
“We used the kids’ playroom as an office to start with, and all the stock was in the garage! Things developed fast, and soon I had six large containers filled with stock in secure compound nearby.”
What’s the secret of a successful online store?
“People think they’ll become overnight millionaires if they buy an e-commerce package and bung some products online. There is a lot more to it than that, believe me.
You need to get your stock package right. Then get people to find you… and buy from you.”
So how do you get found online?
“If you don’t appear on the first page of Google for an important search term no one will find you. We did a lot of work on keyword analysis. You really need to get into the mind of your customer, and work out what words he uses when searching for your kind of products.
Once you know your keywords, embed them into the copy on your site. In time, Google ranks you.”
What about Pay Per Click?
“Yes, we also run AdWords campaigns. You bid for the terms you want, and only pay when someone clicks through to your site. It can be expensive, so it’s a case of working out the return on investment.”
Did you get any advice or help along the way?
“A friend recommended BRAVE, the Bristol enterprise agency. All the advice I received was free — amazing. And it was from some top people, people who’ve been involved in business themselves, or were bank managers and so on. They’d seen more businesses fail than I’ve had hot dinners.”
What sort of support did they give you?
“I went on a short course all about starting a new business. There were maybe 20 or 30 of us there and we were all asked us to explain our business idea. I said I was setting up a clothes service for bigger and taller men. The trainer pointed at me and said ‘Great idea!’ That gave me a huge boost of confidence — I’ll never forget it.”
What is the most important thing to get right for a new business?
“Cash flow forecasting. It might sound boring, but if you don’t manage your cash from day one, you are finished.”
Terry Hollands, Britain’s Strongest Man, models for Big Tall Order
What obstacles does a new online store face?
“Trying to get suppliers to talk you is tough. Without a trading history, in most cases they will only deal on a ‘pro forma’ basis. It basically means you have to pay upfront. So, all the money is going out, and there are no sales to speak of. It can get tense!”
So how do you talk new suppliers into working with you?
“You need to sell them your vision so they understand and trust you. The best suppliers gave us a small credit line, maybe £1,000. I can’t tell you how much that helped. Guess what? We are still dealing with those guys five years later.”
Any other tips for people considering a new business?
“Take expert advice early, and outsource the bits you can’t or shouldn’t do yourself. For instance, I used a professional bookkeeper from the start.
Network and ask for help. Meeting the right people early on can be the difference between success and failure. It certainly was for us.”
What’s in store for Big Tall Order?
“We just launched a new site — 7foot7.com — exclusively for tall men, in partnership with Neil Fingleton, Britain’s tallest man, so that’ll keep me busy.”
The secret to Big Tall Order’s success seems to lie in getting the basics right:
- Focus on a niche
- Get good advice early
- Manage cash flow
That’s why Big Tall Order stands out in the crowd today.
REVIEW:
Lured in by their cheap prices, I purchased a pair of business shoes from Big Tall Order in December 2010, however they arrived in a very dilapidated state and had to be returned… This was to become the first of a several disappointments.
As this happens from time to time, I opted not to hold it against them and requested that they send out a similar pair of shoes but ONLY if their staff checked the product over to ensure I would not be faced with the same issue… Lo and behold, I received yet another shabby pair of shoes in the mail. Frustration is truly an understatement.
I was then forced to call up and complain once again, at which point the FOUNDING MANAGER from Big Tall Order teased “you must be the most unlucky customer ever.” Yes. Yes I am… because I unfortunately opted to trust your horrendous store. Twice.
In attempts to try retain my custom (and reconcile their previous mishaps) Big Tall Order granted me 20% off the original purchase value of the shoes if I’d allow them one last chance to deliver… For some reason (financial), I wrote a very stern letter expressing one final ultimatum: 20% off plus my delivery expenses refunded, or a full refund and permanent loss of custom.
FOUR WEEKS LATER (late Jan 2011) my bank account was yet to receive any form of remuneration, and no shoes appeared at my doorstep… Yet I knew first hand that the shoes had been delivered to their depot (thanks to Royal Mail Tracking). Forced, once again, to call Big Tall Order’s customer support, I was aghast when the bloke on the phone mused: “The manager is out, your shoes are no longer in stock, but have you seen anything else you might like to try..?”
No. No Big Tall Order, I would not. Why it took them four weeks and a phone call from THE CUSTOMER to FURTHER REQUEST the aforementioned and PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED ultimatum REFUND is beyond me. I can only presume they were chancing their arm and hoping to hold on to my £80.
Banal. Terrible. Ominous. BTO. Big. Tall. Order.
And I’m still without a new pair of shoes. Never again.
Back to my usual supplier – Walking Tall – who have never ever let me down.
-R
Hello R, thanks for your comment. It will be interesting to see if the store is able to respond to your note.
The review was noticed on Friday 21st January 2011, We have responded today Monday the 24th January.
Mr Morgan purchased a pair of shoes from us in November unfortunately the first pair we sent out to the customer had a small burr in the leather which cannot be helped as leather is a natural material. The shoes were returned to us and we promptly sent out a replacement pair of shoes to Mr Morgan. One of the shoes we sent out as a replacement had the heal slightly out of alignment and so the customer returned them to us for another pair unfortunately we did not have a 3rd pair in stock and so a refund was issued.
We were very disappointed to see Mr Morgan post this review. Our returns policy states returns will be processed within 14 working days and Mr Morgan posted this review on the 15th day after a refund had been issued. Customer service is taken very seriously at Big Tall Order and we have 1000’s of happy customers many of them have sent us testimonials which can be viewed on our website at the following link http://www.bigtallorder.co.uk/d/51/Testimonials.html
“Our returns policy states returns will be processed within 14 working days and Mr Morgan posted this review on the 15th day after a refund had been issued. ”
– I do wonder how long after the 14 working days the refund would have taken had I not called up to REQUEST it…
– I only *just* received a refund for my postage costs of returning the product TWICE, 22 days since the shoes were delivered to BTO’s depot.
– Furthermore, I would also like to state that I received a rather vitriolic phone call from the MD of BTO after posting the above comment. It’s one thing to be “disappointed” that your customer posted a disappointing review, it’s another to call up and wax lyrical at him on the phone. Disappointed is a understatement, actually.
-R
(NB – correction: Walk Tall)
Again, within a matter of days Big Tall Order have responded to this customers post.
It is clear that we have acted in the best interests of the customer as every time that he has contacted us we have carried out his wishes.
It is therefore surprising when after having agreed with him over the telephone that we would send a cheque to cover his postage costs (and that this would take up to a week to arrange) that he chooses to mention this in this post. We have carried out his wishes and he is still not content!
Big Tall Order reserves the right to ring customers if there is a issue that needs to be resolved as a matter of course as sometimes email can be viewed as impersonal and the telephone is a good medium to sorting out a problem and to the satisfaction of the customer.
Big Tall Order have many ten of thousands of happy customers who choose to repeatedley purchase from us and are happy enough to offer us testimonials stating how contented they are with the service that they have recieved from us. These can be viewed by cutting and pasting this into your browser http://www.bigtallorder.co.uk/d/51/Testimonials.html
Every year we recieve a handful of complaints where no matter how much we try, the customer is never happy. We are glad to say that 99.9% of our customers do not act in this manner and buy from us time and time again.
Best Value. Timely. Organized. BTO. Big. Tall. Order.
“Best Value. Timely. Organized.” – Um… I think youll find that spells BVTO. Thats another thing they cant do right – lol!
CUSTOMER SERVICES COMPLETELY IGNORES THE CUSTOMER.! I had been searching for shoes for my husband for some time and I ordered two pairs of the same trainer as I had high hopes of the comfort level described online as “A NEW version of this New Balance versatile cross trainer featuring a durable leather upper and ABZORB cushioning in the heel and forefoot.” However, I was extremely disappointed by the quality of the shoe. The fit was accurate but my husband couldn’t discern any “cushioning in the heel and forefoot” which was the specific benefit targeted by my purchase.
The shoes were heavy and the instructed method of return was via recorded delivery. With the cost of £5.95 shipping and £12.30 return, I effectively paid £18.25 for footwear that did not live up to its claims. Customer services merely stated that the claims were made by “New Balance” and not “Big Tall Order”. I maintained that they were liable for the claims as they used the descriptor on their website. They agreed to refund the initial P&P of £5.95 but not the £12.30 it cost to return the shoes. Not ideal, but the best they were prepared to do, so I agreed. However, my account was merely credited with the cost of the shoes – the P&P was omitted. FOUR emails later requesting this be rectified have ALL BEEN IGNORED – how rude. Not even the courtesy of a response. So much for customer service.
Coincidentally, I ordered three pairs of trainers from Amazon and had to return one pair. I was fully refunded for the postage. It was exactly the same with goods ordered from Jacamo. Not all companies take the same view as “Big Tall Order”, it seems.
P.S. I EMPHATICALLY DO NOT WANT A PHONE CALL FROM BTO (“Big Tall Order reserves the right to ring customers if there is a issue that needs to be resolved”) . WITH “SERVICE” LIKE THIS I DO NOT CONSIDER MYSELF TO BE A CUSTOMER. A PHONE CALL IS BOTH UNSOLICITED AND UNWELCOME.
Thanks for your comment. The store can respond here if it wishes.
Fair enough, this is an old thread but I’d like to offer an alternative view. I’ve been a customer for many years and have always found customer service fantastic. As the name suggests this is a store for big guys and shopping for clothing is never a easy or pleasant experience. Granted I’ve always visited the store and always come away happy. Staff are knowledgeable about materials and cut of the clothing and extremely pleasant. To give one of several examples I visited during their move a year or so ago in desperate need of swimming shorts for a holiday the next day. Staff stopped what they were doing and went back and forth between shops to find what I needed. There will always be issues with shopping for any product and it sounds like the above wasn’t a great experience for anyone but I’m one very happy customer who wanted to balance things out a bit.
I agree with the customer review above –
After two months of waiting and telephoning every week to find out where my order was, I still didn’t get it – despite many telephone calls and promises that it would all be sorted. Eventually, I got a refund for one order through PayPal but I’m still also waiting for replacement trousers for a pair that was sent back as faulty – they haven’t bothered to replace these or refund the money either. I have now reported the situation to trading standards as this company obviously is no longer willing to trade within the law. Shame really as they used to be a really reliable company with a good reputation that I have been using for years. I will never use them again as they simply take the money and don’t deliver, nor do they keep their promises when you talk to them.