10 QUESTIONS WITH… James at JGS4x4

Owner of JGS4x4  – an eCommerce store selling Land Rover parts – James came to 5874 looking to replatform from Magento to BigCommerce. Since the big move, 5874 continue to work with JGS on the upkeep of their BigCommerce store, as well as marketing support.

We chatted with James and asked him 10 questions about his eCommerce experience so far…

What Is JGS4x4 Land Rover Parts and Accessories?

“JGS4x4 Land Rover Parts and accessories is an online store selling service parts and accessories from an oil filter to a roof rack for all models of Land Rover from Freelanders and Defenders through to Range Rovers.”

Tell Us About Your eCommerce Business

“The business started ten years ago during a DIY restoration project of a 1982 Series 3 SWB. I wanted a Defender as a ‘play’ car but could not afford one, so I bought an old Series 3. It turned out that the chassis was rotten so I set to and did a complete nut and bolt rebuild onto a new chassis. I ended up with lots of saleable used parts and boxes of new unused parts. I tried selling on eBay and was amazed at how well things sold, it more or less paid for the restoration.

The restoration took just over a year and during that time I started buying clearance jobs lots of pallets, taking trips to our local Argos clearance warehouse and buying anything that I thought I could make a pound or two on. But it soon became clear that there was a tremendous market for Land Rover parts and accessories as more and more people started restoring them.”

Tell Us About Your eCommerce Journey

“I originally set up an EKM store to complement our eBay store but found the features were lacking so I took some advice and was guided to go with a Magento store as it would do everything we needed. It turned out it was far too complicated for us to do anything ourselves, we had to outsource even the basic things like listing products or even amending prices.”

Did you explore other eCommerce platforms before BigCommerce

“Not really. I did look at a lot of alternatives but BigCommerce always stood out as the best value, easiest to use, most flexible and had all the features we needed.”

How was the replatforming process?

“The transition was smooth and quick. Rupert at 5874 was very knowledgeable and always understood exactly what we wanted and just got on with it.”

What was BigCommerce like as a platform?

“Like anything new, BigCommerce looked a bit daunting at first. Once things are set up and working I get a better understanding of how it all works and then can start to quickly learn how to do it myself. I wanted a partner to do the main design, take elements from our existing store and branding but freshen and update them. I wanted somebody that would stick with us and support us long term.”

How Did You Find 5874 Commerce?

“Recommended by BigCommerce in the first place, had an initial meeting with Rupert who refreshingly spoke in plain English and gave me confidence that he understood what I wanted and could and would do it in the required time frame. He was somebody I felt I could work with long term too.”

Did 5874 fill your eCommerce needs?

“It is good to know that we have support from 5874, any problems or more technical things we want changing on the website are dealt with quickly. Our job is selling parts and fulfilling orders, that’s our expertise, so we leave the website and marketing to 5874 as that is their area of expertise.”

How Are You Promoting Your Store?

“We have tried Google Adwords and Facebook adverts, yes we see an increase in visits to our store. Is it economical? If I am totally honest, no I don’t think so. The extra traffic converts to extra sales, but the extra sales only cover the extra costs.”

What Advice Would You Give To Other eCommerce Merchants?

“Don’t try and do it all yourself! Work out your area of expertise and use it to your fullest potential. Get somebody else like 5874 to build the website, populate the products, do the marketing and you concentrate on what you do best. Above all, try and do something that you enjoy or have an interest in and make sure you keep a decent work/life balance!”