In the Loop

Welcome Matthew, the newest addition to the CherryLoop.com Family!

So, you are probably stopping by because you just received our latest email (sign up here, if you aren’t on the list), hinting at some big news. 

Our little, family owned, business continues to grow beyond our wildest dreams.  This growth has come with some unexpected results, some of which are positive and others not so much.  It is the “not so much” that we would like to address, and commit to overcoming immediately.

When we opened CherryLoop a few years ago we wanted to provide the best shopping experience for our customers with responsive, friendly, and consistent customer service.  With the incredible growth we have experienced in the last 6-8 months, we have not been able to uphold the high standard we set for ourselves during the company’s early years.

That changes today.  We would like to welcome Matthew Tencleve as our new Director of Operations and Customer Service.  Matthew has been a long time friend of ours and of the company, and we were finally able to convince him to come on board and take over our customer service and operations departments.  We have worked with Matthew in a variety of capacities in the past and we are convinced he is the best person for this job.

Here is what this means for you:

·         Upgraded Customer Service Hours and Policies

o   Monday – Friday 9am – 4pm Central Time

o   Call 918-728-6347 anytime during those times.  We will either answer the phone or return your phone call within 2 hours.

o   All emails will be returned within 24 hours (in most cases we will respond within the hour).

o   We will not keep official hours on the weekends; however, we will have staff on hand to answer calls and questions during reasonable hours.  We will also respond via email when available.

·         Faster response times to customer inquiries.

o   You will be notified immediately (during regular business hours) regarding any problems with your order.

o   You will be provided with fast options to solve any problems that come up.

·         Faster Shipping and Processing Times.

o   Items in stock will ship immediately.

o   Some items require shipping between warehouses, but this time will be reduced significantly.

·         A much more personable shopping experience.

Here is the next big announcement we have eluded to in the past.  We are embarking on a brand new website redesign and redevelopment.

The website has served its purpose well over the years, but it is time to make some changes.  Based on feedback we have heard from our customers, below is a list of some of the things we are considering in our new website redevelopment:

 

1.       Automatically Updated Inventory

2.       Ability to Expedite Shipping

3.       Order status updates via the website (Create a Profile)

4.       Choices regarding backordered items

5.       ETA on Shipping & Arrival

6.       Easily Accessible Size Chart, Shipping Policies, Descriptions, Reviews, etc.

7.       Easier to add to, or modify your order

8.       Easier search functionality

9.       Faster checkout process

10.   Not being charged for an item until it ships 

With all of that being said, here is where you come in. You get to help us build the new website, have input on what changes get implemented, and get free stuff.

Please send an email to info@cherryloop.com with the subject line: CherryLoop.com Feedback (if you click on the link it will autofill the subject for you).

Please let us know which 3 changes/updates you would like to see in the new and improved CherryLoop.com.  You can select from any of the above, or even better…come up with ones that aren’t on the list.  Please order them by highest priority (1 being highest).  If you have any ideas, suggestions, or any other feedback please let us know in this email.  We will read each and everyone, and we will weigh all of the answers and we will build our website accordingly.

Here is the BEST part.  Everyone that sends the above email, AND likes us on Facebook, AND posts on our wall their favorite item in the CherryLoop store will give your choice of the following:

·         Blade Chamois ($12.00 value)

·         US Icewear Footed Tights ($13.00 value, while supplies last)

·         Zuca Stuff Sack ($10.00 value, while supplies last)

If you already “like” us on Facebook, then all you have to do is send the email, and post your favorite item in the CherryLoop store on Facebook.

 

Here is an example email and Facebook post:

 

****/////

 

Subject: CherryLoop.com Feedback – April 2013

 

Hi CherryLoop!

 

My top three changes are:

1.       1. Order Status Updates

2.       2. Better Social Media Options (I didn’t see that on your list, but that is really important to me)

3.       3. Please charge for shipping (just joking), I would like to see expedited shipping options.

I love shopping with you guys, but sometimes I have trouble finding the status of my order…and I just want that to be a lot easier in the future.  Thanks for the free chamois J. 

I want a free chamois btw, but if those are out…I would like to have a pair of 6-8, Footed Tights, and if those are out, I would like to have a black/red Zuca Stuff Sack!

Thanks,

Johnna Customer

Facebook Post

Hi CherryLoop! It is hard to choose my favorite item cuz I love them all lol, but I would have to say it is the Spiral Pants from ChloeNoel.

****/////

So, that’s it for the big news!

 

Thank you all again for your business, loyalty, support, and for the being the best customers on the planet.

 

Regards,

 

Travis, Robin, and Matthew

We have not made an announcement this huge since...well, ever...

First things first.  Let's talk about the sale that is going on right now for current customers only.

1. Take 25% off everything in store* if you spend more than $150.00.  This is the best deal you will find the rest of the year.  I promise this is better than any "Black Friday" deals, "Cyber Monday" deals, etc, etc.  This sale alone is noteworthy.  However, this is pretty run of the mill for our customer base in early November.  You must be on our mailing list, or be a current customer to qualify for this.  Code: Loops25Off

2.  Take 15% off everything in the store* if you spend more the $50.00.  This is self explanatory, and no big deal.  Use the code: Loops15Off

OK, now on to the good stuff.  If you are on our mailing list, or a current customer, you qualify for the following.  Spend more than $50.00 (after discounts are applied), use one of the codes mentioned above, and you can start receiving "Loops Awards".  The current plan gives you $7.00 in store credit for every $50.00 you spend from now until December 31, 2012.  That is free money.  You are getting in on the ground floor of MONEY, when you do this.  Seriously, think about it...you buy some Christmas gifts like you were going to anyway.  It totals let's say $350.  You just earned $49.00 in CherryLoop.com store credit.  You can spend this money any way you want in our store without restrictions from January 1, 2013 until March 31st, 2013.

We want to thank our loyal customers over the years, and reward them with incredible savings like this.  I suggest you don't miss out on this opportunity.  You must purchase a minimum of $50.00 of merchandise with one of the above codes BEFORE Tuesday, November 6th or you will have missed this opportunity.  So, please...I'm begging you...just buys something small so you can get in on this deal.

This is the beginning of our Loops Awards Program, and any of the "Charter Members" will be grandfathered in to the highest level until March 31st, 2013.  You will automatically qualify for the Platinum Level and will receive double awards for each qualifying purchase through March of next year.  You will also get to use any purchases from now until the end of 2012 toward you new balance.

Restrictions and not so-fine print:

1.  All Zuca Products are excluded from the 15 and 25% off; however, your Zuca purchases are applied toward the store credit promotion.  You can apply store credit to anything on the website.
2.  Does not apply to previous orders.
3.  We do NOT accept returns or exchanges on items purchased from the Clearance Rack.
4.  We can only accept exchanges for items purchased with a discount code.  This is very important to understand.  Any returns will be treated as exchanges or issued a store credit for the original purchase amount.
5.  The sale will end at 11:59pm Central Standard Time on Monday, November 5th.  It will not be extended under any circumstances.
6.  For a full list of terms of service please visit the website: Terms and Conditions
7.  For more deals, the rules of the sale, and a better understanding of what the promotions are visit our blog: In The Loop

Thanks again for everything!

Regards,

Travis and Robin

 

Hello Everyone!

A quick update from CherryLoop Headquarters.

1.  Those of you who have been with us for some time know that we hold a "post holiday" inventory/overstock sale.  That sale will begin at Midnight tonight.  Only current customers, members of our email list, and foreign heads of state will have access to the special deals.  If you are not on the list...sign up here <<<<SIGN UP NOW>>>>

2.  The extended deadline for exchanges/returns expired on January 23, 2012.  Any exchanges/returns accepted after that date may incur a "restocking fee", or worse yet...we may send it back to you.  However, our awesome and unbelievable return/exchange policy still remains.  30 days after receipt of your order you can send it back to us in new condition, with tags, unworn/unwashed, and we will refund or exchange your order free of charge!

3.  Due to rising shipping fees, we will no longer be able to ship free to Alaska or Hawaii.  Boo...it is just too difficult to ship to these areas.  Sorry!

That just about does it for now.  Let us know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns!  Email us at:  info@cherryloop.com

Thanks again, and have a happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

This post is intended to help all you last minute shoppers understand what is happening with your CherryLoop orders at this busy time of the year.  Today (December 15, 2010) is the last day you can place an order if you expect it to arrive before Christmas (December 24th, 2010).  Most orders placed today will ship on Monday, December 20th, 2010 via USPS Priority Mail.

There are some exceptions.  We may sell out of a certain item, and then we will notify you with options.  It will look something like this: Refund your purchase, wait for the item to arrive (probably after Christmas), or exchange for a different size or style.

We also may be able to get items ordered after today to you prior to Christmas depending on the products.  We have a lot of items in stock at our Pro Shop and those will ship much faster.  It is best to call us and discuss availability if you really want it before Christmas.

There were some styles that we have been waiting on to arrive for several weeks.  The Chloe Noel spiral pants and the princess seam jackets.  They are now available and will be shipping soon.  I know a lot of you are waiting on these items, but we are working tirelessly to get these orders out to you.

Thank you for your interest in CherryLoop.com, we appreciate your business.

We would like to wish you and your family a happy holiday season and a prosperous new year!

Travis and Robin
CherryLoop.com

Happy Birthday CherryLoop.com!

On September 25th, 2009 at 12:01 am we officially launched CherryLoop.com - Your online figure skating store.  A lot has happened since that day.  We've been to many figure skating competitions, events, and appearances.  We made it through our first Holiday Season.  We opened up a Pro Shop in April this year.  We have been featured on some of the most prominent websites, blogs, and magazines.  Our apparel and equipment has been worn by Olympic Skaters, National Medalists, and hundreds of up and comers in figure skating.  We've added new vendors such as Brad Griffies, Harlick, Zuca, and many others.

We want to thank each and every one of our customers for your support.  We are convinced that figure skaters, figure skating parents, coaches, judges, and leaders are the best customers in any sport or industry.  We've come to know so many of you so well, that we feel you are much more than customers.  Most of you have become friends and family.  This is why we are so grateful for you.  We feel very fortunate to be involved in this community.

We have learned a lot about the business, the sport, and ourselves in this year.  Some things we've learned the hard way.  Those of you that had to wait longer than expected for some items this summer know what we are talking about.  The good news is, we are still going strong and we are completely committed to our customers.  We are working hard right now to ensure that we are fully stocked for the holidays and are trying to head many problems off at the pass.  There will be mistakes, there will be disappointments, but we can promise we will do everything in our power remedy any issues to your complete satisfaction.

Thank you all for making this a wonderful year, and here is to many more to come!

Regards,

Travis and Robin
CherryLoop.com 

Well, I had to get this post up before midnight.  We took the plunge.  As of today, April 2nd, 2010 CherryLoop has a brand new store front!  CherryLoop.com's sister came as much as a surprise to us as anyone.  We realized how much business we were doing at our local rink, and we wanted to offer our neighbors the same great service we offer the online community.  So, we rented some space at the Oiler's Ice Rink in Tulsa, OK, built out the space, and officially opened to the public today.

This offers us a place to do custom boot fittings for people in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Fayetteville, Little Rock, Wichita, and anyone else who happens to be close by.  We now have a place to get immediate feedback from our customers on new merchandise, sizings, and other information that used to take weeks to compile.  But what we really like is being so close to our customers.  We'll get some valuable feedback which will in turn be passed on to our online friends.

If you happen to be in the area, please stop by...we're having a "Grand Opening" Sale tomorrow.  10% off everything in the store!

We'll post pictures of the new store, and you'll get the opportunity to hear about all of the changes as they progress right here at "In the Loop".

Thank you all for your continued support.  We truly appreciate it!

Travis and Robin

Hi Everyone,

You may have heard the buzz in the online skating world recently about the new store: MySkatingMall.com.

MySkatingMall.com, allows you to sell your gently used items in a “skaters only” environment.  We wrote about the upcoming launch of MySkatingMall.com, an a blog post several months ago, and the Grand Opening is this Friday, March 26, 2010!  CherryLoop.com is a featured partner on the site, and we couldn’t be more excited about being a part of this movement.

MySkatingMall.com serves the skating community in three important ways:

It provides a low cost, trustworthy, online environment connecting buyers and sellers of new and used skating goods.

Donates 5% of all items sold directly to the team or club or your choice.

Helps skating families offset the costs associated with skating by continuing to add new listings/members with the overall goal of offering the best selection of skating goods anywhere online.

This is the special offer for CherryLoop customers only:

If you go to the MySkatingMall.com website, register and add a new listing by Saturday, March 27, 2010 you will receive a 10% discount code good at CherryLoop.com.  Just enter the code cherryloop provided at the end of the “selling listing form” provided at MySkatingMall.com and we’ll send you the discount code.

If you can’t get to the site by this Saturday, don’t worry you can still add a listing and receive a 5% discount if you add a listing before April 30th, 2010.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with questions, comments, or suggestions.  As always, we are here to serve you.

Thanks again,

Travis and Robin

We are proud to announce that CherryLoop.com has recently partnered with the MySkatingMall.com.  You will soon be able to buy and sell gently used figure skating items directly from the online mall.  Imagine an eBay or Amazon type store just for figure skaters.  Not only is this a much needed service, but MySkatingMall is taking the idea one step further.  5% of every purchase made at the mall will be donated to the skaters club of choice!  This serves and supports the entire skating community.  Your club makes money from your purchases, you save money by buying gently used items at a discounted rate, you can sell items that otherwise would have sat in your closet.

Ryan Jahnke, 2003 World Team Member and PSA Master Rated Coach, is the founder of MySkatingMall.

I’ve spoken with Ryan several times over the last few months regarding the MySkatingMall.com and CherryLoop.com partnership.  He is extraordinarily passionate about skating, serving the community, and helping every skater have the opportunity to succeed. He has been intimately tied to the figure skating community for more than 24 years, so he knows the obstacles that must be overcome in order to succeed in this sport.  We are proud to assist Ryan in this pursuit, and look forward a successful partnership.

Some you may know that CherryLoop.com was actually considering a similar idea during the infancy of our business.  Before we decided to launch CherryLoop.com, one of our ideas was to have an auction site just for figure skaters.  Obviously, we chose to open an online retail store offering the most fashionable and functional figure skating apparel, equipment, and accessories instead.  We also considered opening up our forum for our customers to have a “Craig’s List” way of offering your old skates, dresses, and equipment for sale to other customers.  Weeks before we were going to open it up, we received a call from Ryan regarding forming a partnership.  We thought it was a wonderful idea, and we are happy to offer our customers a way of buying and selling gently used figure skating items, while at the same time donating a portion of the proceeds to the clubs of the skater’s choice.

If anyone has any questions regarding MySkatingMall.com, feel free to contact us and we’ll keep you updated on everything that we hear.  We’ll also inform you of the official launch date when that becomes available.  You can also learn more at the MySkatingMall.com website:  http://www.myskatingmall.com. 

CherryLoop.com is now an official reseller of Harlick Skating Boots!

You heard right ladies and gentlemen.  We are proud to announce that we will be offering the famous Harlick skating boots both online and locally.  We have gone through an extensive training program and working closely with Harlick management we will have the opportunity to custom fit you or your skater in the highest quality skating boot on the market today.

If you are located locally in the Tulsa, OK area or close by we’ll do a fitting for you at the rink, our showroom, or at a skating competition.  However, if you don’t live in the area (which most of you don’t) we will still be able to walk (no pun intended) you through the fitting process. It is relatively simple and with just a few measurements and a quick discussion of your skating history we’ll be able to put you into a professionally fitted custom or stock Harlick boot.

We would like to thank Harlick for all of the training and expertise they have provided to date, and we look forward to working with them.

Please go to this link to fill out the contact form or call us today to schedule your fitting!

CherryLoop – Harlick Skating Boots

Why Ian Lurie should review CherryLoop.com

 

If flattery and bribery are against the rules, please “delete” this comment so we can rewrite our post.

Well, when CherryLoop.com was just a twinkle in our eye we purchased a copy of “Web Marketing, All-in One, for Dummies.

Were we Desperate? Well, yes. 

Are we cheap?  Yes, we even got $25.00 worth of free Google Adwords free with purchase.

Was the book Helpful? Of course it was. 

Have we finished that 3 pound book?  Are you kidding me?  However, it did save my wife’s life once when she heaved it at her assailant late one night.

The best thing that book did for us was introduce us to Ian Lurie.  We’ve been avid readers of Conversation Marketing, since the day we bought the book.  We eagerly await updated posts, and sometimes dread the content because it reminds us of all the work that needs to be done on the site.

The domain was registered on April 2, 2009.  We officially launched CherryLoop.com – Your online figure skating store – on September 25, 2009. Yes, she is brand spanking new. But from idea to a genuine revenue producing business in less than 6 months we feel we are doing pretty well.

The site needs so much work; we don’t even really know where to begin.  Quite frankly, we are still uploading products to the online catalog. Title tags, meta data, copy writing, oh my!  That is where Ian Lurie can really help us out.  We’ll be working on the site, making changes large and small, and doing everything in our power to drive traffic and sales…but it sure would be nice to have an “expert” give us some sage advice on what we can do soon.  It would be nice if the advice also consisted of things we can do on the cheap!

All of that being said, we think the most important reason why Ian should review CherryLoop.com is because we will send him chocolate this month, chocolate next month, and chocolate the following month, in the mail as a not so subtle bribe.

So, pick us!

Travis and Robin