Britain is the online retail capital of the world

Figures released by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) show that six out of ten Britons shop online. Britons spend at least twice as much online when compared to other OECD member states which include the US, France, Germany and Australia.  With British adults spending on average £2,180 and closest rival Denmark averaging  just £1,000. Coupled with the fact the population of British adults buying online is double the average of the 34 OECD member states, it becomes clear that Britain is clear front runner in the online retail market.

So with news like this you’d expect Britain’s businesses to be at the forefront right? Erm actually wrong, The UK has the fifth lowest amount of businesses using the internet in the developed world. Now the more astute among us will see this as an opportunity not to be squandered. Online retail has many advantages - particularly in the UK where recent news is hinting at a damaging reassessment of business rates by government. This added to the other overheads of a physical shop makes the pressures worse!

So what makes a good online shop? Well the old values of putting the customer first and good customer service naturally still apply.  Making sure the site looks appealing is another obvious factor, however this leads to one design element which is often overlooked. How does the site look on a smart phone? Nearly nine out of ten UK residents look at shopping websites on their phones.  With 79 per cent  of those having already bought something online.

So now we can clearly see the market is there and all this without the disadvantages. This makes is a great opportunity for the young entrepreneurs of the future. Without needing huge loans to set up online or the risks traditionally associated with starting up a new high street business. Learning the skills associated with online business could be a valuable asset for any school leaving youth of Britain today. With so many facets to online business the younger generation don’t all have to be budding entrepreneurs they could settle for learning the various marketing techniques associated with online businesses or maybe even allow their creative instincts to flourish by web designing.    With the economy as it is this really could be the future for Britain and the world.  I predict the future of Britain is of an online retail paradise.

And where better to shop online than PersonalTouchGifts?

Keep Calm and Carry On!

Keep Calm and CarryOn!

Keep Calm and Drink Wine

How very British. This famous phrase has turned into its own brand in the 21^st century. When it was first used during the onset of World War II the ministry of defence used this to try and boost the morale of the British Public who was in fear of a Nazi invasion.
Luckily we did keep calm and we carried on. The poster was planned in April of 1939 and was only ready for print 24 hours before war broke out. They produced 2,500,000 copies of this but very little were distributed publicly; hence the tiny amount of original posters around today.

It was believed only 2 copies remained until this year the daughter of a service man brought in 15 original to the Antiques Road Show. The poster's popularity has been attributed to a "nostalgia for a certain British character, an outlook" according to The Economist, that it "taps directly into the country's mythic image of itself: unshowily brave and just a little stiff, brewing tea as the bombs fall."

These particular posters were designed as "a statement of the duty of the individual citizen", un-pictorial, to be accompanied by more colloquial designs. The "Your Courage" poster was much more famous during the war, as it was the first of the Ministry of Information's posters

I find it a great motto to live by. When it gets bad, just crack on and deal with it. Don’t panic, just carry on, we’ll deal with the problem. Positive thinking.

Find lots of ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ products at personaltouchgifts.co.uk, the U.K.s top personalised gifts website.

Keep Calm Sweet Jars

Keep Calm and Save

Personalised Manchester United Football Club Gifts

Manchester UnitedFootball Club

Manchester United, the giant football club, the club with the biggest following in the world, valued at $2.3 Billion, The ‘Red Devils’, actually started out life as a department team of railway workers called Newton Heath LYR F.C. in 1878.  The Red Devils began wearing green and gold shirts, the colours of their railway company.

The team changed their name to Manchester United in 1902 and relocated to the now famous Old Trafford in 1910. Previously playing only other railway teams, Manchester United first proper football match came against Bolton Wanders in 1880 and were destroyed 6-0!

Today Manchester United is an enormously successful team under the long term management of Sir Alex Ferguson. Sir Alex took over way back in 1986 and has won 24 major honours during his time with Man Utd.

In 1958 Manchester United suffered a terrible tragedy in the Munich Air Disaster which claimed 8 of its players. But Manchester are true champions and in 1968 they became the first English football club to win the European Cup.

Their amazing success includes a record 19 league titles, a record 11 FA Cups, 4 League Cups and a record 19 FA Community Shields. The club has also won three European Cups, one UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, one UEFA Super Cup, one Intercontinental Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup. In 1998–99, the club won a Treble of the Premier League, the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League, an unprecedented feat for an English club.

Any Manchester Utd Fan is bound to be proud of their team. Why not help them show it off with a unique personalised Manchester United gift. Treat yourself or a fellow fan to a Man Utd  Pen engraved for free with your/their  name on. Or a nice set of Man Utd  cufflinks, a personalised ManUtd  mug, even a personalised ManUtd  iPhone case, or a great Man Utd  personalised book.  We have lots of gift ideas for Man Utd  Fans that they will love, treat a friend of loved one to one of this quality branded gifts. Everything can be given that ‘personal touch’ to make it unique and it will be cherished by the crazy Man Utd Fan.

Personalised Cartoon Characters

We have a range of fully licensed cartoon characters, Including children's favourites such as Peppa Pig, Dora the Explorer, Sponge Bob and many more...

Football Range

We are pleased to present our personalised football gifts range. We have all the top teams and an array of products, so you'll be sure to find the perfect gift for any football fan

Personalised Arsenal Football Club Gifts

Arsenal Football Club

Arsenal Football Club, the ‘Gunners’ were founded in 1886, 128 years ago.  Originally the great North London team were actually based in South London. The team was formed by some of the Royal Arsenal workers in Woolwich, hence the name ‘Gunners’.  These workers named the side Dial Square.  Seven years later the team became a limited company and changed their name to Woolwich Arsenal.

In 1904 the team were promoted to the First Division.  However, low crowd attendance (largely due to the location and isolated area) caused the club to have financial troubles and by 1910 they were near bankrupt.  At this time two local businessmen bought the company, Henry Norris and William Hall.  The new owners saw the problem of the team’s location and shrewdly moved the side north of the river to Highbury and dropped the ‘Woolwich’ from the side name.  Arsenal was here and in their new Arsenal stadium.

After finishing just 5^th in the Second Division Arsenal were still promoted at the expense of another local team, Tottenham Hotspurs. The manner of this promotion is reportedly dubious and today the two teams’ great rivalry continues strong.

Arsenal is the only team to have completed a Premier league season unbeaten across 38 matches, achieved in the 2003/04 season. The have the longest unbeaten run in total at 49 games.  This great side have claimed 13 League Championships, 10 F.A. Cups and 3 League & F.A. cup doubles.

There is a lot to be proud of if you are an Arsenal fan. So show off your team with some of our great personalised gifts, treat yourself to an Arsenal Pen engraved for free with your name on. Or a nice set of Arsenal cufflinks, a personalised Arsenal mug, even a personalised Arsenal iPhone case, or a great Arsenalpersonalised book.  We have lots of gift ideas for Arsenal Fans that they will love, treat a friend of loved one to one of this quality branded gifts. Everything can be given that ‘personal touch’ to make it unique and it will be cherished by the football crazy Arsenal Fan!

The Wonderful World of Calendars

 The Wonderful World of Calendars

Choose to suit you

 Many civilizations and societies have devised a calendar suited to their particular needs. So why not take their lead and personalise one for your own needs?  In the mean time let's learn a little bit more about the every day device we take for granted.

The English word calendar is derived from the Latin word kalendae, which was the Latin name of the first day of every month.

A full calendar system has a different calendar date for every day. Thus the week cycle is by itself not a full calendar system; neither is a system to name the days within a year without a system for identifying the years.

The simplest calendar system just counts time periods from a reference date. This applies for the Julian day or Unix Time. Virtually the only possible variation is using a different reference date, in particular one less distant in the past to make the numbers smaller. Computations in these systems are just a matter of addition and subtraction.

The week cycle is an example of one that is not synchronized to any external phenomenon (although it may have been derived from lunar phases, beginning anew every month).

Very commonly a calendar includes more than one type of cycle, or has both cyclic and acyclic elements.

Many calendars incorporate simpler calendars as elements. For example, the rules of the Hebrew calendar depend on the seven-day week cycle (a very simple calendar), so the week is one of the cycles of the Hebrew calendar. It is also common to operate two calendars simultaneously, usually providing unrelated cycles, and the result may also be considered a more complex calendar. For example, the Gregorian calendar has no inherent dependence on the seven-day week, but in Western society the two are used together, and calendar tools indicate both the Gregorian date and the day of week.

The Gregorian calendar, which is the de facto international standard, and is used almost everywhere in the world for civil purposes. Due to the Gregorian calendar's obvious connotations of Western Christianity, non-Christians and even some Christians sometimes replace the traditional era notations "AD" and "BC" ("Anno Domini" and "Before Christ") with "CE" and "BCE" ("Common Era" and "Before Common Era"). Even where there is a commonly used calendar such as the Gregorian calendar, alternate calendars may also be used, such as a fiscal calendar or the astronomical year numbering system

Calendars are also used to help people manage their personal schedules, time and activities, particularly when individuals have numerous work, school, and family commitments. People frequently use multiple systems, and may keep both a business and family calendar to help prevent them from over committing their time. So get yours today have a look here

Maybe something like this?

Passing Your Driving Test

Passing Your Driving Test

A Great Way to Congratulate 

We all remember our driving test, the nerves and the anticipation, but was your's as bizarre as Emma French's. 

The mum-to-be made an emergency stop minutes after passing her driving test – screeching to a halt outside a hospital before hurrying inside to give birth.

Emma had actually gone into labour as she was taking the test but did not tell the examiner! 

However despite the pain, she passed and then drove herself to hospital to have her first baby. 

Emma was not due for another month but had woken at 4am to find her waters had broken.

Yet when the baby did not arrive, she decided to sit the 8.40am test despite pleas from her family.

She said: “Everyone was telling me to go to the hospital but I had waited so long for my driving test, I was determined to do it.

“I didn’t dare tell the examiner I was in labour in case he made me cancel the test. The nurses in the hospital were very confused because I was getting congratulations cards for both my baby and my driving test. When I told them, they were all in shock. They couldn’t believe it.”

“When I am determined to do something I don’t stop until it’s done and it’s the same with this. It was really scary and everyone must think I’m crazy but it ended the way I had hoped.”

And despite offers of a lift after she called at her grandparents’ house to break the news about passing her test and being in labour, Emma was keen to make use of her new licence and drove herself to the maternity ward.

Her labour lasted another six hours and baby Eva MacFarlane was born at 7.30pm on August 30.

Proud new mum Emma added: “I am loving being a mother. It’s the best job in the world.

“I can’t wait to tell Eva this story when she’s older and it’s definitely one for the grandchildren.

“And one good thing about being in labour that day – it really killed my pre-test nerves.”


Well That's one way to ease the nerves!! 

Treasured Memories

Treasured Memories

We all have treasured memories we'd like to share with loved ones and remind ourselves of times gone by. 

Sometimes a song or poem brings back a memory of someone special or a special time in our lives. 

It's part of what makes us who we are. 

One way to physically store those memories  is in a beautiful personalised photo album. 

We've got a wide range of albums that could help you do just that, why not have a look?

Treasured memories of the past

Treasured memories of the past

Warmest kisses slow not fast

Smothered hugs no words to find

Showing love and never blind

Silent tears and pleading eyes

Touching hands to feel alright

Treasured memories of the past

Side by side right through the night 

Bradley Lester

First Holy Communion

First Communion is traditionally an important religious ceremony for Roman Catholic families and is a chance to get together and give gifts. The social mission of First Communion is a rite of passage usually for children at the aged seven to ten eventually leading to their confirmation. It's a big day for the child as they get to feel all grown up and for the parents too!
Seeing your child all dressed up smartly is a special occasion and one that deserves to treasured for ever. The best way to treasure the day is with some personalised gifts, so why not check out our range of gifts?

Man's Best Friend

Man's Best Friend

We're a Nation of dog lovers, but did you know that studies show that a lovingly handled dog is a healthier dog? 

The touch of the human hand improves the functions of virtually all the sustaining systems: respiratory, circulatory, digestive and so on. In new born puppies. A frequently petted puppy is not only healthier and happier, but also better behaved. Dogs like humans, find solace in touching another living being, which is another reason why they get along so well together! 

So what other fascinating facts are there about our canine friends?

A dog can run up to  nineteen miles per hour when running at full speed., but the members of the greyhound family are the fastest, they can run up to 42 miles per hour.

Small dogs live the longest. Toy breeds live up to 16 years or more. Larger dogs average is
7 - 12 years. Veterinary medicine have extended  this estimate by about three years. However, some breeds, such as Tibetan terrier live as long as twenty years.

A dog's nose works 1 million times more efficiently than the human nose. Some dogs have better noses than others.  Some dogs have the ability to sniff out suitcases filled with drugs.

Did you know the average dog has 42 permanent teeth in his mouth

A dog's hearing is much greater than a humans, especially for high-pitched should. Dogs can hears sounds that are ultrasonic.  If a dog suddenly pricks up its ears and becomes alert for no apparent reason, he might have detected bat or rodent sounds that are not heard by us!

Eighty percent of dog owners buy their dog a present for holidays and birthdays. More than half of them sign letters and cards from themselves and their pets. So why not get your dog a lovely Personalised Bowl?

Personalise Your Birthday Party

The next time you plan a birthday party why not personalise it? Particularly effective for surprise birthday parties its bound to make the birthday boy/girl's special day even more special and memorable.

Start of with a personalised birthday banner, there'll be no mistaking whose party it is. loads of designs to suit anyones taste at Personal Touch Gifts. Your can use this again and again for all future birthdays.

Next up balloons. Every party needs balloons and personalised balloons are much better! Just add the Name, Age and a 20 character personal message to the balloons. They come helium filled with a string and weight, ready to go, no work involved.

Now your party is beginning to get that Personal Touch. For the grown ups we'll need to personalise the booze! Personal Touch Gifts have a great selection of champagne - perfect for celebrating- again you can personalise the name, age & add your personal message to the bottle label, you can even personalise the cork. Do the same with your wine, we have dozens of excellent personalised wine bottles and gifts for the special occassion.

You could go all the way and give the birthday boy/girl a personalised crystal champagne glass , or wine glass or pint glass or brandy glass or their own engraved tankard, whatever suits best.

Dont forget the basics, you'll need a card and they will love a personalised birthday. We have hundreds of themes so your are sure to find one that fits the recipients interests, fishing, sports, race cars and so on the choice is there. It will be one card that won't be thrown in the bin after. free postage is included with all our cards, 1st class post.

If you haven't bought a gift already, guess what? Yep, buy a personalised gift now. Browse PersonalTouchGifts.co.uk to come up with loads of great gift ideas. Are they a football fan? Maybe a nice engraved Arsenal pen, or Man United Cufflinks, or a Liverpool On this Day Book, whichever team they follow we've got it covered.

We have wallets, lighters, pocket knives, frames, diaries, clocks, pens, watches, jewellery, teddies, mugs, trinkets, cufflinks, the list goes on and on. Visit us, find it, personalise it, make their day!

Wetting the Baby's Head!

Time to Wet the Baby's Head

Well we all know the long standing tradition, to celebrate the arrival of a new born with a customary drink! And of course the stylish way to do it is with champagne. However where does this peculiar phrase come from? From our research we've discovered since the 1600s, the verb 'to wet' or 'whet' has meant to celebrate by drinking, though the earliest use of 'wet the baby's head' as such dates only to the 19th century. So if any of you bright sparks out there knows, why not let us know in the comments? Or if you'd like to share a baby head wetting story let us know (keep it clean you're a parent now!!) When my daughter was born two years ago I was badly in need of a drink and wetting the baby's head would have been the perfect excuse. Unfortunately She arrived just after last orders and I got out of the hospital at 3am. If only I had my own personalised bottle of champagne stashed away waiting for the big occassion. At pesonal touch gifts we have hundreds of different personalised drinks, wine, beer, spirits and lots of bubbly. Make it a little special and add your own personal touch.

Click here to view the champagne above.

 

Sorry you're leaving

Sorry you're leaving

Ok we've all had jobs where we're not sorry to leave! But how does the worst job you've ever had compare to these?

Leech Collector - The collector would sometimes gather the leeches by attracting them to the legs of animals but what the usual practice was for the collector to use their own legs! Once the leeches had fattened up and finished sucking blood the collector could harvest them. Many in the profession suffered from the effects of the loss of blood and infections spread by the leeches. Imagine losing a leg like that, would that make you a leg-end?!
Chimney sweep - Boys as young as four climbed hot flues that could be as narrow as 22 centimeters square. Work was dangerous and they could get jammed in the flue, suffocate or burn to death.
Executioner - Many executioners were professional specialists, they would cover  a vast area since executions would rarely be very numerous. The executioner would often also administer non-lethal physical punishments, or apply torture. Perhaps Christian Grey was an executioner in a past life?!
Sin-eater - The term sin-eater refers to a person who, through ritual means, would take on by means of food and drink the sins of a household, often because of a recent death, thus absolving   the soul and allowing that person to rest in peace. In the study of folklore sin-eating is considered a form of religious magic, nowadays it's someone who had that extra slice of cake!!
So whatever the worse job you've had  you can show the person leaving that you care. Visit personaltouchgifts.co.uk to select the right leaving present and don't forget a personalised card.

Or Maybe something like this?