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The customer now comes first. In a soft goods industry that was once dominated by big names and brick and mortar stores, the ecommerce revolution has shifted purchasing power and control of choices to end users.Customers are demanding more options, more communication, more accessibility, and companies are scrambling to keep up and earn their business. The brands that are evolving and listening to their customers are leading. Those adept enough to make the switch don't necessarily have it easy - they have a rocky road of challenges to work through
Deuter USA, a well-established international sport packs brand, knew they needed to get it right; they're surrounded by heavy competition in the $20 billion sports and outdoor ecommerce market (Statista).
What were we up against? An existing web presence that was rigid and disconnected from marketing. Transforming digital assets into an interconnected marketing and ecommerce machine. Opening up a channel to sell direct to pro users online for the first time in company history.
We needed to connect, migrate and update their existing foundation to a new suite of modern software that would give their team control. After years of relying on traditional methods to promote and sell their products, it was time to open up the floodgates and start communicating directly with the customer.
The multinational backpack company started in 1898, supplying letter carriers with mailbags and post sacks. Over the last 100 years, Deuter has evolved into one of the leaders in the outdoor industry by manufacturing and selling backpacks, suitcases, and other bags that empower your adventure experience.
Deuter Headquarters in Gersthofen, Germany
With headquarters in Germany, a subsidiary in the United States, and distribution that stretches globally, Deuter's different sites operate as individual merchant arms under one parent ship. Like many
When we first started talking to Deuter, they used their site to inform potential buyers about their products. The functionality was limited and the site operated on an island. Needless to say, it was not a seamless experience for consumers looking for Deuter goods. We needed to set up a presence that would allow Deuter to control their brand, digital environment, and all communication channels with the end user.
Our conversations sparked the idea to create a completely integrated online experience for the United States market
And, we wanted to do it right. We'd employ the best in breed software and open up customer communication channels in a way not possible before.
The complexity of this project stemmed from their technology stack. The store needed to integrate with existing technology used by the global organization, integrate new technology that gave their team control over the site and connected marketing campaigns, and dramatically enhance the teams' ability to communicate with their customers. If Deuter USA couldn't make this a reality, they risked being left behind in an industry that was already experiencing rapid transformation towards digital-centric storefronts.
Deuter is a high caliber,
Knowing the challenges at hand, we began to map out a system that would allow Deuter to launch their new web presence
We needed to implement the following:
A consumer brand's website is its heartbeat. Deuter's site showcases
We built the following inside of Shopify:
If Shopify is Deuter's heartbeat, HubSpot is the brain. To get the full use out of contact data coming from Shopify and to maximize marketing automation for revenue growth, we needed a marketing automation platform that could seamlessly connect to our
The need for HubSpot's robust marketing capabilities was obvious. Paired with
What we built using HubSpot tools includes:
We listened closely to the challenges Deuter USA was faced with, outlined priorities and established milestones for what it would take to overcome these challenges, and built a fully integrated ecommerce solution. The HubSpot - Shopify native integration provided a firm foundation to build from, and the integration with supporting software makes the transition part of everyday operations. We've unlocked critical assets for Deuter as they position their business to maintain their status as an outdoor industry heavyweight. Their capabilities now include:
The foundation that was set is one that is hungry for growth. The pieces are in place and their website is ready for the foot to hit the accelerator and charge forward.
The impact goes far and beyond newfound capabilities now seen on the surface. The ability to communicate directly with their customers opens up a new side of online growth, but the long term impact of these capabilities is what tells the true story.
Deuter can now monitor online trends to make intelligent business decisions on what their end user ultimately wants to purchase, what they would like to see more of, and what product-specific traits are selling best.
The impact goes far and beyond newfound capabilities now seen on the surface. The ability to communicate directly with their customers opens up a new side of online growth, but the long term impact of these capabilities is what tells the true story.
They can now make all of their products seen on the store, not limited to what a retailer decides to promote. In this customer-driven market, Deuter can now show their customers all the options that they may want and need. They put the purchase decision in the hands of the customer who expect to see all available products and match them to their unique interests.
Complete brand control allows their marketing team to launch a new piece of content, showcase their products, and then send the viewer to a product page on their site. All communications maintain Deuter branding, promotional elements send contacts to strong product pages, and customer feedback surveys gauge happiness. There is a coherent brand message from the start of the customers' purchase journey to the end.
Through their Shopify site and HubSpot's marketing suite, Deuter now has a direct line of communication to their customers. From the moment the customer enters the system, they can now contact them if there are any issues or details that need to be ironed out. They can follow up and ask for the customers to leave a review on their site after the customer has had a chance to use the product. They can receive warranty and customer service requests all on the same platform that the rest of the communication happens on, keeping track of a customers' activity and information all in one place.
This ecommerce system is flexible for the changing needs of the customer, agile for team control, and capable of giving customers the microphone. It's armed for flexibility, built for growth.
Hear from Jenny Fischer, Deuter's Ecommerce Strategist on the challenges faced in this taking on this project and how Deuter is positioned for future growth.
Deuter's steps to build an ecommerce system that is truly connected to the customer surges them to the front of the pack in the outdoor industry and beyond. The digital arsenal they're now equipped with positions them to launch a cohesive online presence, and their understanding that the customer matters most is the juice that powers their decisions. Working together, we've taken their existing system that they were grandfathered into and mapped a clear path forward into the next generation of digital.