RETAILERS
FREEWHEEL: HOW TO SUPPORT UK BIKE DEALERS
Freewheel now has 417 retailers on board, growing from 62 since its launch four years ago. Kellie Parsons, marketing director at Madison and Sportline, tells BikeBiz how it works and the benefits it has for dealers
F
reewheel launched back in August 2018 after many months of planning and building. It was an extremely challenging project from the word go
but one that was incredibly important for us to get right. Freewheel is a huge part of the future for Madison and Sportline, and the main purpose has always been and will always be to provide a vehicle to support our network of specialist bicycle retailers throughout the UK. The website launched with 62 specialist retailers on
board which has now grown to 417 – the largest network of independent bike shops in the country. Initially the website used a ‘Reserve and Collect’ process but after reviewing feedback from dealers, this was changed to ‘Click and Collect’ in February 2019. Not only did this simplify things for all parties but it allowed us to open up the platform to a larger network of dealers quickly without the need for them to have specific EPOS providers.
“Freewheel adds another sales dimension to our stores, allowing consumers to view the entire Madison range and order directly to our shop adds valuable sales and increases our customer base too. It is good all round for us to work with Freewheel and the breadth of brands make it an excellent contributor to the business.”
Richard Balfe, Balfe’s Bikes CEO
www.bikebiz.com
Since 2019 revenue is up over 110%, quantity of products sold is up over 200%, transactions are up 170% and traffic to the site is up over 240%. It was a big job to launch a completely new e-commerce platform with so much competition in the market but the growth and figures have shown that there is a real need for Freewheel in the industry. Covid had a big impact not only on the website but also on consumer shopping behaviours and we had to adapt like any other e-retailer. There was a big increase in demand for online shopping but since the easing of restrictions we’ve seen a slight shift in the balance of Click and Collect versus home delivery. This is now 80/20 in favour of home delivery. We expect Click and Collect to build share again as
the enthusiasm for meeting face to face returns back to normal. The site review feedback is really positive and shows that consumers do value visiting their local bike shops – this is something that we are continuing to promote as much as possible.
How it works The way it works is really very simple. Retailers can sign up to the programme at no cost to themselves. Once they are set-up on the website there is very little else that they have to do. Consumers shop for the brands and products they want like any other website, then at check out nominate a chosen local bike shop. Shoppers can select either home delivery or Click and Collect and a percentage of the sale will then go to that local
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