Media resources for Alpaca Direct: contact details, logos, photos and links to past coverage.
For press and media questions, email customerservice@alpacadirect.com.
Alpaca Direct is a family-run online store in Post Falls, Idaho, selling alpaca socks, alpaca yarn, and other yarn and knitting supplies.
Owner
Kelley is a Registered Nurse, a knitter/crocheter, and mother of 2, and a grandmother!
CNN/Money Magazine
Ultimately, says Hobart, reviews retain customers. The vast majority of AlpacaDirect's customers return, so it's crucial to snag first-timers. "Reviews help build that initial trust," he says. "They are key to the long-term success of our company."
Original article: CNN/Money, September 28, 2009.
Even bad reviews boost sales (archived copy, Internet Archive, 2013)
Google, The Keyword (blog.google)
As Kelley says, “With Google tools, we can do that, and [customers] can be part of our community.”
Quoted from Google’s May 10, 2017 post.
PR Newswire
"There are many places all over the world that don't have a local yarn shop. We want to become their local yarn shop even though we're based in Northern Idaho. With online social tools, we can do that, and they have become part of our community,"
Statement attributed to Kelley Hobart in the PR Newswire release.
Alpaca Direct Co-Founder Testifies in US Senate to Support Small Businesses
Archived release. Published as originally issued on , reproduced word for word for the historical record. Statements and details (including the location, in Hayden, Idaho at the time) reflect 2016. Alpaca Direct is now located in Post Falls, Idaho.
Source: Alpaca Direct press release, November 3, 2016.
eCommerce site Alpaca Direct, a leading online retailer of Alpaca Socks, Apparel and a wide selection of yarn and knitting supplies now offering secure online shopping through Facebook.
Hayden, ID—(Nov 3rd, 2016) – Once known to the American public as a cute zoo animal, the alpaca has slowly become known for its soft, luxurious fiber, something the natives of Peru have always known. Alpaca wool has been worn and used by the Andean people for hundreds of years due to its ability to trap moisture away from the body and provide a softer alternative to sheep wool. Alpaca fiber has been touted as “softer than cashmere and tougher than wool” and has grown in popularity among fashionistas and the luxury garment industry for its lack of pilling and hypoallergenic quality. From socks to sweaters, Alpaca is one of those products that creates its own demand once people have experienced it for themselves. According to retailers like Alpaca Direct (www.alpacadirect.com), the demand for alpaca products is directly linked to the number of consumers who have been exposed to the luxury wool with a large portion of their customer base becoming repeat buyers. In order to increase this availability, Alpaca Direct is now offering fans of their Facebook page a chance to shop their products using the Online Messenger feature.
“Our customers are often on Facebook and using instant messaging so we wanted to bring the shopping experience to where they are hanging out,” says Kelley Hobart, one of the owners of Alpaca Direct. “People come to our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/AlpacaDirect) to look at and like our products, so it made no sense to ask them to leave the site in order to make a purchase. Part of our job as an Alpaca fiber retailer is to educate our clients about this great product, something Facebook enables us to do real-time. We’re very happy to be able to offer both information and online ordering in the same place, as well as, provide them with instant notifications about shipping and delivery with the help of Facebook messenger.”
The move comes just in time for the holiday shopping season where shoppers are more apt to make a purchase of a luxury item for someone they love. “We know how amazing alpaca fiber is and what great gifts alpaca socks and scarves make for someone special,” says Hobart. “Socks are a great gift because they are so soft, warm, and really help to introduce the fiber to people in a meaningful way. And, if they want to purchase them, we’re able to make that happen through Facebook.”
Alpaca socks are one of the most purchased items that customers purchase, and often more than once. Shoppers are able to select from hundreds of items ranging from yarn to sweaters and purchase through Facebook. Hobart hopes that this will not only help their current customers streamline their online experience, but prompt others to take a chance on a specialty item. “We want to keep supplying our patrons with amazing luxury items, and eventually this shift to Facebook will help us be able to do so at lower prices.”
About Alpaca Direct (as written in 2016)
Alpaca Direct is a fast growing e-commerce retail venture launched out of Silicon Valley. Now located in Hayden, Idaho, USA the site website is continuously updated to provide a world class user experience and offers a wide range of high quality Alpaca apparel, yarn and gifts.
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