All of a sudden, they were everywhere, the electrical kickscooters and other personal mobility solutions of Segway-Ninebot. The same was the case for the online stores of Segway-Ninebot. Within 2 months the products of the historically purely retail focused brand were available in their own branded online stores in six European countries. In this article, we explore the intricacies of this transition from retail B2B to D2C, the unique challenges presented by Segway-Ninebot’s product range, and how Salesupply enabled such a rapid expansion into new markets.
Transitioning from B2B to D2C
Segway-Ninebot, known for its focus on R&D, created a vast retail distribution network for its personal mobility solutions. With the increased popularity of the electrical kick scooters, ecommerce became a very interesting alternative channel. In addition, an online shop came with added benefits facilitating pre-order campaigns for new products and opportunities to offer end-of-life products and accessories.
As a respectable A-brand, Segway-Ninebot strongly preferred its own branded online store over ‘only’ being available on marketplaces. However, the Segway-Ninebot organisation wasn’t set up to run such a direct-to-consumer operation. They needed an external partner to set-up and run the entire D2C operation: Salesupply.
International expansion at the speed of light
Together Salesupply and Segway-Ninebot created an ambitious roadmap to open fully localised online stores in the UK, Netherlands, Germany, France, Spain and Italy within 2 months. Followed by Portugal and Poland shortly after. Apart from the general challenges of such an ambitious endeavor, the heavy and battery-intensive products presented unique challenges both in fulfilment, delivery and returns.
“The collaboration with Salesupply not only provided a seamless solution for these logistical hurdles but also played a crucial role in managing the complexities of international markets, including the significant UK market, making Brexit transitions notably smoother for Segway-Ninebot,” says Dennis Hardholt, President at Segway-Ninebot EMEA.
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