Wilcom takes a first-hand look at a company that uses Wilcom’s Embroidery Web API to run a successful embroidery personalization business. Cubbies specialize in personalized gifts for children, babies, and all occasions.
One of the company’s co-founders, Lee White, discusses the impact of using Wilcom’s technology in their business.
Why did you get into this niche business?
Mr. White explained that he worked for a toy company in Toronto, Canada. The company offered a small range of teddy bears for the embroidery market. He loved his job but one day found himself unemployed due to a round of redundancies.
I didn’t feel the company was doing much with the range, so I decided to start my own ‘teddy bear’ company based on the embroidery bear.
I have always thought talk is cheap, so it was time to go out and do it myself.
My wife and I felt that more and more people wanted a personalized touch, a unique product for their most precious treasure. So, in a world with so many products to choose from, we decided to offer customers unique products designed by them, for them. Every authentic Cubby is uniquely theirs, with its own personality, individuality, and truly magical character.
Cubbies goal is to inject magic into toys by finding new ways to spark children’s imaginations all over the world. Cubbies was created to celebrate imagination and individuality in a way that’s as unique as the children themselves.
When did you start your online business?
I started the business with my wife in Canada in 2010 and then moved to the United Kingdom in 2012, where things really started to take off.
What was your process before implementing Wilcom's Embroidery Web API?
All orders were received and entered manually. The process was highly time-consuming and resulted in human error. It was hard to reach new customers, and the process was painfully slow and laborious.
We looked into incorporating Wilcom’s Embroidery Web API into our e-commerce website to offer genuinely unique personalized embroidered products that customers could visualize instantly. After trialing the product, we quickly realized this was exactly what we needed to turn our passion project into a smooth, successful business.
The custom Application Programming Interface or API is integrated into the Cubbies website and uses Wilcom’s embroidery technology to return embroidery results on the customer website in real time.
How was the Embroidery Web API implemented?
We worked with Sheer Digital in implementing a custom plugin that worked with WooCommerce. The process was smooth, and they handled all the technical web stuff that my wife and I didn’t understand.
We are now reaching more customers with a seamless online experience. Our customers can place orders from anywhere, at home, during their lunch break, or when relaxing in a coffee shop. We couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome.
What have your customers said about the online experience?
Our customers love the multiple options of designs, colors, and fonts available. The instant visual representation of their chosen design is invaluable. It gives them the confidence to place the order knowing exactly what they will get.
Since implementing Wilcom’s Embroidery Web API our web traffic has increased substantially.
What happens after customers place an order?
After customers submit their online orders, we transfer the design onto our embroidery machine, with only a few clicks. We also have the colors assigned to the correct needles on the machine, saving heaps of time.
I noticed you have a 'My Isolation Buddy' plush toy. What a lovely idea to help toddlers cope with the situation.
The Isolation Buddy is something our embroidery customers made. It wasn’t our design.
Our birth blocks are the most popular, and we have four different templates created with Wilcom software and uploaded into our website.
A real-world successful online business using Wilcom's Embroidery Web API
Images courtesy of Cubbies
