As we approach the end of 2023, our fantastic team here at Love Kate’s has been looking back at a year filled with exciting new ventures including musical balloons, Pop Up cards, royal celebrations and more! Whilst December is always the busiest month for us, it is important for me to spend time reflecting on the past year and begin to look forward to 2024. I want to start by thanking our growing team of hard-working staff; our loyal customers, old and new; and all of our suppliers who help us to offer such a wide and varied range of cards and gifts. I am so thankful to everyone who continues to make Love Kate’s the wonderful online card and gift shop that it is today – it is so much more now than it was when it originated from my small dining table 15 years ago!
Let’s start by taking a look back down memory lane at some of the highlights of 2023:
Pop-Up Cards
One of the stars of 2023 was our brand-new line of Pop Up Cards. From Valentine's Day to Mother's Day, and even Christmas, these cards added an extra special touch to every occasion with personalised tags for EVERY recipient. That’s right, whether you were celebrating a special Mum, Uncle or even sending a card from the dog, we made sure that a spectacular collection of Pop Up designs were waiting for you to choose from! Our Pop Up range proved to be extremely popular all year round and you seemed to love the personalisation element of them. I must admit that these have been my go-to choice for my own family and friends. We have exciting plans to expand our range of Pop-Up Cards in 2024 so be sure to keep your eyes peeled!
Balloon in a Box
This year, we also introduced our exciting Balloon in A Box surprise. What started as simply adding a card and balloon to a box, soon transformed as our team prototyped the idea into a magical musical surprise bursting with WOW factor. From designing mechanisms to finding the best quality balloons, we eventually launched a product we hoped you would all love – and it turns out you did! Again, my loved ones, perhaps predictably, were frequently gifted a Balloon in A Box, including my eldest daughter Jasmine on her 27th birthday and my husband, and fellow Love Kate’s employee, on his 65th birthday. From testing how long each balloon would last to even making our own advert (which, by the way, involved an impressive amount of party food consumption), we wanted to ensure that every box brought a smile to your faces!
Spreading the Love (Kate’s)
I have always tried to seize opportunities to be charitable and spread love through Love Kate’s, and this year, we continued our commitment to giving back. We donated our sound cards to the Eye Clinic at Musgrove Park Hospital to help them raise money for Somerset Sight. We also spread some sweetness through chocolate donations to DISC Newquay, a charity supporting vulnerable people in and around Newquay. After building the business from nothing, it is even more important to me to give back to both our local communities here in the South West and other charities nationally, and I’m looking forward to doing even more in 2024!
The King’s Coronation
Although May - and the King’s Coronation - feels like a distant memory, I can definitely look back with a smile as I remember just how much you all loved our DIY Crown Kits. It was wonderful to see our customers get involved in the creative process as they created crowns fit for royalty. We love to ‘go big’ for events like this and it makes me very excited to see how much joy it brings all of you!
Navigating the Postal Prices
Although we enjoyed lots of exciting highlights in 2023, there have also been some challenges to contend with. Much like the postal strikes in 2022, we were again reminded this year of the difficulties that the ecommerce industry can bring. This year, we’ve faced the ongoing cost of living crisis and the uphill battle of rising postal prices earlier this year. In order to combat this and ensure that Love Kate’s is as affordable and transparent with our pricing as possible, we no longer include delivery charges in our product pricing. We believe this makes it easier for our customer to compare our prices with other stores online. Like many other small businesses, we also faced the uphill battle of rising postal prices earlier in the year. However, to introduce this change, we are proud to currently be offering free delivery on orders over £15, perfect for when you need to stock up on cards for the months ahead and thankfully, sending love via a 2nd class stamp is still as affordable as ever!
Looking Forward: A Sneak Peek into 2024!
Before we log off for Christmas, we want to talk about the exciting things on the horizon for 2024. We're gearing up for the launch of our new website in 2024. Inspired by your feedback, we've added nifty features like filters for postal size, card size, colour preferences, and the ability to add images to personalised products. Although we don’t have a confirmed date yet, we are so excited for you to explore the new website and provide your useful thoughts; we really do rely on our customers’ feedback to improve and develop Love Kate’s. And finally from me, I will let you in on a little festive secret! Shh, it's hush-hush, but we're currently working on a fresh range of exclusive Love Kate's products for 2024. We won't spill the beans just yet but stay tuned for the big reveal! So, thank you everybody, again. Your support, feedback, and smiles make every twist and turn in this journey worthwhile. Here's to more love, creativity, and surprises in the coming year! Wishing you a fantastic end to 2023 and an even more fabulous 2024!
With love,
