This time, following the results of the customer survey conducted around the summer, I would like to introduce "what to expect in the future and points to be improved".
(Please note that there were many people who left blanks and filled in various things, so even if you add them up, the number of responses will not match.)
Inventory (number of answers: 47)
・Popular colors of popular yarn sell out too quickly
・I want more kits because they sell out quickly
・I would like to restock, but it will take time.
・I want you to not display sold out products
Popular brands such as Viola and La Bien Aimee have a fixed number of skeins that can be procured each year, so even if you ask for more amirisu, it will be difficult to increase the number. Regarding those products, we will give priority to our supporters.
As for standard products, we replenish the inventory at the same time every year. Brooklyn Tweed etc. are also available for pre-order from August to September every year, so we would appreciate it if you could use it. This year, there are many shortages of products from all manufacturers, and there are also items that have not yet decided when they will arrive, so we are also struggling. If you really want to wait for your favorite color, please register for the backordered mail.
As for overseas hand-dyed yarn, recently many places have a fixed yearly schedule for dyeing, making it difficult to place orders immediately. Many manufacturers have a minimum of 2 to 3 months, and the reality is that in many cases, the seasons change while you wait. We are making efforts to replenish popular items, but there are many items that cannot be restocked within the same fiscal year.
The purpose of displaying items that are out of stock is to notify everyone when they are back in stock. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we appreciate your understanding.
However, after operating the site for 6 and a half years, I discovered that there were many old items left on the site, and in the past month or so, I have sorted out all the items that are not scheduled to arrive. I think it's easier to see than before, so please check it out again.
About the Tokyo store (number of responses: 47)
・We are looking forward to the reopening of the Tokyo store.
・It was a pity that the Tokyo store was temporarily closed, but I hope that the wonderful yarn shop will come back even more wonderful than ever.
・I want more stores
While the coronavirus epidemic has not subsided, the Tokyo store has been temporarily closed for the safety of our staff and customers, but we have started preparations for the opening in the second half of next year. We will do our best to reopen as a more wonderful shop, so please continue to support us.
As for other stores, we have a lot of dreams, but since amirisu is a really small company, we don't have enough money and people... so it may be difficult. If I ever win the lottery!
Requests about products (number of responses: 22)
・I want more socks kits
・I want you to handle more sewing-related and fabrics
・ I would be happy if there were more introductions of baby goods and threads
・The original thread is wonderful, so I want more colors and types
・I want you to increase the types of threads for Sport and DK.
We have received many requests for our products. If you have any specific brands in mind, we would love to hear from you. Depending on the manufacturer, the wholesale price is very high, and there are some places that are shelved because they cannot provide it at a price that everyone can afford.
The sock kit is one of the things I've been working on the most this year. I think that it has been quite substantial, but I would like to increase it in the future, such as for spring and summer and for babies.
Baby knit is one of the things we are currently preparing. I would like to put in a lot of effort over the next year.
Although it is an original yarn, we are planning to increase it in various ways as the system is in place. Sport / DK threads are also in preparation. Please look forward to it!
Website (number of responses: 21)
・I want you to lighten the HP. Difficult to find desired product
・It is easy to understand if the picture and name of the yarn appear together
・It would be nice to have a function to compare colors
We have received comments that the homepage is slow, and we are regularly working to reduce the number of items displayed on the top page and lower the resolution of the photos. It seems that the system of the platform you are using is to blame, and that company is also working on improving it. We will continue to strive for improvement.
Regarding the color name of wool, we improved the system around this spring so that it will be displayed when you click the photo. I've been looking at various programmers for a function that compares colors, but I haven't been able to find anyone who can do it, so I'm still looking.
About Instagram Live (Answers: 15)
・I want you to continue introducing products through video distribution because it is difficult to go to the actual store.
・I love Instagram live, so I want more
Many people write that they are looking forward to the live, which makes me very happy. We received multiple requests to make the color names easier to understand.
As for the number of times, it may be a little difficult because Tokuko's lessons are quite packed and the Kyoto store is not available for lessons and meetings. I would like to continue to be as consistent as possible. Thank you for your continued support!
About the event (number of responses: 14)
・ I want to participate in events such as workshops and talk shows when the corona is over
・It would be nice if knit cafes were held on the web.
Currently, we can't hold events at stores due to the influence of Corona, but we would like to plan a lot after the convergence.
We are looking for online knit cafes at any time, so please join us if it is convenient for you, even if it is a weekday.
About online lessons (number of responses: 12)
・I want more online courses
Since we are unable to hold workshops this year, we have increased the number of online courses from June. In October, we also started online consultations every other Friday, and online English lessons several times a month (the next one is currently under preparation). Please join us.
Click here for a list of online lessons
Knitting consultation meeting is here
online knit cafe
Products for beginners (number of answers: 7)
・It would be nice if there was a kit for beginners.
As the number of customers who have recently learned about amirisu has increased, I feel that the demand for kits for beginners has increased. At amirisu, in addition to the online course kit “First Sweater” that has been sold before, kits such as socks for the first time, garter-knit cowls, and fluffy whip hats are available. We plan to increase cardigans and hats in the future. Please take a look at this list as well.
About pattern sales (number of answers: 7)
・I would like you to sell the Japanese version of the pattern separately.
・I want you to be able to purchase overseas knitting patterns on your behalf.
At amirisu, we translate the patterns of overseas designers and provide them as kits, but in most cases we promise not to sell the patterns individually. This is because many designers tend to dislike having their patterns sold without permission. Also, if the design is made in a tie-up with a thread manufacturer, it is not possible to assemble a kit with other threads. We hope that you will understand that the copyright relationship is complicated.
Ravelry provides a mechanism for yarn shops to purchase patterns on your behalf. If you are at the store, you can also buy it instead if you talk to the staff. Please note that this is an in-store only feature.
About the price (number of responses: 7)
・I would be happy if there was something a little more reasonable
Hand-dyeing is quite difficult because the purchase price is high, but we continue to make efforts to purchase wool in various price ranges. Every day, we make efforts to reduce costs by increasing the amount we purchase, and by negotiating shipping costs to lower our prices as much as possible. Compared to importing by an individual, import duties and import consumption tax are levied on corporate purchases, so please understand that this will affect the price.
About sales schedule (Number of responses: Four)
・I want to know the approximate sales schedule
・I would appreciate it if you could know the schedule of what will be sold in the future. If this is going to be sold, I often think that I should have waited without rushing to buy it.
I usually make a schedule for about 2-3 months ahead, but since most of the items are imported, there are many things that happen, such as delays and being detained at customs for several weeks. That's why I haven't been able to inform you of the schedule. I think it would be good if we could disclose more information about the schedule, such as the timing of the pre-order sale, so that there is no problem even if we inform you about it.
About lessons (number of responses: 4)
・I want more weekend workshops to be held
・I want more lessons
Our company is closed on Sundays, so we only have Saturdays on weekends, but unfortunately the slots for Saturday lessons are always full. When the Tokyo store reopens in the future, I think we will be able to add more lesson frames. Please wait for a while.
Pick up at store (number of responses: 3)
・When ordering online, it would be nice if you could choose to pick up at the store.
Actually, we used to go there, and even now we have many requests, but there are too many customers who can't come to pick up, or the storage space in the backyard is punctured, and we send it to the store on the day that the customer wants. It was difficult, and there is a story that I was able to cancel it. In the future, if a better method is found, I would like to consider it again.
about shipping cost (number of responses: 4)
・I would be happy if the shipping cost became cheaper.
As for the shipping fee, we still charge only about 60% to 70% of the actual shipping fee to the customer, even excluding free shipping. Due to the shortage of human resources and problems with the working environment at courier companies, the price of all courier services has risen, and now we are facing the problem of whether we can accept the ever-increasing number of packages. We are working hard on the last minute line.
I hope you understand that shops that offer free shipping add that much to the product price.
Also, from November 2020, we started carbon offsetting of carbon dioxide emissions caused by delivery. Under this system, amirisu bears the carbon offset fee according to the distance of each delivery, and donates to related NGOs through the online shop system provider. We would appreciate it if you could understand that the customer does not bear the cost, and amirisu bears the cost out of profits. For carbon offset, please refer here.
Shipping (Answers: 3)
・Kuroneko Yamato is the better delivery company
・I want you to let me know the tracking number when I shop online
・I want you to be able to select the desired delivery time of the online shop from the pull-down menu.
I am currently requesting a warehouse company to handle the delivery, but Kuroneko Yamato has refused to accept any more new shipments. If Kuroneko Yamato resumes accepting orders, this may change in the future.
Tracking is currently not possible as it does not correspond to the online shop system used by Sagawa's system. We hope that the support will be expanded in the future.
Since it is difficult to specify the delivery time due to the system, please specify it in the remarks column. I hope that the system of the online shop you use will support it.
About magazines (number of responses: 2)
・I would like to revive the online magazine instead of the paper version.
・I would be happy if I could buy a book published by amirisu at a bookstore.
In fact, it would be nice if everyone could buy amirisu at bookstores, but if you go through the Japanese agency system (because the agency takes 40% of the product price!), I can't sell it at the current price. The reality is that it is gone. In addition, a suitable number is ordered, and a large amount is returned. Regular publishers discard large numbers of returned books each year and every month. That's why we only deal with bookstores and handicraft stores like Tsutaya Bookstore, who buy directly from us.
It's an online magazine, but Ravelry also sells a PDF version, so I'd appreciate it if you could use it.
About thread samples (number of responses: 2)
・It would be nice to have an original thread sample
As the number of original yarns has increased, I am currently in the process of creating a yarn sample book. I think we can release it in the new year.
About crochet (number of responses: 2)
・I want you to introduce overseas crochet works
There aren't many people on the staff who do crochet, and many overseas crochet don't come with knitting diagrams, so I think that people in Japan may not be familiar with it, so there are very few things to introduce. I would like to challenge if there is an opportunity in the future.
About Tamamaki (number of responses: 2)
・ I want you to add Tamamaki's service
We have received many requests since we started our online shop, but we can't make tamamaki in our warehouse (they are shipped from an external warehouse company), and we can't keep track of what should and should not be tamamaki, and shipping errors frequently occur. We do not accept it because it is expected. Thank you for your understanding.
others (number of responses: 13)
・You may feel closed.
From amirisu: We would like to provide an easy-to-understand and friendly service to everyone so that such a thing does not happen. Thank you for your continued support.
・I have felt dissatisfied with the customer service at the actual store.
From amirisu: Thank you for your valuable feedback. All the staff will take it seriously and make efforts to improve.
・ If you have a style of wearing such as a sweater made with a kit, I would like to refer to it
・I want you to send information about Japanese authors and overseas as reading material
・I would like you to tell me the recommended patterns when choosing threads.
From amirisu: Thank you for your feedback. I would like to do my best so that I can enrich it as more content in the future!
・The color of the thread in the photo and the actual color often look different.
From amirisu: When editing photos, I compare them with the real thing in natural light, but the appearance may differ depending on the staff's monitor and the customer's monitor, and there is also the problem that the color does not always look the same on the screen and the material. I feel that it is difficult to solve completely. I would like to make an effort as much as possible.
Other than that, keep up the good work, I'm looking forward to it! There were 67 people who sent their expectations.
thank you!