Love Online Sales? Meet our favourite new startup, Love The Sales!

It's safe to say that most of us love a good online sale. What most of us probably don't love, however, is missing out on loads of great bargain pieces just because we can't visit all of our favourite stores every single day...

Nodding in agreeance? Well, fear not. The guys from Love the Sales have come up with an amazing way to make our lives much easier: LoveTheSales.com - a site where you can find thousands of sale items from hundreds of different online stores all in one place. That's right - all in one place. Rejoice!

We (the marketing pandas) got in touch with Stuart McClure, Love the Sales founder & CMO, to learn more about this revolutionary new startup!

Marketing Pandas (MP): How did the idea for Love The Sales come to life?

Stuart McClure (SM): The initial idea came to me quite a while ago. I had kids at a young age so was always looking to save as much money as possible – especially for birthday, Christmas and so on. After spending hours searching for good products on sale I realised there was a much better way to shop ‘the sales’. My career was ecommerce and digital marketing so I set about using that experience to flesh out the idea.

MP: You've been working in marketing for quite some time now. How does startup life compare to working client-side at a major high street retailer?

SM: Well, the first thing you notice is that you don’t have a marketing team anymore! It’s definitely a case of nose to the grindstone. You have to take care of every detail yourself so it’s a great way to get back into the jobs you did earlier in your career. You are also being constantly challenged and tested because you have to take care of every aspect of the business. The hours are obviously pretty long, but the freedom and enjoyment of doing your own thing more than makes up for it.

MP: We read that you and your co-founders worked the daily 9-5 and built up Love The Sales outside of working hours. That sounds intense! Do you have any survival tips for others following the same path?

SM: That’s right, the three of us all had senior roles in big companies when we started working on Love the Sales. And you’re right, it was intense! We did it this way because it meant we were ahead of the curve once we got investment – most start-ups have an idea and then start working once they get money in the bank. We already had a business so could get off the mark really quickly. In terms of survival tips, there’s a few I think are key. For me, the support of my wife and children was key – they are all very supportive. Making time for yourself and your family is important to, as everyone needs to unwind. And if you are doing a lot of hours, eating well and staying fit is really important. A, because it keeps you feeling good mentally and physically, but B, because you can’t afford time off work to be ill!

MP: What piece of advice do you wish you had received before you began your startup journey?

SM: I’m not sure there was anything I didn’t expect. I knew it would be hard work, tiring and all the other usual expectations. And although I knew it would consume a lot of my time, I guess I didn’t realise just how all-consuming it can become. Some days every waking moment is spent thinking about the business. It’s a good thing as it shows your desire to succeed I guess, but sometimes you do need to step back a little.

MP: What's your team's ethos when it comes to building an ecommerce site?

SM: We are all about the user. Our only focus is on making the site as easy to use as possible for our customers. To this end we run lots of tests and user research. Our view is that making the site great in this way is a natural way to gain traction. People always tell their friends about something great that they’ve experienced. Big thanks to Stuart for taking the time to chat with us. Take a look at the Love The Sales website!