What would YOU like from an online store?

Roxy's Mum

Roxy's Mum

New Member
Jul 21, 2009
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I'd like to start my own online business and ideally I'd like it to be within the equestrian sector.

I've been milling on various ideas for a while but need to get ideas, market research and feedback from others in the horsey world.

Rather than start another regular online equestrian store like the many that are already in existance I'd like to offer something unique - the idea has been suggested that renting horsey stuff might be the answer.

Similar to a bit bank but also including rugs, DVDs, bridles - and any other kit people can think of that comes in sizes. As sizes vary from manufacturer to manufacturer (like retailers) it can be tricky to get the right size first time round for a horse.

Do people think this would be a worthwhile business? Would YOU use it? And if not - is there anything you've searched for, or an online service you would like, that you cannot find at present?

Or... do you think the online world is populated enough as it is with equestrian retail and services?

ALL feedback welcome - thanks! :)
 
Think renting stock would be a great idea - I have just bort a bridle and a bit that are wrong sizes and I have to wait for them to be sold again before I can buy another. Also I have no idea what rug size she would need and as she is the smallest on the yard there is no ones rug I could try on her just to get a rough idea - to be able to try something on and have the option to send it back would be perfect - also things like books and DVDs would be fantastic to rent out! I would defo use it!!! X
 
Yep, as owner of a plus sized horse I'd very much appreciate a try before you buy sort of service or some help with sourcing odd sized items. I'd also be very interested in renting horsey books and DVDs but don't know how plausible an idea that is in reality. I think for the less experienced of us it would be good to see a sort of amazon type customer review of products to help us gauge how good things are before we buy.
 
Flipo's Mum said:
Yep, as owner of a plus sized horse I'd very much appreciate a try before you buy sort of service or some help with sourcing odd sized items. I'd also be very interested in renting horsey books and DVDs but don't know how plausible an idea that is in reality. I think for the less experienced of us it would be good to see a sort of amazon type customer review of products to help us gauge how good things are before we buy.
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I think reviews are a great idea - for many items, so people could leave feedback on how durable a rug is, how helpful a book is. People could also rent a few books, have a flick through to see what they like & send back what they don't want to keep.

DVDs & books could work similar to that of LoveFilm or Tesco DVD rentals - monthly subscription or one off payment for up to 5 DVDs/books per month (for example). Other items similar to the bit bank; pay per item per month, i.e. £5 to rent a rug for 28 days, if you don't like/want it then send it back with no extra charge. If you want to keep it then you could buy it, minus the cost of the rental already paid.... :)
 
Roxy's Mum said:
I'd like to start my own online business and ideally I'd like it to be within the equestrian sector.

I've been milling on various ideas for a while but need to get ideas, market research and feedback from others in the horsey world.

Rather than start another regular online equestrian store like the many that are already in existance I'd like to offer something unique - the idea has been suggested that renting horsey stuff might be the answer.

Similar to a bit bank but also including rugs, DVDs, bridles - and any other kit people can think of that comes in sizes. As sizes vary from manufacturer to manufacturer (like retailers) it can be tricky to get the right size first time round for a horse.

Do people think this would be a worthwhile business? Would YOU use it?
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There's always room for a decent online store with clear descriptions, decent stock at sensible prices, and good delivery + customer services. As for loaning/renting, I'm not sure. My primary concern for 'soft-stock', say, rugs/bridles/numnahs etc would be the risk of ringworm, lice etc being transferred from horse to horse. Ringworm esp is extremely difficult to clear, and even with the most stringent of cleaning assurances i wouldn't want to risk it though a rental.
 
Portia said:
There's always room for a decent online store with clear descriptions, decent stock at sensible prices, and good delivery + customer services. As for loaning/renting, I'm not sure. My primary concern for 'soft-stock', say, rugs/bridles/numnahs etc would be the risk of ringworm, lice etc being transferred from horse to horse. Ringworm esp is extremely difficult to clear, and even with the most stringent of cleaning assurances i wouldn't want to risk it though a rental.
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That's a really good point and one I hadn't thought of.

Do you think there are similar problems faced by companies who rent bits; surely there are transferable diseases/infections/bacterial/fungal infections and so on that can be passed through mouth-to-mouth contact via the bit?
 
I agree, I would definately use it and have used the Bit bank already.....Just a thought, what about a Treeless Saddle trial, with the option to buy or return if not suitable. Most of us on here want to try things like Dream Saddle, the Ghost, HM Phonix etc but rather than going to each company, if we could come to one, trail it, if it worked, buy it, if not, return and try another. The Ghost and Dream team charge about £50 for a 4 day trial, so I believe people will pay, well I would any...and it would be great to try several together so you could see which works the best.
 
Maggiemooo said:
I agree, I would definately use it and have used the Bit bank already.....Just a thought, what about a Treeless Saddle trial, with the option to buy or return if not suitable. Most of us on here want to try things like Dream Saddle, the Ghost, HM Phonix etc but rather than going to each company, if we could come to one, trail it, if it worked, buy it, if not, return and try another. The Ghost and Dream team charge about £50 for a 4 day trial, so I believe people will pay, well I would any...and it would be great to try several together so you could see which works the best.
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Thanks Maggiemoo I had thought about saddle 'rental' my only concern about this is from a personal perspective - I don't know how liable I would be in the event of an accident, i.e. the saddle breaking in anyway or being damaged in a way I couldn't tell & causing damage to another horse.

Also, I have very limited knowledge when it comes to saddles - obviously I could educate myself but I would feel incredibly behind in the field!

Also - postage would be tricky. Obviously saddles would cost a lot to send via a carrier (UPS or otherwise) which could increase rental prices. But then it's better to spend a small amount to find the right saddle when you're paying hundreds on one!

But it's definitely something I'm considering - and if there's a demand for it I'm happy to provide the service :)
 
Roxy's Mum said:
Do you think there are similar problems faced by companies who rent bits; surely there are transferable diseases/infections/bacterial/fungal infections and so on that can be passed through mouth-to-mouth contact via the bit?
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I think in the case of bits etc it's much easier to clean and therefore disinfect at very high temperatures (I chuck mine in the dishwasher) whereas, as it's been pointed out, with things like bridles, rugs etc it would be much harder to disinfect as they couldn't be "boiled washed".

My other thing would be the worry (if I was renting then selling on) of what condition things came back in. You could end up loosing a hell of a lot of stock by people returning rugs after chucking them onto a filthy hairy pony and then deciding they don't fit after a couple of days. I have to be honest and say that I don't think that I would use a rental service or try before you buy. If things don't fit then most suppliers will allow you to return them. Sorry.

Edited: However, saying that I probably would use a saddle rental service especially in terms of treeless or western.
 
dragzb said:
My other thing would be the worry (if I was renting then selling on) of what condition things came back in. You could end up loosing a hell of a lot of stock by people returning rugs after chucking them onto a filthy hairy pony and then deciding they don't fit after a couple of days. I have to be honest and say that I don't think that I would use a rental service or try before you buy. If things don't fit then most suppliers will allow you to return them. Sorry.
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Don't apologise!!!! I'd rather people said then start a business that was a complete flop! :p
 
Im not sure if i can help but ill put my bit in lol! The books and dvds thing i dont know how worthwhile that would be with ebay and amazon etc people would sometimes think there aswel to buy 2nd hand only in my opinion though i dont know. As for renting stuff out im not sure as a customer thats somethin id want to do for reason mentioned above ringworm etc what id do if i was wanting something is possibly borrow off someone at my yard so i know her size before buying it myself then iv tried something off a horse i know. Also id be too scared to rent incase i damaged it lol youd have to think of what would happen in that situation...Next thing is items described properly my biggest pet peeve is grooming boxes advertised but it doesnt tell you the size or depth so you dont know if there going to hold your mane and tail sprays etc sooo annoying! Also i just made quite a big order from derby house. They sent it out in bits and pieces and took the money from my bank in the same way this was annoying because i didnt know when they were going to take the next bit of money and i didnt want to run into bank charges! id much rather they waited til they had all the stock and sent it at the same time even if it was going to be 2 parcels and id much rather they took the whole amount of money in one go. Also if your doing a website a good explanation of shipping & returns. Hope this helps a little its all just my preferences though everyones differnt x
 
Interesting idea for a business (and just to add we would be happy to supply at trade prices if you were interested! ;)) but just a few of my views:

From a 'customer' point of view:

Renting bits - I have no problem with as long as they can be autoclaved or professionally sterilised before I got to use them. Metal bits could take this, not sure I'd want to rent a nylon/happymouth/nathe bit that had chew-marks....and this does happen with them.

DVDs and books - great idea, as long as you got them back! ;)

I would NOT want to rent a bridle, sorry - there is too high a risk of infection - it only takes a horse with ringworm to borrow it - and I'm not sure washing a bridle in Imaverol will do the leather any good! ;)

I would only consider renting a saddle if it was checked and fitted by a qualified saddle fitter.

Rugs - Sorry, no, I wouldn't rent a rug. I'd rather buy something cheap second hand, and wash it and clean it myself, then pass it on when it was outgrown, or whatever. I wouldn't like the thought of my horse wandering around in a rug which had been rented to several other horses. ;)

Sorry for the negativity, just my views.

From a BUSINESS point of view..... I honestly think that you will lose a lot of stock, either through damage, neglect, or, sadly, theft! I'm not sure how you could insure such a business against you losing too much stuff! ;)

It's a great idea, and worth thinking about, but check out things like insurance against someone trashing a saddle of yours, postage, etc. It could work out expensive for you initially to build up a stock for rental, but it could pay off in the long run IF people are honest and take care of your stuff!!
 
Thanks Kis Vihar - I appreciate your honesty. I have exactly the same reservations which is why I wanted to throw the idea open to see what people honestly think is a viable service and whether they would use it. If not, there's no point!

I'm so keen to get my teeth into my own business and would be absolutely thrilled if it could be equestrian related - but there's a lot to consider and having novel idea to address a niche in the market is tricky!

Things such as insurance, postage, damages etc etc all add up and I agree, the chances of making profit could be limited. My uncle was recently put out of business (in the building trade) due to a company not paying what they owed within the stated time - and could easily happen in this market if one person did me a blinder! :eek:
 
You need to do a lot of research, and find a niche in the market for things like bitless bridles, treeless saddles, pessoas, etc. Things people may think about getting, but haven't taken the plunge yet.

You'd need to look into insurance, and look at other companies T&Cs in regards to renting. I know with LoveFilm, they will keep charging you until an item is returned or labelled as 'lost in post'. If it's lost, they can claim it on insurance.
 
What would I like from an online store...

I was just browsing a few online stores to try and find a hat cover for my new vented skull and I would like a website where the postage reflects the items you are buying, I mean how exactly can it cost £4 to post out what I would say is a light weight piece of fabric with some elastic in?! I am often put off buying things online from lots of different shops when i want them because I end up waiting until I need enough items that one of the larger retailers are stocking in order to make the P+P worth it?

Also I agree a website that has well described detailed descriptions would be good with Amazon like reviews as well.

Also not sure how practical this would be but for example if you go into our local tackshop and she doesn't have the item we are looking for out come a stack of supplier magazines and it can usually be found and ordered - would it be possible for you to have almost like a wish list service for people who can't find an item from one of the other tackshops etc - although guessing this would have to come at a premium so maybe not.
 
A little and large shop?

Always tricky finding things that are not "conventional" sizes at resonable prices - it bugs me that whenever I make a trip to Robbies they rarely have any 4"9 rugs in their own brand ranges. Thats not even an odd size, but find it equally difficult to find shetland/minutre shetland size things that aren't extorionate prices - and I know Flipos Mum has issues on the other end - things like 6.75" bits!

I would love a reasonabley priced treeless saddle trial facility.
 
popularfurball said:
A little and large shop?

Always tricky finding things that are not "conventional" sizes at resonable prices - it bugs me that whenever I make a trip to Robbies they rarely have any 4"9 rugs in their own brand ranges. Thats not even an odd size, but find it equally difficult to find shetland/minutre shetland size things that aren't extorionate prices - and I know Flipos Mum has issues on the other end - things like 6.75" bits!

I would love a reasonabley priced treeless saddle trial facility.
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Yes PF this is the thing - finding that niche market that would draw people's attention.

Obviously P&P is important to people and hopefully it might be possible to do P&P costs on an individual basis - i.e. items have their weight (packaged weight) as well as price specified and the P&P goes up in, say, 2kg increments.

Say for example you ordered 4 items that weighed a total of 1.2kg you could add items that would take the weight up to 2kg for no extra P&P charge. Only once the total weight of all items reached 2kg would the cost of P&P be increased (if that makes sense?) :confused:
 
popularfurball said:
A little and large shop?

Always tricky finding things that are not "conventional" sizes at resonable prices - it bugs me that whenever I make a trip to Robbies they rarely have any 4"9 rugs in their own brand ranges. Thats not even an odd size, but find it equally difficult to find shetland/minutre shetland size things that aren't extorionate prices - and I know Flipos Mum has issues on the other end - things like 6.75" bits!

I would love a reasonabley priced treeless saddle trial facility.
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There are plenty of places that sell stuff for the smaller ponies (Dinky Rugs is the main one I can think of), but haven't seen anyone specialising in the larger horses (and I know that riding heavy horses is becoming more popular).

Ali xx
 
Sorry guys I'm back on this one again.... :)

How about an equestrian supply store that allows people to review products with a similar layout to Amazon? Whereby people can freely give their feedback on how good/crap they think something is?

Also with fair/relevant P&P to each item, or multiple items in ONE package if several are purchased?

Do those with larger horses feel they struggle to get equestrian equipment suitable? Is there really a niche in the market for this?

Again - all feedback welcomed :)
 
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