010: Home Leisure Direct’s Andy Beresford on Amazon Product Ads and the power of a cool product

Andy Beresford is the managing director of the multi award winning games room retailer Home Leisure Direct, where last year they grew turnover by 30%. Previously he worked at Dixons and Phones 4U.

That’s right – they sell Pool tables, arcade machines, air hockey tables – even neon signs – everything you need to kit out the perfect games room.

Home Leisure Direct is a Boutique Bricks and Clicks eCommerce business – selling online and via their physical showroom.

Click to Tweet: Hear Andy Bereford of Home Leisure Direct discuss Amazon Product Ads on @eComMasterPlan #podcast

About the business

• eCommerce Business Structure – Boutique Bricks and Clicks (website plus showroom in Bristol)
• Product Range Scale – VERY niche, pool tables, & games machines
• On a bespoke platform, built by bluebox
• £5 million plus turnover, this year growth at 60%
• 21 people in the business (at the start of the year was just 9!)
• Based in the UK, sell globally
• Key widgets in the website:
  • Feefo – for reviews
  • Custom built:
    • Personalisation tool
    • Predictive Search
    • Basket recovery

Amazon Product Ads experience:

[These are the ads that drive to your website, not that drive to your products on Amazon.]

• Accounts for about 2-3% of sales, so there’s sizeable traffic
• It’s paying it’s way, but profit isn’t amazing
• Took a while to get it all set up right, and optimisation continues
• Always good to have lots of marketing methods and not be too reliant on one

Most Awesome Thing Right Now

• The product! and how excited it makes our customers.
• The world of eCommerce – there’s always new things to learn and new opportunities to take.

On the Radar for the Coming Months

• A new sales office
• A new showroom at the base in Bristol
• Own brand of pool tables is launching – to provide the customer with a great product at a great price
• Own brand of retro arcade game consoles launching September too
• A new concession in London’s Selfridges department store

eCommerce Book Top Tip

• Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (Voices That Matter) by Steve Krug

eCommerce Traffic Top Tip

• Do everything – go after lots of routes to market to limit your risk

Tool Top Tip

• Google spreadsheets – great for collaborative working

Start Up Top Tip

• Tighten your product range. Sell a clear niche rage of products, and one that excites you
• Find the right customer segment to target

If your business didn’t exist, which eCommerce Business Would you like to be Running?

• None of them! At the moment there’s no sector Andy feels it’s worth entering.

Interview Links

• Home Leisure Direct – there are always offers!
• Facebook Page
• Twitter profile
• Google+
• Pinterest
• Instagram
• YouTube

Subscribe to the eCommerce MasterPlan Podcast for free on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud or ANY podcast service.