Name of your website?Carnal Clothes
Your name?
Ray Farmer
Your Location (city, etc)
Coatbridge
When did you start your website and why?
I started my website in 2006. I started it after being made redundant from a large blue chip company. I wanted the oppertunity to run my own business with low overheads.
Please give us a short summary of your website, business model, etc
My website was created to appeal to a wide market. I began by selling only rubber, leather and latex clothing to the goth/alternative scene. The business has grown slowly but I now stock over 2,500 products and hopefully appeal to many more people
What has been the most difficult part of creating and running your website?
Starting up was difficult. I had done programming before but many years ago using languages that are not widely used for websites. I had no previous experience of HTML or PHP so there was a very steep learning curve as I taught myself.
What was your biggest mistake?
My biggest mistake was when I originally got my website running using only HTML. It looked ok but lacked a lot of features that other websites offered. When I decided to improve my site I had to start again using much better programming techniques.
Who maintains your website and why?
I maintain my own website mainly because I enjoy learning how to improve things and what better way can there be to learn than to get your hands dirty.
Tell us how your business has benefitted from your website?
My business has benefitted greatly from my website as now so many people can find out about my business where as before only a very limited number of people knew about me and all were local.
What are your views on ecommerce and the future of the internet?
I think that ecommerce is increasing as more and more people become internet savvy. In twenty years time I think that the internet will have evolved greatly from what we have today with more people accessing the web from different places such as through television and cable systems, PDAs and mobile phones. There will of course have to be improved bandwidth available and more companies will merge offering all in one broadband, phone and television packages.
What are your views on Search Engines? Have they helped or hindered your website?
Search engines have helped more people find my business although it can be very time consuming to get your site listed in a good search position. This is probably why there are so many companies that offer SEO services.
What is your website address?
Carnal Clothes
