Hi Bloomies!
To celebrate the new year, we’d like to highlight some exciting advancements in the development of our company. In 2012 we took a step back, reassessed our strategy, and confronted growth issues head on. This desire to innovate led to successful solutions in production, packaging, and turnaround time. With our foundation solid, 2013…you’ve never looked better.
Iteration, a word synonymous with persistence, has characterized our journey this past year. It’s a big word to express a simple idea; we keep on keeping on. Here at The Bloom, we understand growth is an intense process and we refuse to retreat. We’ve learned that small, incremental changes, not “big bang change,” yield the finest blooms. Let’s take a peek at what we’ve been cultivating:
Packaging:
Revamping our packaging has produced positive results. Since implementing these improved methods, frames damaged in shipping have dramatically decreased! In 2012 we made our packaging functional and secure. In 2013 we plan to make it beautiful as well.
Ready to Ship Frames:
By the end of February, our ready to ship frames will be available in 5 of our most popular styles including Mary Ann, Lucy, Meg, Lewis, and Audrey. Colors will include black, white, espresso and parchment. Sizes available will be 8×10, 11×14, and 16×20. These frames will ship the same or next day allowing you to receive your frame order in the same amount of time as your print order. This option will be great for customers that just want a more standard option. By the fall of 2013 we plan to have complete wall displays in stock which will make selling sets to your customers fast and easy.
Our Production Management System:
Tim, our production manager, dedicated countless hours to redesigning our production management system. His system efficiently handles our unique production flow and accurately tracks frames throughout the manufacturing process. Many have noted the system’s effect on turnaround times, which have consistently been between 2-3 weeks for the last several months with a current average of 11 days from order to shipment! To our delight, the system will continue to pinpoint problematic areas to improve these times. In an effort to be transparent and inspire trust with all of our customers, you will soon have access to such information via “Trust.TheOrganicBloom.com” (coming soon). We look forward to launching this page displaying current turn-around times, customer satisfaction responses, our popular colors and shapes, and more! We are a data driven company and plan to share this data with you to help your decision making and selling processes.
Multi-Opening Frames:
Photo Credit: Nicole Mehl Photography
The newest expansion of our product line is Multi-Opening frames. We have created a PDF guide to help you get a grasp of the new options we offer.
The PDF guide has some features we think you will find useful:
- Outer dimensions
- Drawings to see the appearance of each style
- Displays nicely on large screens for presentation or easy viewing
- Each page has a direct link to the item on our store to quickly purchase what you need
Live Chat:
Around The Bloom, it’s our goal to continually enhance the way we communicate with our customers. Our latest feature, live chat, will definitely make that process easier and more convenient. From 8-5 CST, Monday through Friday, feel free to ask quick questions or to get immediate help. You can find this handy innovation throughout our website, store, or support pages at the bottom right hand corner. It is also a quick way to leave a us a message if we aren’t around.
The Recap:
Our 2012 bloomed because of your business. Growing pains quickly became opportunities for advancement. With your support, we’ve made improvements in production, packaging, and turnaround times. As we continue our partnership, new challenges will undoubtedly arise. However, with confidence and creativity, we will continue to tackle such obstacles. We are always open to feedback and hearing from you with ways we can improve. Don’t hesitate to reply to this email with any questions or suggestions you may have.
Thank you for your continued faith in our vision! We look forward to a flourishing 2013!
Warmly,
Jason, Andrea & Ellie Sooter and The Organic Bloom Team
***You can follow us on Instagram @TheOrganicBloom @AndreaSooter @JasonSooter
Hi, Organic Bloom! I remember reading this is January and thought how much I loved the behind the scenes look at your business. A few years ago I left my Manufacturing Engineering job to become a work at home mom. So dorkily enough I really appreciate reading about your attention to detail and improvements in your process! I'm new to OB and just placed my first order! I'm so excited and can't wait to see it!
I am glad you can appreciate our excitement for improvement in our production. It excites us as well to tweak our processes. Glad you got your first order in. We look forward to working with you!