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Before then, Wilber had a long history in the entertainment industry, having worked various roles, from roadie to club owner. The family was also involved with an audio cassette duplication company that produced tapes of the KLF, The Farm, Erasure, Right Said Fred, Jive Bunny, and even releases from Mastermix. James helped out in the studio whilst his brother Phil worked on the production floor. We knew every bloody one of those songs, it was painful,” jokes James. “We had to listen to it all the way through at full volume, and then listen to it again to make sure there were no errors before duplication.”
After establishing ESP Music in Cheap Street, James and Wilber moved the store to a larger retail space in Newbury’s Kennet Centre, where they continued to sell CDs, vinyl and t-shirt merchandise. Their foray into the world of DJ gear happened when they met a Gemini rep in the club above their new premises, who suggested that James and Wilber use the shop to sell some Gemini products to the DJs coming in to browse the records.
“One day we put a set of Gemini PT-2000 decks and a Gemini PS626 mixer in a flightcase in the window, just to really get some people interested in the music selling inside,” explains James. “The response was incredible.”
They haven’t looked back since, and now count themselves as one of the UK’s biggest online DJ equipment retailers. But spend some time on the company’s website and you’ll find everything from instruments and amplifiers to studio workstations and music production gear, in addition to all the DJ stuff.
2001 was the year the family team began to embrace the industry, visiting numerous tradeshows and establishing links with other product manufacturers. Around this time they attended their first PLASA show, forging new relationships with brands like Numark, Electrovision and Lamba.
in 2006, James’ brother Phil joined the company, bringing with him some technical and managerial skills gained during his time at Vodafone.
Phil and James keep close ties with people across the industry, both suppliers and customers alike. “One thing we've always done slightly differently is we’ve always kept the people who’ve got us here with us,” says Phil. “Like the mobile DJs, we’ve always supported them and respected all the people who’ve got us to where we are today." By 2007, a new show called BPM had arrived (some of you may have heard of it!), initially held at Castle Donnington but eventually moving to the NEC in Birmingham. Phil recalls from 2011, the ‘Daily Scratch’ – a free ‘newspaper’ that djkit® gave away in their promo bags during the show.
djkit® was still finding its feet in the industry when Numark released the landmark USB Turntable, which James and Phil wisely saw as having potential. “We put in a large back order,” Phil tells us. “We took a big punt and a gamble as a company, and it paid off really.”
“It turned up Christmas week and we had to turn it around,” adds James. “Literally, they dropped a 40-foot container’s worth of turntables on our front door on the high street,” laughs Phil. “We were working 24-7 to process the card payments, it was mental.”
Speaking with James, it’s clear he’s passionate about web development and digital marketing. It was James who pushed the company to move into the fledgling internet sales market, teaching himself code and designing and developing the original djkit® website himself.
James registered djkit® as a trademark in order to protect the brand, and subsequently acquired djkit.com back in 2006 and – 15 years later – their online presence is stronger than ever, having also purchased many other domains including decks.co.uk.
In terms of djkit®’s online retail, James stresses the importance of them investing heavily in a bespoke, custom-coded website and avoiding off-the-shelf e-commerce solutions. This tailored approach has ensured djkit® can always build the online features they need as the business grows. “It’s that basis which I think has helped us succeed,” says James. “I knew we would need the flexibility and scalability of a custom-coded website for future projects.”
James proceeds to show us the backend of the website and explains the functionality of the code in allowing djkit® to operate the way it does. Things will develop even further when the company's new website launches, boasting a host of new features and a mobile-responsive design.
One new feature in the pipeline is an information hub that aims to answer queries, not just on products but about general audio and lighting best practice too. Packed with useful information, this knowledge hub will appeal to existing customers, but crucially will help draw in traffic from Google searches due to the SEO value (search engine optimisation) of the pages. It's a smart move, one that serves both the business and its customers.
James is also exploring the potential of 'gamification', in other words giving customers more ways to engage with the website.
A new app is also in the pipeline and will offer an exciting augmented-reality experience for visitors to djkit®'s showroom - a highly engaging way of blending digital tech with an offline, in-person shopping experience.
With business growing thanks to their online strategy paying off, James and Phil decided it was time for their premises to do the same.
A new 6000 sq/ft warehouse in 2011 provided plenty of space for spare stock, as well as a state-of-the-art showroom, where the company hosts small events and DJ meet-ups. The team saw some growth too, with new employees joining in 2012.
James and Phil tell us that their most important realisation during this period was that holding more stock made them more business. The spacious new site proved vital for their thriving online trade, which was further boosted by solid social media branding and the video marketing of products inside their showroom.
The company decided to expand their premises again in 2020, in order to keep up with demand and house overflow stock. Of course, this decision came before COVID-19 caused global disruption and turned things upside down for the DJ'ing and wider events industry.
“Our showroom has always been a social magnet. A lot of mobile DJs will come on a Saturday, meet other DJs and spend an afternoon there. But you don’t really want to do that in Covid times,” explains Phil. “From our point of view, we want to keep the staff happy and know that they’ll be safe. People come in and want the hands-on experience with the lights, the controllers, listening to the PA. To give that service we’ve got to be very Covid-ready. It’s difficult.”
To tackle these challenges, James has redesigned the djkit® showroom to offer individual pods separated by Perspex dividers. Customers can book these pods in advance – or walk in and wait – allowing djkit® to provide a tailored service for customers to sit and get hands-on with the products. “It’s a new idea,” says Phil, “we want to try something different and just see how it goes.”
It’s this adaptability that has allowed djkit® to navigate through the pandemic – even if they couldn’t predict the extent of it. When the situation started in China, Phil and James knew it was serious in manufacturing terms, and so invested heavily in stock. “This was always going to be a gamble,” says Phil. “We ended up with some product lines that we found were tricky to sell during that period, i.e. PA and lighting.
We predicted the situation in China, which was that manufacturing would come to a halt, but we never guessed what would happen in the UK.”
Supplying mobile DJs was djkit®’s core business. All of a sudden that stopped, as the live events industry was brought to its knees. The next step was to cut back on advertising and start trying to sell whatever existing stock they could. “It was a worry. But then the home market took off.”
James and Phil attribute this sudden explosion in sales of home DJ'ing equipment to lockdown and the furlough scheme, which freed up time for both young, aspiring bedroom DJs and older hobbyists. Interestingly James also noted the increase in sales of turntables, which he puts down to middle-aged people digging around in their lofts and finding their old stacks of vinyl - and then needing something to play them on.
“We lost our core business overnight, mobile DJs, clubs, bars and events companies. We had to reach out to a new customer base and adapt our marketing to suit the change in customer demographic. With this change we kept ourselves going and our staff employed. Anything you could use for music at home, we did well on,” says Phil.
James adds: “It’s about adapting to the needs out there and reacting to the increase in popularity of the different products that people use at home, and having plenty of stock. It’s also the reaction speed you need to keep up with demand. We couldn’t sit back, we were working 24-7.”
Despite these months being some of djkit®’s busiest, the work ended up being done by employees working remotely and a skeleton staff in the warehouse, due to the disruption caused by COVID.
When asked about the future following a tough year, James and Phil are optimistic. The dynamics of their customer base has certainly changed over the course of the pandemic, providing djkit® with new audiences who may continue to buy from them in the future. Many of these new customers said they relied on reviews when choosing the right retailer, something James has really focused on with the website.
This approach – one led by the needs of the customer and based on providing useful information as well as goods – is part of djkit®’s strategy for the future. The new website and upcoming app will both help achieve this by nurturing a family of customers online.
“We’re trying to become a knowledge base and a one-stop shop,” explains James, talking about the new website. “We want to make sure that when you get to our website and land on a product, you have all the information you need.”
This online strategy will then be supplemented by a hands-on, tailored retail experience at the showroom. They will also be encouraging DJs to attend an annual event called The DJ Show, launched by djkit® in 2019 but forced to take a break in 2020.
“We’re quite excited about being able to bring back the show side of things. It’s going to be about giving something back to the industry but also trying to reinvent The DJ Show in a different, more regional context,” Phil tells us.
“It’s only because of the pandemic that we’ve really realised that when people are separate they aren’t tied into what’s going on. They need something to drive them and engage them."
“Here at djkit®, we want to continue to grow but still keep our family company ethic, whilst maintaining our close connections with both our professional and consumer customers. We believe that better times are ahead of us all, and we want to be with you as part of your journey" says James.
In the words of Wilber, rock on!
Find out more about djkit®
After establishing ESP Music in Cheap Street, James and Wilber moved the store to a larger retail space in Newbury’s Kennet Centre, where they continued to sell CDs, vinyl and t-shirt merchandise. Their foray into the world of DJ gear happened when they met a Gemini rep in the club above their new premises, who suggested that James and Wilber use the shop to sell some Gemini products to the DJs coming in to browse the records.
“One day we put a set of Gemini PT-2000 decks and a Gemini PS626 mixer in a flightcase in the window, just to really get some people interested in the music selling inside,” explains James. “The response was incredible.”
They haven’t looked back since, and now count themselves as one of the UK’s biggest online DJ equipment retailers. But spend some time on the company’s website and you’ll find everything from instruments and amplifiers to studio workstations and music production gear, in addition to all the DJ stuff.
Embracing the industry
2001 was the year the family team began to embrace the industry, visiting numerous tradeshows and establishing links with other product manufacturers. Around this time they attended their first PLASA show, forging new relationships with brands like Numark, Electrovision and Lamba.
in 2006, James’ brother Phil joined the company, bringing with him some technical and managerial skills gained during his time at Vodafone.
Phil and James keep close ties with people across the industry, both suppliers and customers alike. “One thing we've always done slightly differently is we’ve always kept the people who’ve got us here with us,” says Phil. “Like the mobile DJs, we’ve always supported them and respected all the people who’ve got us to where we are today." By 2007, a new show called BPM had arrived (some of you may have heard of it!), initially held at Castle Donnington but eventually moving to the NEC in Birmingham. Phil recalls from 2011, the ‘Daily Scratch’ – a free ‘newspaper’ that djkit® gave away in their promo bags during the show.
djkit® was still finding its feet in the industry when Numark released the landmark USB Turntable, which James and Phil wisely saw as having potential. “We put in a large back order,” Phil tells us. “We took a big punt and a gamble as a company, and it paid off really.”
“It turned up Christmas week and we had to turn it around,” adds James. “Literally, they dropped a 40-foot container’s worth of turntables on our front door on the high street,” laughs Phil. “We were working 24-7 to process the card payments, it was mental.”
Online growth and success
Speaking with James, it’s clear he’s passionate about web development and digital marketing. It was James who pushed the company to move into the fledgling internet sales market, teaching himself code and designing and developing the original djkit® website himself.
James registered djkit® as a trademark in order to protect the brand, and subsequently acquired djkit.com back in 2006 and – 15 years later – their online presence is stronger than ever, having also purchased many other domains including decks.co.uk.
In terms of djkit®’s online retail, James stresses the importance of them investing heavily in a bespoke, custom-coded website and avoiding off-the-shelf e-commerce solutions. This tailored approach has ensured djkit® can always build the online features they need as the business grows. “It’s that basis which I think has helped us succeed,” says James. “I knew we would need the flexibility and scalability of a custom-coded website for future projects.”
James proceeds to show us the backend of the website and explains the functionality of the code in allowing djkit® to operate the way it does. Things will develop even further when the company's new website launches, boasting a host of new features and a mobile-responsive design.
One new feature in the pipeline is an information hub that aims to answer queries, not just on products but about general audio and lighting best practice too. Packed with useful information, this knowledge hub will appeal to existing customers, but crucially will help draw in traffic from Google searches due to the SEO value (search engine optimisation) of the pages. It's a smart move, one that serves both the business and its customers.
James is also exploring the potential of 'gamification', in other words giving customers more ways to engage with the website.
A new app is also in the pipeline and will offer an exciting augmented-reality experience for visitors to djkit®'s showroom - a highly engaging way of blending digital tech with an offline, in-person shopping experience.
Upsizing
With business growing thanks to their online strategy paying off, James and Phil decided it was time for their premises to do the same.
A new 6000 sq/ft warehouse in 2011 provided plenty of space for spare stock, as well as a state-of-the-art showroom, where the company hosts small events and DJ meet-ups. The team saw some growth too, with new employees joining in 2012.
James and Phil tell us that their most important realisation during this period was that holding more stock made them more business. The spacious new site proved vital for their thriving online trade, which was further boosted by solid social media branding and the video marketing of products inside their showroom.
Adapting through COVID-19
The company decided to expand their premises again in 2020, in order to keep up with demand and house overflow stock. Of course, this decision came before COVID-19 caused global disruption and turned things upside down for the DJ'ing and wider events industry.
“Our showroom has always been a social magnet. A lot of mobile DJs will come on a Saturday, meet other DJs and spend an afternoon there. But you don’t really want to do that in Covid times,” explains Phil. “From our point of view, we want to keep the staff happy and know that they’ll be safe. People come in and want the hands-on experience with the lights, the controllers, listening to the PA. To give that service we’ve got to be very Covid-ready. It’s difficult.”
To tackle these challenges, James has redesigned the djkit® showroom to offer individual pods separated by Perspex dividers. Customers can book these pods in advance – or walk in and wait – allowing djkit® to provide a tailored service for customers to sit and get hands-on with the products. “It’s a new idea,” says Phil, “we want to try something different and just see how it goes.”
It’s this adaptability that has allowed djkit® to navigate through the pandemic – even if they couldn’t predict the extent of it. When the situation started in China, Phil and James knew it was serious in manufacturing terms, and so invested heavily in stock. “This was always going to be a gamble,” says Phil. “We ended up with some product lines that we found were tricky to sell during that period, i.e. PA and lighting.
We predicted the situation in China, which was that manufacturing would come to a halt, but we never guessed what would happen in the UK.”
Supplying mobile DJs was djkit®’s core business. All of a sudden that stopped, as the live events industry was brought to its knees. The next step was to cut back on advertising and start trying to sell whatever existing stock they could. “It was a worry. But then the home market took off.”
James and Phil attribute this sudden explosion in sales of home DJ'ing equipment to lockdown and the furlough scheme, which freed up time for both young, aspiring bedroom DJs and older hobbyists. Interestingly James also noted the increase in sales of turntables, which he puts down to middle-aged people digging around in their lofts and finding their old stacks of vinyl - and then needing something to play them on.
“We lost our core business overnight, mobile DJs, clubs, bars and events companies. We had to reach out to a new customer base and adapt our marketing to suit the change in customer demographic. With this change we kept ourselves going and our staff employed. Anything you could use for music at home, we did well on,” says Phil.
James adds: “It’s about adapting to the needs out there and reacting to the increase in popularity of the different products that people use at home, and having plenty of stock. It’s also the reaction speed you need to keep up with demand. We couldn’t sit back, we were working 24-7.”
Despite these months being some of djkit®’s busiest, the work ended up being done by employees working remotely and a skeleton staff in the warehouse, due to the disruption caused by COVID.
Looking to the future
When asked about the future following a tough year, James and Phil are optimistic. The dynamics of their customer base has certainly changed over the course of the pandemic, providing djkit® with new audiences who may continue to buy from them in the future. Many of these new customers said they relied on reviews when choosing the right retailer, something James has really focused on with the website.
This approach – one led by the needs of the customer and based on providing useful information as well as goods – is part of djkit®’s strategy for the future. The new website and upcoming app will both help achieve this by nurturing a family of customers online.
“We’re trying to become a knowledge base and a one-stop shop,” explains James, talking about the new website. “We want to make sure that when you get to our website and land on a product, you have all the information you need.”
This online strategy will then be supplemented by a hands-on, tailored retail experience at the showroom. They will also be encouraging DJs to attend an annual event called The DJ Show, launched by djkit® in 2019 but forced to take a break in 2020.
“We’re quite excited about being able to bring back the show side of things. It’s going to be about giving something back to the industry but also trying to reinvent The DJ Show in a different, more regional context,” Phil tells us.
“It’s only because of the pandemic that we’ve really realised that when people are separate they aren’t tied into what’s going on. They need something to drive them and engage them."
“Here at djkit®, we want to continue to grow but still keep our family company ethic, whilst maintaining our close connections with both our professional and consumer customers. We believe that better times are ahead of us all, and we want to be with you as part of your journey" says James.
In the words of Wilber, rock on!
Find out more about djkit®
The full review can be found in Pro Mobile Issue 107, Pages 58-63.
