The Challenge: Within the equestrian community and the Mainline, Malvern Saddlery is known as not only one of the premier tack shops in the country, but also a destination for equestrian fashion and lifestyle products. With 20 years in business, the physical storefront was flourishing… unfortunately the same could not be said for Malvern Saddlery’s online presence. The dated website made shopping and back-end operations almost impossible. What was once a significant part of the business (there were years when the shop sold more products to California than anywhere else), was now a thorn in their side.
Our Approach: We start every project with a discovery phase, where we really dig into the challenge to make sure we understand it completely. We learned early on from Malvern Saddlery’s owner, Jill Apfelbaum, that she was looking for a website that would not only nurture the riders in her customer base but also attract new customers and non-riders with her selection of products from the ‘no-horse required’ category (think fashion, home decor and gifts for the horse lover). The site also needed to complement her physical location with branding that was classic and sophisticated. There were other must have site specifications as well:
- LARGE INVENTORY ORGANIZATION. Even with a pared down inventory assortment, the site needed to make it easy for customers to sift through at least 500 products.
- INFINITE PRODUCT OPTIONS. Many equestrian clothing and tack brands offer very detailed customizations, so we needed an option for customers to make their selections online.
- EASY TO UPDATE. E-commerce sites are living, breathing things. Malvern Saddlery needed a site that was user-friendly enough for them to easily make updates to products and inventory without reaching out to their design team.
- MOBILE FRIENDLY. This should go without saying, but the site had to be a seamless experience for both desktop and mobile visitors.
We’re BIG FANS of Shopify for e-commerce, mostly because it’s an easy to use platform that allows small businesses to offer experiences that are on par with major online retailers. Not only does Shopify offer the best support for a large inventory, but the platform also helps to streamline back of house operations like shipping and order management. Shopify also makes it easy to power social shopping with integrations for Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest (among others).
After our assessment of Malvern Saddlery’s needs and best in class competitors, we decided to develop a site that featured a curated selection of products and high-end brands, reinforcing the expertise and taste level that Jill was already known for. Our goal was to position MalvernSaddlery.com as the online destination for unique brand names, a quality assortment and fashionable approach to the equestrian lifestyle.
The Results: Although the immediate impact of the move to Shopify was apparent, what we really love seeing is how this strategic decision has enabled the continued growth of Malvern Saddlery’s online business.
- From 2018 to 2019 online sales have increased by 77%
- Conversion Rate has increased by 42%
- 80% of customers on the site are new to Malvern Saddlery (a key goal)
- Traffic from all channels is up, with social leading the way at a 300% increase in 2019
Right from our initial meeting, I was very impressed with the level of professionalism and quality from Team 624. There was no “cookie cutter” approach – they took the time to research our business and really heard my needs and goal of having my e-commerce shop be a more lucrative and integral part of our existing brick and mortar business. They have more than delivered, and I’ve been delighted to see the results of the work they’ve put in over the past year. My tagline is “The Difference is Quality” – and I can say the same thing about Team 624 Communications. I highly recommend them for your marketing needs.”
JILL APFELBAUM, OWNER MALVERN SADDLERY
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