So this is Christmas – and what have we done?
Well, quite a lot actually.
Another year over and, once again, it’s been a super busy one here at RopesDirect.
Whilst our business has its roots back in the 1920s, our website has now been in operation for almost 20 years – first launched in 2005. During that time, we’ve grown exponentially, becoming one of the UK’s leading online suppliers of high-quality ropes and delivering our products to 6 out of 7 continents (we’re yet to break into Antarctica!).
But in our opinion, this last year has been the best one yet.
As we start to wind up for the festive break, here we take a look at why – reflecting back on everything we’ve achieved in the last 12 months (of course, with a celebratory sherry in hand), whilst also looking forward to everything the new year has in store.
Our highlights of the year as a leading online rope supplier
1. A record breaking number of visitors
Since the start of the year, our website has appeared in online search results 11.8 million times! And impressively, users have clicked through – to view either one of our product listings or fantastic blogs – over 225,000 times.
That’s a lot of inbound traffic to our online shop. Hundreds of thousands of people – taking a look around, browsing our ropes and accessories, searching for the right product at the right price. And many of them went ahead and bought something.
2. Our best-sellers were best-selling
Since the beginning of time, there have been certain products that we have to order by the truckload, because they always fly off our shelves – and this year was no exception.
In 2024, we sold countless lengths of:
All best-sellers, all enduringly popular and all available to buy at any good online rope store. But thousands of customers choose to shop with us. Why? Because we have the most extensive collections of each, we offer quality and affordability, and our customer service is second to none.
3. Testimonials that make us emotional
As a family-run business, our day-to-day goal is simple – to make sure our customers are happy.
From our products to our deliveries, we always ask ourselves one important question – is this what I would want, and how I would want it? And we’re incredibly proud to say, many of our customers tell us it’s our excellent customer service that sets us apart from the competition.
But there’s no need to take our word for it.
Since January 2024, every single customer who has taken the time to leave a testimonial on our website (which is over 120 customers) has kindly given us 5*. Thereby bringing our overall customer rating – based on 1438 reviews – to a mightily impressive 4.98 out of 5.
Clearly, we must be doing something right!
4. A website facelift
We’re always looking for ways to make our customer’s ‘buying experience’ better. Which is why, our website is a knowledge bank – packed full of helpful advice and information, as well as handy tools to help you navigate our collections and find exactly what you need.
It’s also why we’ve recently spruced up our homepage.
We’ve only made a few design tweaks, but they significantly improve functionality – allowing customers to identify the ideal product and checkout much quicker and easier.
5. We’re using films to help you choose and do
Our YouTube channel is doing pretty well!
As we reach the end of 2024, we’ve now got 256 subscribers, and our content has been viewed almost 100,000 times! Impressive, right?
The channel features a range of tutorials and information films, to help customers make an informed choice about their purchase. It can be an extremely useful tool (even if we do say so ourselves). But even so, we’re still amazed by how much traction it gets.
Some of our most popular videos include ‘How to hang a rope swing from a tree branch’ with 13,000 views, ‘How to drill holes to pass through posts’ with 11,000 views, and ‘Heat shrink end caps in 60 seconds’ with 10,000 views. Why not join the masses and check them out today?
6. Expansion
In every sense of the word…
Our team, our product range and – no doubt, over the festive period – our waistlines.
We have a small team of loyal and long-standing staff that have worked for us for many years. But due to demand and our ever-increasing number of orders, we need another pair of hands and are currently looking for someone special to join our warehouse in the new year.
We’ve also just added a few new products to our extensive range.
To ensure we can meet the needs and preferences of everyone who visits our website, we’re always looking for ways to update our collections. The latest to be added to the line-up include:
This is a 3-strand polysteel rope that focuses on visibility, with its bright colours and striking design. Available in diameters ranging from 8 to 24mm, and sold in bulk 220m coils and also by the metre. It’s tough, durable and economical, and a fantastic choice for fishing, agriculture, aquaculture, safety nets and general-purpose industrial use.
Made from polyethylene, these are premium-grade plastic chains that are suitable for use in both indoor and outdoor settings. Sold in 25m bags, they come in red, blue, green, yellow, brown and orange – and are great for creating barriers in public areas.
- 8-plait polyester rope
This is newly available in both navy blue and black, and is a brilliant option for use as a mooring or anchoring rope. We’re able to sell it at special offer prices because we are trusted by the manufacturers.
Buy rope at our leading online store
Fancy joining the millions of customers that have passed through our virtual online doors?
We’re proud of everything we’ve achieved since our website launched in 2005, let alone in the last year – and we’re very excited to see what the next 12 months have in store.
One thing is for certain. Exceptional customer service will continue to be our no.1 priority, and we promise that when you shop with us, you’ll always receive the highest quality ropes at the best price on the market. So if you need to buy rope, why not browse our full online collection?
We close for the Christmas holidays on the 20th December, and any orders placed after this date will be dispatched upon our return. We’ll be back open on 6th January, ready and raring to go, and determined to make 2025 another fantastic record-breaking year here at RopesDirect.