As each year passes more and more people seem to be selling rattan garden furniture.  This is a good thing as far as all of us at Zebrano are concerned as competition often means more sales.  This sounds a little counter intuitive but to be honest the more companies that sell rattan furniture the more the public tend to become more educated in what is good and what is not.

Zebrano started selling rattan garden furniture back in 2007.  Back then the public had very little knowledge about what rattan garden furniture really was.  They were well aware of the traditional natural rattan and cane but the outdoor rattan was very much an unknown.  The public had started to see the rattan on holidays abroad in places like Spain and Italy but other than that it was not really available in the UK.

Even in the early years after the initial introduction of rattan patio furniture into the UK it was quiet difficult to explain what the product was and for people to get there head around the whole all weather nature of the goods.  Nowadays everyone knows about rattan outdoor furniture.  Well at least everyone who is looking for garden furniture that is.  They can now see it in garden centres, online, department stores and even some indoor furniture shops.

You may think this is a bad thing for us as its much more competition.  I disagree as the evidence tells a different story.  The public no longer ask if our furniture is natural rattan as they are now fully aware that the rattan is synthetic.  They no longer ask if it can stay outside all year round as they already know it can.  The public are now concerned about the build quality and the quality of the cushions.  They see cheaper versions on the market place and now want to know the difference.  From our point of view we are delighted to talk about the differences as they always show the cheaper products up for what they are, inferior and unlikely to last the test of time.

The more the public know about a product that more likely they are to make an informed decision and that’s better for us.  If they want something that is cheap and cheerful then that’s fine but if they want something that is of a good quality and yet won’t break the bank then we are here to help.  More competition leads to better informed customers and better informed customer leads to more sales for the companies that provide great products at great prices!

We had to make a choice a few years ago between staying small or going big in terms of staff and overhead.  We made the concuss decision to remain as small as possible not only to keep a tight control of the finances but also because we felt it gave us the competitive advantage that had driven the business up to that point.  In the early years of teak garden furniture exhibitions we were literally a two man band that had a great products and great customer services.  We didn’t sell vast volumes but we personally delivered every piece of furniture and if there was ever a problem we would be straight back round to resolve it.

As time went on we grew and more and more people wanted our products and we ended up moving to larger premises and ultimately into a huge showroom.  Sadly this large showroom was nearly the death of us!  It looked great but the cold hard truth was that to go forward from there meant that we needed to expand that showroom to similar showrooms all over the UK.  The cost would be astronomical but provided the staff were as good as us all would be great.  Thankfully we went against this as each time we walked into one of the big furniture chains or sofa shop we thought they were dreadful.

We found these nation wide furniture showrooms bland and very much the same wherever you went.  The staff often seemed uninterested or in some cases a bit too interested and wouldn’t leave you alone.   To be honest I am delighted that we chose the route of the internet and kept things small and efficient in the office.  We still hit big sales figures and are in fact the number one rattan garden furniture website on Google which is no mean feet.  Despite this we are still small and still in touch with our customers.  Coming on the next blog is how we maintain the high sales while staying small.

When our customers arrive at our showroom they are usually pleasantly surprised to find our office nestled within a farm courtyard surrounded by 600 year old barns.  These barns contain our furniture and rather than the faceless corporate giants they often see when purchasing on retail estates these days they are faced with a small family business.

I say pleasantly surprises as they often think that due to the size and scale of our website as well as our huge stock holding that we may well be one of these corporate giants.  In fact this could not be further from the truth.  We do have huge stock holdings and we do deliver to every part of the UK every week but we are far from a faceless large business.

The customers that take the trouble to come to our showroom you will invariably meet the one of the owners.  You are not met by salesmen who don’t care for the business they are in but instead you are met with the only three or on some day’s four members of staff which will include both me and my wife.

The advantages are that once your customers have met you they can put a face to the voice on the end of the phone.  They know that when they phone they can nearly always get through to the same person that sold them the set.  This builds up trust and understanding both from the customer’s point of view as well as from our point of view.

If there are any problems with the sales process our customers tend to be more understanding because they know it is a small business and from our point of view we work our hardest to provide that excellent customer care because of the size of the business.  If we don’t do a good job then our customers let us know and it reaches the top in a matter of seconds!  Nobody likes to hear of any negative feedback so if we ever get any we take it to heart and try to resolve things quickly and to the satisfaction of our customers.  The question is how does such a small company process the volume of sale we do?  The answer to this is in my next blog……

The Amber Round Rattan Garden Table and Six Chairs.  One 1350 round rattan dining table and six Amber rattan dining chairs for just £549.  Is this the best value rattan garden dining suite in the market?  Well we certainly think that is makes a good case to be the best value.  Not only is the quality great but the style is both contemporary and stunning.  We have the Amber available in a four seater set and six seater set in both the brown and black flat weave rattan

Here at Zebrano we have four pages of rattan dining suites, 4 seater, 6 seater, 8 seater and this years new addition the 10 seater rattan dining sets.  There is something for everyone and with five different styles of chairs there is surely something that takes your fancy.

Check out our rattan dining sets page for full details and don’t forget that we are on the phones if you would rather speak to a human and noyt just surf the net.

After some supplier transportation issues that has lead to our Rattan Cube Sofa Sets being delayed twice already we are delighted to anounce that they are now ready for delivery.  Firstly we would like to thank all those customer who have patiently waited.  We do appreciate that these cube sofa sets were due in some three weeks ago and that some people have been waiting some time.

We will of course be contacting all customers that have been waiting and will get these rattan suites delivered in the next few days.  For those that have been thinking about ordering there are hardly any left already!  90% of the container has been pre sold and if these early sales are anything to go by then the remainimng 10% will not last long.

Once again we are sorry for the delay in delivery these Rattan Cube Sofa Sets but rest assured that you will have your suite very soon and you are sure to love it once it has arrived.

As promised I will be trying to keep our customers updated with products that are in and out of stock by talking about current stock levels here on the Zebrano rattan blog.  Due to the recent rainy weather this product warning has nearly got through unoticed as the last thing we were expecting to run low on during a wet and windy week was rattan sun loungers!  That said we have indeed nearly run out of the Verona Rattan Sun Loungers in Black rattan.  We do still have plenty of stock in the brown rattan but that last few Veronas in black will be gone in the next few days.

At the time of writing we do not have any more Verona sun loungers due in this season although other rattan loungers are available.  If you are interested in the black Verona sun loungers I would advise you to purchase now or call the office on 01296 334450 to check if there are any left.  If the Veronas are all gone by the time you call then don’t worry as we still have the Pescara Rattan Loungers available in both brown and black rattan weave.

Who would have thought that in April showers would have seen a dramatic increase in the sales of sun loungers?  It goes to show that the demand for Zebrano rattan products is difficult to predict and the only thing you can rely on at the moment is that this style of rattan garden furniture is very much in demand. So snap it up while you can!

At Zebrano we have taken the unusual decision to tell our customers that the price of our rattan furniture it set to rise. Anyone who read my last blog on inflation in the rattan garden furniture business will be aware of this already.

How do we know that prices are set to rise on all rattan furniture?

We import alot of conatiners and therefore have a bit of insider knowlegde and know that the next batch of containers to arrive in on the container ships will be costing twice the previous price in shipping charges.  Here at Zebrano we are able to hold some of our sale prices beyond the Monday deadline but many of our goods will have to increase.

The question is what can I do to secure the best deal?

Well the best bet is to get your order in before Monday 23rd! That doesn’t mean to say that your have to pay before Monday as our numerous payment options mean that you can not only pay using all the usual methods of credit and debit cards but you can now pay using paypal or even spread the payment with our new 0% Finance.

Even if you do want to pay using your credit or debit card we do not take any money when you place the order but instead only take payment when the goods are dispatched. So if you don’t want the goods right now but do want to take advantage of the low prices then place you order today and organise a dispatch that suits you. Give us a call if you require any further details on our rattan patio furniture range.

Inflation is set to continue to rise in the economy as a whole and sadly the rattan garden furniture business is no exception. You have until Monday of next week to snap up the last remaining rattan furniture sale items before the price increases start to take hold. There are lost of reasons for the increase in prices many of wjich are out of our control.

I think it is fair to say that 100% of the rattan garden furniture available in the UK marketplace is brought in from overseas and therefore we are at the mercy of oil prices and container ship transport prices. Since January of this year container shipment prices have doubled!

Nobody will be able to soak up this type of increase and sadly Zebrano is no exception. We will of course have our usual price promise which means that you can be safe in the knowledge that Zebrano is the lowest priced rattan garden furniture like for like.  Get the best deal by ordering soon to avoid disapointment.  Check out our rattan garden furniture sale page for all the best deals.

What style do you prefer?  Contemporary or Traditional? We provide both!

At Zebrano Rattan we offer two types of all weather rattan garden furniture.  We have our contemporary flat weave or traditional round weave.  Both types of synthetic rattan can be left outdoors all year round but both offer a different look and style to your garden.

Our traditional tubular weave rattan (Winchester) offers a softer look for a classic English garden.  My parents splashed out on a Winchester oval dining set this year and it looks fantastic!   They have always had teak furniture so they like the lighter look of the Winchester tubular weave and my dad loves the maintenance free advantage to this furniture.  My mum loves the look and my dad loves the lack of work involved with this furniture.  Two happy glampers!

Alternatively the black and brown flat weave provides a real contemporary modern look.  We have a black cube and so do our neighbours and two of our friends!  Its a really popular set for young families as its so versatile, maintenance free and great to store away.  The black and brown flat weave is so popular not only for the look but again because it is maintenance free.

Flat or tubular the choice is yours and both are in stock at the moment here at Zebrano Rattan

The weather here in Buckinghamshire can only be described as changeable but sales in our rattan garden furniture are very much still full steam ahead.  It was pouring down this morning when I dropped my 6 year old off at school after what seems like the longest Easter holiday in history.  I have arrived at work and now the weather is bright sunshine.  I guess this is the April showers that my Granny used to talk about.

To say we are happy to see the kids back at school would be an understatement.  As my mum used to say about guest that came to stay with us, “it’s lovely to see them and its lovely to see them go!”    Obviously in the case of our little ones it is more a case of happy to see them going back to school to soak up the knowledge and not just a case of happy to get them out from under our feet!  Honest.

We are flat out trying to fulfill as many rattan furniture sales as we can and everyone is on overtime at the moment.  To make matters worse our 4 year old was sick yesterday and so can’t go back to his pre school for another couple of days!  I think Zoe is going stir crazy.  Despite this period of holiday the Zebrano rattan business is proving to be a well oiled machine this year with our systems coping well with the huge demand.  A huge thank you should go to Amanda and Judy in the office as well as Pip and Ned (and all the drivers) at our distribution office.  Without everyone puling together this time of year would be a nightmare.  I’ll be back soon with some stock updates.