Positively Paula

Targeting September 1 for Gettington.com launch

With our push into a production environment last week the next question is naturally "When will Gettington.com be ready for public consumption?"  Well curious readers.... we are on target for a September 1 go-live date!  

I know!  Terribly exciting isn't it?  There is a lot of work between now and September 1.  We are still putting in the Goodie Bag^SM, and completing 44 other items for the go-live date.  And there is even more work on the plate for after the go-live date. 

The reality is that we will never be done. We are already looking at new features that will make shopping easier.  We fully expect and are planning for great feedback from customers to guide our future development efforts.  

While we will never be done, it is always exciting to think about how we can serve customers better. 

Until September 1. Or better said, see you in 20 days!

Pushing into Production

We just hit a momentous milestone because we are moving the Gettington website from a test environment into a production environment this weekend.  Today was the Go/No Go decision point.  We are a Go! 

We are not quite ready to make the site public, but we are on our way.  This move into a production environment means that we can start counting down the weeks to launch versus the months. 

Here is a quick sneak peak of the home page.  The graphics are not yet final, but it is great to see the site come together.

The Brand Experience

Let me first say that I'm a huge proponent of The Experience Economy.  Simply stated, the theory is that we have moved from an agriculture based economy to a industrial based economy to a service based economy and are now in an experience based economy.  The experience economy proposes that companies must orchestrate "memorable events" for their customers.  Think Starbucks and Walt Disney.  Both deliver not only a cup of coffee or roller coaster ride but an overall brand experience.  You can read more on wikipedia or buy the book.

Just last week Andy Sernovich posted about his experience purchasing from BlueFly.  What impressed him was the bag that the product was delivered in and the ease of the return by including the shipping label.  He felt that it enhanced his upscale shopping experience with BlueFly - a perfect example of the experience economy at work. 

I'm also a fan of the Brand Autopsy series Would You Miss?  The series explores whether we would miss a brand if they went out of business through a series of evocative questions.  My favorite question is:

Does BRAND X forge such unfailing emotional connections with its customers that they would fail to find another BRAND that could forge just as strong an emotional bond?

So as I sit with the unique responsibility to develop a brand I have been thinking a lot about what would create such an unfailing emotional connection with our customers?  We will not have everything completely locked down because I want customer input to develop and guide our future.  However, I have created the brand framework for Gettington.  This brand framework is critical because it defines each one of our decisions going forward.  It sets the roadmap on how we operate. It guides the direction of our brand experience.  

So in the fashion of Brand Autopsy's "Would you miss" series, What say you?

Become a VIP

Gettington Update

To say there is a lot going on in my life right now would be an understatement.  It's funny but all of the chaos in my life involves helping people.  I'm currently the cheerleader for my mom as she battles cancer.  But, I also feel like I'm the cheerleader for everyone who is trying to manage their family budget. 

Gettington is about providing choices.  Choices of great products and brands.  And choices in how to pay for your purchases so you can manage your budget.  And in today's world of credit card company woes, I'm proud to be able to offer alternatives.  Every product on the Gettington website is offered with three ways to pay.  You can pay using your own credit card (good selection for those who pay off their cards every month).  Or you can pay over time.  We will offer two extended payments.  Fast Option is a four payment option.  Easy Option is an extended payment option (up to 24 months).

I'm also proud to be creating a brand that is grounded in honesty and transparency.  There is no hiding anything at Gettington.  On every page of the Gettington site is an assistant that clearly shows your payment options.  

The goal of transparency is to ensure that customers can make the best decision for their personal situation.  This will be a journey as we listen to feedback and iterate to make the experience better.  

Let me know if you would like to be part of the Gettington VIP team.  VIP stands for Very Important Perspective.   I will be launching a community to support our feedback process.  If you leave me your name and email address here or on our FaceBookfan page, I will make sure that you are part of our initial VIP community.  The target date for the invite is early September.  I would love to have all your input as we build this brand.   

About Us - The Gettington Story

The time is flying by as we are building a new shopping experience.  We are weeks away from seeing the site come together.  It's like giving birth.  By the time you reach the ninth month, you are so excited to meet the child that has been developing.  (Ok - you moms know what I'm talking about).  Gettington is another baby that I will have the opportunity to watch grow and I can't wait to see it live. 

There are so many things to share, but first you need to meet the Gettington that I already know.  The best (but long) way is to share the Gettington story.  This is envisioned to be the About Us page on the site.  Please provide feedback.  I would love to get your thoughts.  BTW, my friends on Twitter helped with the signoff.  Thank you @lisafischer, @brenda_haines, @jfernandez and @MohitGarg_.

About Us

More great brands, more ways to pay… and a bag full of surprises!

 

We are family. 

 

Yes, that’s a Sister Sledge song from 1979 and definitely shows my age, but Gettington is all about the family and we are family just like you.  We are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, husbands, wives, aunts, uncles and we juggle life the same ways you do.  We work hard and manage our family budget best we can. We figure out how to get our kids to soccer, baseball and dance, and we nurse them back to health when they’re sick. We treasure our friends, plan vacations, try to save for rainy days…and never have enough time!

 

Our family at Gettington has designed this shopping experience with your family in mind.  We want to provide a little help along the way, save you some time and hassles, and maybe even simplify life a little. And that starts by providing you the choices you need, from the great brands that we carry to a huge assortment of products, over 20,000 and growing.

 

We understand that managing your budget is very important.  Every product at Gettington is offered with three ways to pay so you can decide what works best for your budget.  You can pay in full using your own credit card. Or you can pay over just four months with our FAST Option. Or give yourself more time with low monthly payments by using our EASY Option.  Every page of the website has a control panel that displays your product selections along with your payment options of Pay Now, Fast Option (4-pay) or EASY Option (extended pay).

 

We created these options so you can have choices in how to pay.  But unlike typical credit card companies, you won’t find us in the nickel and dime game or trying to create “perma-debt”.  In fact, our options help you pay off your balance much faster than typical credit cards.  We believe that transparency and honesty is the path to great decisions.  At any time you can view the total payment cost from your control panel.

 

We also believe that random acts of kindness make the world a better place.  We make random acts of kindness part of our everyday life through the Gettington Goodie Bag.  When you create your account online you will automatically receive a virtual goodie bag.  At any time there will be special items placed in your goodie bag – from secret sales, limited-edition merchandise, special discounts, and even freebies.  Check your Gettington Goodie Bag often, as the goodies do expire.

 

That’s it, from our family to yours.  Hope to see you back often.

 

Live well-Live great,

Paula Drum

General Manager, Gettington

 

PS – We want to hear from you.  Please let us know what you liked and what you don’t like so we can provide the best service for you.

A little glimpse of what's to come

What can I say, it's been a busy time.  The transition to Minneapolis is going well and I LOVE my new job.  There is so much to do and so much to share.  There will be a lot of new stuff coming over the next four weeks as we build to our beta!  I'm would love all your help and advice as I launch a new online shopping brand. 

I do have the logo design.  I think it is fun and love the rich colors of the shopping bags.  We will be using the shopping bags as brand icons.  What are your thoughts?  What would you love to see in an online shopping experience.  (and yes, social is important for Gettington which is why I'm asking!)

The Adventure Begins

From Kansas City to Minneapolis - I have officially started on my next adventure.  Minneapolis, The City of Lakes, is the home of some great e-commerce sites such as Best Buy.com and Target.com.  Soon it will also be the home of another great online shopping site, Gettington.com. 

I left behind the world of taxes to become General Manager of Gettington.com which will be launching this fall.  What excites me about Gettington.com is the opportunity to deliver a great customer experience built upon the basic tenets of honesty, transparency and choice.  We will have a broad selection of quality merchandise including the brands you know and love.  We will also empower consumers to make informed purchase decisions that are right for them.  There is a great team here who has accomplished an amazing amount of work for the site launch. 

I’m really looking forward to this journey and happy that our social web allows me to share my experiences.