Ursus

The challenge

Working with a brand boasting an important past to draw on and an ongoing leadership in its field has been extremely challenging for us - a journey made even more interesting by the possibility of establishing a multi-year project with them. 

Ursus asked us to implement solutions to improve brand awareness and boost brand visibility, with a view to intercepting both the B2B and the B2C target audiences. The challenge, therefore, was wide-ranging, encompassing as it did the operating methods of various departments and a series of short- and long-term actions. The dual focus on individual consumers and retailers around the world was also very important for us. Indeed, the company needed solutions that would meet the needs of retailers, simplifying their work and their business relationship with the parent company, while also developing marketing strategies aimed at cyclists interested in purchasing products and spare parts, at service and maintenance centers, and at everything else revolving around the world of two-wheelers.

Our project

To kick off our project with Ursus, we analyzed the company’s internal organization, reference market and direct competition. By involving stakeholders from different areas of the company – Senior Management, Marketing, Sales and Customer Service – we gathered key information so as to identify business models, sales data and key marketing tools, and to define the profiles of the company’s buyer personas. Based on this data, we determined the buyer journey and built a digital communication strategy based on a long-term roadmap. 

In order to manage such a wide-ranging project effectively, we set up a calendar of weekly meetings with the company so as to gather ideas and feedback, constantly monitor work progress, and analyze together the statistical data collected over time. 

After the analysis phase, we started designing and building a new website. In collaboration with Albert Design, a design studio we partner specialized in sports communications, we designed a new website that adds value to the product and includes an e-commerce platform for the direct sale of spare parts and accessories. At the same time, we also started digitalizing orders from different dealers, creating a specific B2B portal. Both the e-commerce platform and the dealer portal were developed in such a way as to integrate with the company's internal ERP system. In this way, all orders coming from the different channels are conveyed into a single container and can be managed efficiently.

After analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the company's operating methods, we determined that, to improve overall efficiency, the company needed to adopt an advanced technology platform. Zoho CRM was implemented to facilitate sales operations, while the HubSpot tools were identified as the best solution to make customer service more efficient and launch some marketing automation activities. We activated automated processes to encourage product registration after purchase, inviting customers to extend the product warranty and to join the maintenance program offered by Ursus, with the aim of retaining existing customers and promoting cross- and up-selling. For the same reason, we also enhanced the pre- and post-sales customer service, setting the company up with a dedicated chatbot.

In order to increase visibility, search engine indexing and brand awareness, we implemented the Inbound Marketing methodology, putting together potentially interesting website content for the target audience and studying a targeted online advertising strategy. In collaboration with Albert Design, we handled the company's social network communications, creating content to share and communicating with company contacts via newsletters. All this came on top of the sponsorship program that Ursus has been pursuing and promoting for years, with several professional cycling teams, to increase brand visibility.

Results

Our collaboration with Ursus is constantly evolving. Indeed, despite having already achieved significant results, we are continuing to promote the company, manage communications through its social channels, and improve its pre- and post-sale services.

Website indexing has tripled and the number of visitors has grown accordingly. An increase has also been registered in the visitor conversion rate, in e-commerce sales, and in the average online order value, as well as in the number of followers on social networks.

In terms of supporting dealers, the new platform has simplified the order acquisition phase, facilitating relations with the parent company and helping Ursus deliver an even more efficient service.

“We drew on our roots to embark on a process of profound corporate innovation. Cloudnova has helped us discover the potential of inbound marketing, and continues to accompany us with a winning strategy and technology mix.”

Silvia Manfiotto, Marketing Manager