Custom Bats Cricket Forum
Companies => Off-the-shelf companies => Black Cat Cricket => Topic started by: Black Cat Cricket on March 28, 2010, 08:25:48 PM
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As the title suggests, a chance for you to have your say...
What do you want to see?
Pads and gloves? An academy sized bat (between H and SH)? Different stickers? Perhaps something that no other maufacturers are doing?
Let us know...
Cheers
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Harrow Jokers :)
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IMO I would like to see more appealing stickers, the bats seem fine.
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IMO I would like to see more appealing stickers, the bats seem fine.
In what way appealing?
Cheers
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I actually don't mind the stickers - unusual but i guess stickers is a personal thing.
By the way Charlie - the Shadow came on Saturday and what a gun! Blooming nora! Feels lush!
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I appreciate the minimalistic, original kinda look. It's just I find all black is (to be frank) quite boring. This is just my opinion though, I would like to see more colour, something to catch the eye. If I'm in a shop with loads of bats lined up I will notice the Kookaburras and Pumas first. I know your bats are better but you need someone to notice them ahead of the main brands.
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cheaper jokers!
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I appreciate the minimalistic, original kinda look. It's just I find all black is (to be frank) quite boring. This is just my opinion though, I would like to see more colour, something to catch the eye. If I'm in a shop with loads of bats lined up I will notice the Kookaburras and Pumas first. I know your bats are better but you need someone to notice them ahead of the main brands.
All fair, cheers!
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cheaper jokers!
Yeah... forum special on the G3's???
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Although i have no suggestions, I do give credit to you for asking people what they want to see, as I can't think of many manufacturers that do, if any.
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Yeah agreed!!! We'll be getting your name really out there too ;) haha
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Softs :)
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I dont know what you setup is like and whether this would be feasable, but you could look into following other manfacturers ways in allowing the customer to come and watch you bat being made there and then. Going right through the process of choosing cleft to sanding and labelling. I know its something i'd certainly be interested in.
As for the stickers, nothing wrong with them in my eyes!!
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Why would he produce the Joker model cheaper than £150?? If a product is selling well at the current price there is no need to produce a cheaper version and going lower than G3 isn't something I feel BlackCat need to do as a brand IMO they have established their bats as quality blades you pay a premium for already.
Charlie don't get caught up in the soft goods area as its a tough market to compete in with all the other brands out there already....people may buy them to compliment their bats but the margins aren't there to compete with people who want to buy direct from people like on-linestockist etc and expect you to price match them in the mean time.
Stick to the high quality goods and providing good customer service and you wont go far wrong!!
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Although i have no suggestions, I do give credit to you for asking people what they want to see, as I can't think of many manufacturers that do, if any.
How else do they think they'll know what people want?!
Hopefully people on this forum know that they can always PM suggestions to me personally, but I thought it would be nice to have one topic for all suggestions in one place, and I'll check it regularly.
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People on this forum know what they want so fair do's Charlie :)
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As the title suggests, a chance for you to have your say...
What do you want to see?
Perhaps something that no other maufacturers are doing?
Let us know...
Cheers
A range of cake themed bats?
Also, Joker stickers in Red (maybe for the G1) or red and black together would be nice.
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Yeah agreed with the softs, i'd rather see better bats and no softs, than comprimising on quality of bats and having softs. And unless you can get really unique softs people will usually go for bigger brand softs anyway if two are similar...
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Another company once offered a g3 bat with a top end g1 however they only did this for a short time but i sold around 15 in a month a bit ago now. But a g1 and g3 bat with matching specs would be a great offer and worked well for Laver and i know a few off this forum bought bats under this offer.
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I'm sure anderson bats did this too and i was very tempted! Aswell as fusion if i'm not wrong. i think that is a cracking idea watson!
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Agree with rich - a special bundle of some sorts, maybe getting some of those cricket socks for the bats to include with a top end bat would certainly be appealing to many customers.
Stick to the high quality and dont compormise on this - exclusivity sells for a reason.
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Dont fall into trap of thinking your big :) i mean it in the nicest way but a certain other company seemed to do this and now seems to be paying for it! Stick to pure quality with great personal customer service as your doing and everything will be great, people cant ask for much more!!
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I'm thinking of doing a Joker and Shadow bundle- a special price if you buy both bats (there will be one for a G1 Joker, and one with a G3).
Good idea?
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no i dont think so buddy
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G1 plus G3 package and more colourful stickers. A colourful Joker for my Joker would be great Charlie
BTW my Joker is absolutely top notch and is up there with my laver, fusion and Newbery's I have had in the recent past
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Yeah i like it, think it has to appeal to your target market price-wise though, how much would that be do you think??? as i know a lot of people dont spend big on bats...although others do so its a trade off i suppose.
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Joker and Shadow bundle won't work imo as you're marketing the Joker as a possible all round bat.
I would say:
Better website
More fun/unique stickers
And I personally would only do a very limited range of softs. If any at all. Save that for when your brand is stronger.
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Yep. Colourful stickers on the Joker would be nice.
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one set of pads and gloves btw on the website you say you offer sponsorship what does this entail ?
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one set of pads and gloves btw on the website you say you offer sponsorship what does this entail ?
Depends how good you are...
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ohhh ok buddy ;)
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Out of interest whet Is the forum offer for current jokers??
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revamped stickers, possibly a pack of cards with an ace and a joker?
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revamped stickers, possibly a pack of cards with an ace and a joker?
The pack of cards idea is an idea that I like!
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Out of interest whet Is the forum offer for current jokers??
£185 for G1, no discount for G3 (£150).
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The pack of cards idea is an idea that I like!
i'm holding claim to that :P
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Charlie as soon as you revamp the joker stickers, please let me know Asap. It is the only thing IMHO that let's the bat down. Even my DF Magnum stickers from 1984 looked better:-/
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When I look for new gear the first thing I look at is a very good bat. I normally type in custom made bats in google then look around the websites that pop up. So I guess an eye catching well designed and thought out website is essential.
Personally I think your bats look stunning. So not much to do there except perhaps add a little colour to the labels.
After ive decided if I like the bats, I look at the softs and they need to be as good in quality as the bats.
I dont like too much choice, I think 2-3 bat models and 2 softs sets are more than enough. I also like kit bundles . . . bat, softs, kit bag £300 max
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Charlie as soon as you revamp the joker stickers, please let me know Asap. It is the only thing IMHO that let's the bat down. Even my DF Magnum stickers from 1984 looked better:-/
Fair, I will do... It's hard though, I've had loads of people say they love them!
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Fair, I will do... It's hard though, I've had loads of people say they love them!
I think a common thread on here is that they just lack colour. A Joker is a mulicoloured thing. Unfortunately, I think you've been caught between The Black Cat /Shadow theme in black and White, where the joker is a colourful image
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personally love both sets of available stickers, but to keep everyone happy perhaps a second colourful/different set as an alternative, not a replacement. then the customer can choose...
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would love to see the duncan fearnley m4ttc sorry off topic
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None of your stickers are awful, but I don't think you'll sell a bat because of them. Hell4Leather, Piri Piri on the other hand may well do.
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I have thought of doing 'Test' and 'T20' sets of stickers for all the bats- the 'Test' versions being classic and classy, the 'T20' stickers can be a bit more lively, jazzy. As Slogger suggested, you decide when ordering which you want...
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agreed with everyone on the stickers front, need to be a bit more modern because black cat are a relatively unknown brand amongst non cricket fanatics (where as everyone knows brands like gm and gn) so by having the old styled, classic looking stickers its a mismatch with the brand in peoples perceptions
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would love to see the duncan fearnley m4ttc sorry off topic
I had it at the time mate. It was my second bat after a GN500 4 scoop. I got rid of the Magnum in 1991 for a Dynadrive
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oh sorry just after a df supreme sorry charlie
on the topic of stickers i think they look good mate as long as there top quality like what the reviews of your bat are i think your marketing is were you money should go but as i think one thing having a quality product and another marketing it right
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The stickers are good quality, just lack some vivid colour like as suggested, hell4 and Piri
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as a none owner i like the stickers i think there quite unique and there are to many stickers looking the same you know it a joker by the look.
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perhaps a 'chester' cat to include on the joker bat ????
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as a none owner i like the stickers i think there quite unique and there are to many stickers looking the same you know it a joker by the look.
you know a joker when you pick it up. Showed my mates today all who've been playing for 30 years and they loved it!
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On your website, maybe you could list some of the young players you sponsor and have a profile about them e.g. Joe Bloggs U19 England and Sussex, represented England at recent U19 WC etc.
I like your stickers as they are but I think the option of having two different sets, one classy/simple and the other busier and more flashy would be original and really great.
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Not sure on 2 sets of stickers, you're relatively new and personally I wouldn't fiddle with the brand identity yet. Go for the classy look, just do a unique shape on the stickers or something to get them looking a bit more funky/different.
My first thing would be website though, if you want my thoughts on it PM me.
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The sticker option is similar to Warsop and Ayrtek I take it........
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You could have both a red and black colour scheme for both bats but then have a Club, Spade, Diamond or Heart somewhere on the face of the bat then repeated on the back. However you can only have say a Black joker with a red Diamond or Heart. Then a red joker with either a black club or spade. Perhaps a half red half black grip with every bat? I am a fan of pack of cards idea whoever came up with it
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IMO - You shouldn't change the stickers, they stand out from anything else on the market very classy etc.
Softs are a good idea (as long as they are different).. not many brands have clothing gear.. Have a clothing line, wristbands, caps, etc..
Your softs should be classy to go with the over all image of the brand..
Our softs will make you agile like a cat..
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to be honest tho (to everybody who is saying keep the stickers as they are) something must not be working if black cat are asking us how to improve their kit... somethings got to change and the image of a bat is the most important thing starting with the labels
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Dont agree with you on that one Mr.C - i think it's pretty refreshing for a company coming on here asking what is it that we (the customers) want, rather than us being told what we want. Matt at hell4leather did this before he went off to india to get his softs done, i think he took on board some of the ideas banded around on the forum and i think his softs are very impressive this year.
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its cool asking what we want, but you have to ask why... its either because its not working as it is (low sales etc.) or just for a bit of fun, if it is the former then my suggestion would be a complete overhaul in branding and style as suggested
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I disagree, when designing labels etc I think you have to forgot about personal preferences and design something that will appeal to the mass market, and seeing as we, the forum members, are a cross section of a bigger market, its a good idea to generate feedback from us
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its cool asking what we want, but you have to ask why... its either because its not working as it is (low sales etc.) or just for a bit of fun, if it is the former then my suggestion would be a complete overhaul in branding and style as suggested
I didn't ask to wonder why people aren't buying our current bats, they are, and that's great. But you can always sell more...
I was just asking out of interest, and to see what people would like to see (more of), how many other cricket brands give you the opportunity to put your ideas to the owner and potentially see them happen?
So, while the thoughts/suggestions about branding etc. are valuable, I wasn't really looking for 'have cartoony stickers, half your prices' type ideas, more 'I'd love to see pads and gloves', 'how about a bat aimed specifically at women cricketers' or 'how about a totally personalised bat service, where the customer can design his own stickers and bat shape etc.'...
That's not to say the suggestions so far haven't been great (I'm thinking of implementing one or two at least), but rather than looking at big changes I can make, I was looking for new things to do, new products to launch etc.
Cheers
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protection is a area i think could be improved with a remfry type product in the offering.
in my opinion there are only 2 real world bespoke thigh protection companys on offer and i think there is room for another.
if you could keep the cost down to under 85 quid it might be another feather in your bow.
remfry currently 107 for set
ace 85 for set
i know it is not everybody cup of tea with strippers and all but if they last 10 years then the cost if kept say between 55-60 pound for a set of bespoke thigh guards i think they could be a real seller.
it all abit cloak and dagger stuff with both remfry and ACE so a more open approach would be a real winner
i think softs are all well and good but like most there all the same just branding different so it will be a harder market to crack but protection bespoke protection is hard to find and i know some do not care less but i suspect a lot do
with your bespoke joker and possibly other equipment pending how many company's out there do the whole thing(helmets are a little different in my opinion) a good set of softs to go with the bats topped off with bespoke protection i can tell you not one.
sorry for going on one charlie as you can tell i like my protection
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I didn't ask to wonder why people aren't buying our current bats, they are, and that's great. But you can always sell more...
I was just asking out of interest, and to see what people would like to see (more of), how many other cricket brands give you the opportunity to put your ideas to the owner and potentially see them happen?
So, while the thoughts/suggestions about branding etc. are valuable, I wasn't really looking for 'have cartoony stickers, half your prices' type ideas, more 'I'd love to see pads and gloves', 'how about a bat aimed specifically at women cricketers' or 'how about a totally personalised bat service, where the customer can design his own stickers and bat shape etc.'...
That's not to say the suggestions so far haven't been great (I'm thinking of implementing one or two at least), but rather than looking at big changes I can make, I was looking for new things to do, new products to launch etc.
Cheers
ok, thanks for clearing that up, now i know your motivation for creaing this topic i hope my answers can be of more value...
some ideas...
1.clothing, teamwear etc
2.a good, own brand helmet, could probably grill ayrtek tom about that
3.on a business note, could you not try selling bats through the online shops as opposed to direct from yourself? surely this would increase demand and get the black cat name out there
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MDMA.
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I think you need to get your website glammed up a bit more as I think if you google Blackcat it's possibly not the instant impact that you might want.
I also think the possibilty of getting your bats out there a bit more would just allow more people to see them and feel them and find out about you. Not sure I'd have heard about you had I not been a member of this forum