STORES Magazine - February 2008 - (Page 52) NUTS AND BOLTS / E-MERCHANDISING Decker says his company is “more lifestyle oriented” and that, by focusing solely on winter sports (and, to a certain extent, skateboarders), it is securing a growing niche in the marketplace. Thanks in part to the rising profiles of Olympic gold medalist Shaun White and X-Games gold medalist Hannah Teter, the snowboard culture is growing, according to Label Networks, a company that studies the impact of cultural trends on advertising, marketing and sales. Based on results in the Snowboarding Profile Report, 61.7 percent of “nonsnowboarders” and 77.5 percent of snowboarders within the 13-to-24 demographic watched snowboarding during coverage of the Torino Olympics in February 2006 – among the highest for all events at the Winter Games. This, of course, equates to great opportunity for evo, which believes it offers the best combination of a “lifestyle component, good deals and the best selection overall” in its niche. Inventory timing The majority of evo’s customers reside in California, New York and the state of Washington. With snow being such a strong factor in its core offerings, it would seem that the appeal would be limited, but “we find that in states like Kentucky there really aren’t any ski shops, so people buy online from us,” Decker says. Among the company’s biggest challenges are distribution, fulfillment and logistics at “both ends for the entire life cycle of the inventory,” Decker says. “On the receiving end, it’s been a challenge to receive the quantity of product in a timely manner. We are a very seasonal business and our seasonality introduces a whole host of issues with regard to timing of inventory.” Additionally, the scaling of its marketing efforts “has been difficult to do … in an effective way.” Still, evogear.com has become an interactive platform, driving customers to the site with frequent targeted e-mails. “If a customer has demonstrated an interest in a particular product category, we will bring relevant messages to him 52 STORES / FEBRUARY 2008 rate doubled,” he says. Mercado On-Demand’s merchandising console enables evo’s online merchandisers to create, develop and publish customized product and promotional landing pages. This feature can save merchandisers 30 to 40 hours in labor, Decker says. For the 2006 holiday selling season, evo had a top gift promotion and created a custom html page. You have to decide all the inventory that goes on that page, design it, html-code it and advertise,” Decker says. Making an impact Last season, evo used Mercado to create customer results pages “that we can very easily and quickly toggle, so now we link to a legitimate landing page within our search navigation.” Decker was hopeful that the platform would boost evo’s conversion rate, which is currently between 0.68 and 2 percent. “We want to represent more than just someplace to come to make a sale and get a quick deal,” he says. “We want to have a much more lasting impression, sort of bringing in multiple aspects of the sports including … clothing items that might be worn off the mountain that relate with the style and trend that’s happening on mountain.” Officials at Mercado, which also provides solutions for the likes of Macy’s and Overstock.com, say evo is a special company, the kind that’s full of talent and is making an impact on the market. “These are just super bright guys,” says Susan Chapman, Mercado’s director of merchandising. “They want to build a sense of community on their website.” Like its better-known rival REI, evo also attempts to entertain its audience, Chapman says. “They’re trying to build that whole stickiness,” she says. “You’re not just going in to buy a pair of skis. You’re trying to find everything about skiing — about the skis themselves, the sport, what you’re trying to buy while you’re doing this fun research. … It’s everything about that experience and putting yourself into the lifestyle.” StORES WWW.STORES.ORG evogear.com has become an interactive platform, driving customers to the site with frequent targeted e-mails or her about that product category,” Decker says. Another way evo is attempting to improve customer experience is by using Mercado On-Demand, an e-commerce search and merchandising solution from Mercado Software that has boosted search power and provided more accurate information by making it easier for vendors to update product data. “Our merchandisers can now go in on any results page and dynamically change the meta title and meta description for a particular page … to see if we gain a higher click-through rate and a higher ranking,” Decker says. For example, evo had previously been receiving about 20 to 30 clicks a day on the Burton’s Snow Boards page. After marketers added promotional text to the title tag and switched the meta description, “the click through- http://evogear.com http://overstock.com http://evogear.com http://WWW.STORES.ORG
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