MICROMOBILITY
“We will not innovate for the sake of innovation,” said Chevalier. “We will innovate for the users. It’s very easy to do something new. But the only thing that matters is that it’s solved a problem. “This range is an example of that. If we have no innovation good enough we will not release a new product.” RRPs for the premium range will settle around £3,000 while the current model year, the Origins range, will continue between £1,799 and £2,199. Naturally, the innovations will trickle down Eovolt’s portfolio as time goes by. And that’s not all. Eovolt is also set to introduce its first non-electric 16” and 20” models with the option of either a Shimano Nexus 7 or Bafang three-speed gearhub. These are expected to retail at around £1,699.
With innovation continuing apace, is Chevalier concerned that Eovolt will ever run out of ideas? In short, no “We will keep innovating,” he said “We are cooking up something new for the future and that will arrive in 2025/26. Right now we are only doing foldable bikes. We don’t have an accessory range yet and we are working on it. “Cargo bikes are something that we are looking at. We are looking at any type of mobility. We are talking with a lot of companies that are moving people. In this field, I think we can innovate with many different types of transport.”
Valuing dealers
As the industry has seen in recent times, the relationship between brand and dealer can be strained by market pressures and decisions at board level.
This is something Chevalier and Eovolt considers closely “We have to understand the churn of our network,” he explained.
“How many shops we have doesn’t really mean anything. What is a shop? Is it just someone who bought one bike two years ago?
“I don’t want Eovolt to be the type of brand where ‘the more you buy, the better price you get’ because actually, this doesn’t really matter. A very small shop in a very small town cannot buy 100 bikes, but it doesn’t mean that it’s not a good partner.
“If they know the brand, know the bike, can talk about it,and display it well, that’s a great shop. In France, Eovolt’s marketing strategy sees it send more than 50 people a day into its dealers and there are a number of internal algorithms to ensure the customer goes to the right retailer for the best experience.
“This helps us maintain as good a network as possible,” 42 | February 2024
said Chevalier.
“Right now we are doing this only in France because we control the whole network, but we are looking to do this across the world.”
Alongside this, Eovolt has a number of initiatives in place for its dealers, including an online platform for training, factory visits for local partners and its own merchandising. When combined, these have a significant impact on sell- through. A test with a large store in Germany saw it sell as many
bikes in July and August as it did between January and June of the same year, after the brand training and new POS was installed. Further support to dealers and consumers comes in the way of a two-year warranty on electronics and a five-year warranty on Eovolt parts – which can be doubled to 10 if the client registers their bike with the company. The brand has also invested heavily into its own ERP system
to reduce downtime. “We try to anticipate what’s going to happen, especially for countries which are far away,” said Chevalier. For the UK, Pinpoint CE, Eovolt’s UK distributor, will receive a batch of the most-commonly used spares with all shipments of bikes in 2024. This is made even easier for all parties when more than two-thirds of of all parts are compatible across the range.
Beyond 2024, the future looks bright for Eovolt and its retailers.
With a stable financial footing, ambitious owners and continuous innovation, the brand has come a long way from its humble beginnings yet never foregone its values. Long may that continue.
Pinpoint CE will be exhibiting the Eovolt range at COREbike between February 18-20. To arrange an appointment, email:
craig@pinpointce.co.uk
www.bikebiz.com
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