A SCOTTISH business specialising in handmade Harris Tweed golf accessories and giftware has doubled its e-commerce sales after approaching Business Gateway for support.
Mairead Hume Ltd was launched in 2014 to combine Mairead’s passion for golf, Harris Tweed, and Scotland. The former Operations Director was born and raised in Scotland and has a deep passion for the country’s national sport and the Isle of Harris in the Outer Hebrides.
The business’ exclusive collection, The Harris Tweed Golf Collection, includes best-selling luxury products including head covers, putter covers, shoe bags and flat caps. Each product is handmade in Scotland and makes for the perfect accessory for golfers.
Having successfully sold the collection in some of the world’s most famous golf courses, including The Old Course in St Andrews, Mairead approached Business Gateway to review her online offering and e-commerce website.
Mairead accessed DigitalBoost, Scotland’s national digital upskilling programme, delivered by Business Gateway in May 2022, to improve her digital abilities. She has attended a series of webinars to develop her photography skills and software knowledge and is now regularly creating content for the business’ social media channels.
Mairead has also worked with DigitalBoost experts to identify how an online retail sales focus would help grow her business further. Her new digitals skills have been critical for the business’ digital offering and customer journey, which is now core to business turnover and has resulted in a 200% increase in online sales since August 2022, with international sales seeing the biggest rise.
Through a Business Gateway dedicated business adviser, Mairead has also developed her business plan for growth and received guidance on refreshed marketing strategies and networking opportunities.
Mairead Hume, owner, Mairead Hume Ltd, said: “Without the assistance from Business Gateway and DigitalBoost, it would have taken me much longer to digitally upskill and grow my business. It has been a huge learning curve for me.
“Support from Business Gateway has allowed me to turn a hobby into a sustainable source of income. I can’t thank my adviser, Stephen, enough for all the support and look forward to working with him in the future.”
Stephen Cranston, Business Gateway adviser, said: “DigitalBoost training has proved to be an immense help in improving Mairead’s digital marketing skills. It’s been great to see how this has directly impacted her sales, and really demonstrates just how important it is for businesses to invest in their digital operations.”
To find out more about how Business Gateway can help your business, visit https://bgateway.com.
