In the fiercely-competitive world of internet retailing, Firebox.com has carved out a reputation as the go-to site for quirky, inimitable gifts.
Its knack of sourcing original products that amuse and entertain, combined with an appetite to continually scale its offering, have made it one of the biggest success stories to emerge from the dotcom boom.
Firebox.com founders Michael Smith and Tom Boardman probably never envisaged just how quickly their idea for a gift website would take off when they launched the business — then called hotbox.co.uk — in 1998.
Originally operating out of Cardiff, the pair found immediate success with their Shot Glass Chess Set and within a year had relocated to London and relaunched the brand under the moniker it is known today.
More than a decade on, the business continues to evolve and develop. Its ‘Toys & Games’ and ‘Kids’ categories have been the subject of its latest project, with both undergoing major expansion to incorporate a much wider selection of products.
Paul Zimmerman, Firebox’s CEO, says the growth of the business has warranted the enlargement of the categories.
“Having dedicated categories for both Toys & Games and our Kids ranges means our customers can browse and navigate the site easily and has allowed us to widen our product remit,” he explains. “We’re now selling playtime, feeding, clothing, nursery, travel, electronics and bathing products which weren’t included in our product offering before the launch.”
One challenge for any online retailer that significantly grows its product range is making sure that customers can still find the products they want without having to trawl through hundreds of web pages.
Zimmerman admits it is something the company has given considerable attention to. “We’ve been working on an innovative search, browse and user experience,” he says. “It’s really changed the way our customers search for product — building in traits, colour, age range, flavours, activities and even events like Halloween or holidays. We want to make the process very easy for the customer without being overwhelmed by the volume of products on offer.”
The growth of the Toys & Games and Kids categories follows in the footsteps of other areas of the website that the company has sought to improve. Whereas it once mainly offered novelty gifts and gadgets, Firebox.com now has categories covering Sports & Outdoor, Home & Garden and Food & Drink.
Zimmerman admits the firm has been aggressive in bringing new products on board of late. “We have thousands of new products on the site and have quadrupled the offering in less than a year,” he says.
While the recent category expansion would appear to pitch Firebox.com deeper into battle with established multi-channel retailers, as well as the likes of Amazon.com, Zimmerman is confident it can compete in multiple product areas without sacrificing its most redeeming features.
“We think customers who come to the site today will be surprised by the breadth of products, while continuing to enjoy the fun, quirky, engaging qualities that our customers know and love.”
With more than 10 million visits to its website every year, it’s hard to disagree.
The buying team’s brief
Whether it’s a £6.99 mug with a copy of the periodic table printed on it or a giant gumball machine costing more than £3,000, Firebox.com’s five-strong buying team is tasked with ensuring the e-tailer’s product offering remains fresh and interesting.
According to the company’s CEO, Paul Zimmerman, the buying team’s mission can be summed up in one sentence: “Find cool, unusual, quirky, fun, engaging products with a twist but on a deeper and wider scale than ever before.”
Zimmerman insists the company will give any item consideration so long as it has commercial appeal and stands out from the crowd. “We love finding product that astounds or amazes us — things we know our customers will talk about and tell their friends about. We have lots of niche products but the key is finding something that may look niche initially but captures the imagination of all our customers,” he says.
Given the high level of competition in the market, is exclusivity becoming more important to Firebox.com these days?
“We love exclusives — product that’s not yet been seen on the high street and/or never been seen in this country but really the key thing is that as long as it has the special Firebox ingredient then we’ll consider it,” he answers.
