Ribble Cycles Riding High With Sanderson eCommerce

Just one month after going live with a new eCommerce solution, sales at Ribble Cycles are up 25%, with more overseas sales in the last four weeks than in the previous three months.

Ribble Cycles, a family-owned company based in Preston, Lancashire, in the UK, has specialized in the supply of road and track cycles for over 30 years. The poor performance and lack of integration of their previous Website forced them to evaluate their business objectives and define their online sales and marketing requirements as an integral part of their strategy for the next decade. With a sales target of 25% growth year on year, the company made a strategic decision to invest in a more dynamic eCommerce system.

The new Website had to integrate fully with the Elucid multi-channel software solution which Ribble Cycles uses to run all elements of their business: mail order, warehouse and retail store. An extensive specification was produced for the new site which included expansion of product ranges, visibility across all search engines, functionality to attract and retain overseas customers, sophisticated discounting options and bike-building options to allow enthusiasts to "design the bike of their dreams." The creation of additional payment options with integration to finance companies to instantly approve credit applications completed the list.

After a comprehensive review, the apple didn't fall far from the tree, with Ribble chosing the Elucid eCommerce solution from Sanderson.

Ribble’s recently relaunched Website uses many of the functions of the Elucid eCommerce solution, with an immediate impact on the business. In just four weeks sales are up 25%, with more overseas sales in the last four weeks than in the previous three months.

In addition to the excellent sales figures, the management team and staff have seen significant improvements in managing the business through a single system: visibility across all sales channels, removal of duplicate activities, reduced time spent updating the Website and all key information held in one location.

The new Website has enabled Ribble to introduce new product ranges across three defined market segments. The site also contains dedicated pages to support magazine advertising, further integrating their marketing activities and helping to expand their customer base.

Jim Dove, General Manager at Ribble Cycles, comments: “Future discussions with Sanderson will focus on maximising the Elucid marketing functions, developing an affiliate marketing programme and increasing our online presence through SEO and online advertising programmes.”

Ian Newcombe, Managing Director of Sanderson Multi-Channel Solutions concludes: “We are delighted that the Elucid eCommerce solution is having such a positive and tangible impact on Ribble’s business performance. Both companies worked hard to ensure the specification would meet all of the project objectives and credit should be given to both the Sanderson and Ribble project teams.”