The holiday season is upon us in full swing and we took some time to chat with owner of UglyChristmasSweater.com to discuss the huge phenomenon that is taking over people’s wardrobes during this time of the year! Everyone has or wants an Ugly Sweater. They are silly fun and a great way to kick back and relax during those lame holiday get togethers. Fred Hajjar is the CEO of the site and has taken over the holidays with this hot craze. We had a chance to chat with Fred about his work and celebrating the holiday season.
Mike Gencarelli: When did you get started with UglyChristmasSweater.com?
Fred Hajjar: The domain was purchased in 2011. The site went live in 2012. I have another clothing website, www.tvstoreonline.com, and thought this would be a great way to expand when I noticed demand for sweaters on eBay and the salvation Army in 2011. I also noticed more and more holiday parties happening every year and also saw statistics showing an increase in searches for ugly Christmas sweaters. From there, www.UglyChristmasSweater.com was born.
MG: Why do you feel that there is such a demand for this product?
FH: Popularity for Ugly Christmas Sweaters has been increasing year to year due to more families, businesses and events around Ugly Christmas Sweaters, thus the overall website traffic has also increased.
MG: Tell us about how you choose your designs?
FH: We do a lot of research on what does well across the web. We also have search term statistics along with data that shows trending designs.We feel the term “ugly” for sweaters has come to encompass not just old style sweaters, such as those at the Salvation Army for example, but also newly designed sweaters that can have a classic or outgoing feel. Everyone has a different opinion, but we feel it represents a sweater that makes you stand out and portrays your true holiday spirit.
MG: I read you even have ones with LED Lights?
FH: Yes, we do! People love creative designs and for some, the more extreme, the better!
MG: Give us some background on the new custom design your own sweater generator on your site?
FH: We decided we needed something creative this year and the customizer was a hit! With sweaters being more mainstream this year, what better way to get something unique!