A common comment by the 2010 MCM Awards judges was that many multichannel retailers seemed to be using their e-commerce sites as an order form for their catalog. But that’s not the case with Performance Bicycle, the Silver Award winner in the Sporting Goods/Hobbies category.
Why it won a Silver Award:
Comprehensive product information and excellent merchandising, coupled with strong branding and a super multichannel strategy, make Performance Bicycle winner. Buying guides and how-to sections make this site much more than just an online order form for the company’s stores and catalog.
“Performance Bicycle is doing a fantastic job with cross-selling. They understand their merchandise and their customer well,” a judge said. Stock levels are clearly communicated, and the ship-to-store option is terrific. “It’s an all around great job by this brand.”
Shoppers on the Performance Bicycles site can find relevant and logical cross-sells on product pages. For example, a browser looking for a bike rack will find “you might also like” suggestions of accessories for that particular rack, not a bike to go with that rack or suggestions of a different bike rack altogether.
PerformanceBike.com has become a niche community for cycling enthusiasts. The judges thought the site did a good job creating and producing a range of instructional videos from choosing the right bike to how to dress for a cold weather ride.
PerformanceBike.com effectively integrates Facebook, Twitter and its on-site blog. Though the site uses Facebook to highlight some of its sales, it also uses the social medium to poll its audience and promote its women’s cycling team and charitable events.
Why it didn’t win a Gold
PerformanceBike.com hit a rough patch with its home page, which came across as a bit “overwhelming” to the judges.” On the day I reviewed, there were over 10 different promotions on the page,” a judge said. “They might benefit from a more focused approach.”