Hi everyone. Welcome and thank you for joining our Breaking Away in E-commerce Le Col's Personalization Triumph webinar. My name is Andrei and I'm a senior customer engagement manager at Crownpeak. Today I have the honor to be joined by the lovely Marina Hernandez, E-commerce manager at Le Col. Thank you for hosting this webinar with me today, Marina. I think you are on -mute. -Marina I'm sorry. Yeah. Hi, everyone. Thanks so much for joining us. I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to share the journey with you all. And yeah, as I mentioned, I'm the e-commerce manager at Le Col, and I have the pleasure of working closely with him to bring our personalization strategies to life. Really excited to dive into the details of how we've been able to break new the new ground in the e-commerce space. During the next 30 minutes or so, we will discover how, following their partnership with Crownpeak, like all, have transformed their shopper experience and tackle global personalization as well as deep dive together into a couple interesting strategic use cases too. Before we start today's session, I just wanted to draw your attention to the Q&A box at the bottom of the screen. If you have any questions during the webinar, please put these in the Q&A box and we'll get to them at the end. To start, before diving into their story, I'd like to introduce everyone to Le Col. I'm personally a big fan of LeCol and their products, and it has been truly exciting to be a part of their growth journey for the past four years. As I may end up fangirling over them, I'll pass over the mic to you Marina to -introduce Le Col. -Sure. No problem. For those who don't know, Le Col Le Col is a premium cycling offering brand committed to elevating your ride with high performance, stylish and functional year. We kind of link Cutting-Edge design with superior quality to create clothing that meets the needs of all cyclists. And our mission is really to transform every everyone's ride into an extraordinary experience. With the customer at the center of everything we do and every piece we -design. -Thank you very much for that. Now that we're all acquainted to help us set the scene, I found an interesting stat that I believe fits here properly. The State of Product Discovery Report, a survey of more than 300 merchants, states that 98% of organizations rate the ability to deliver personalized content and product experiences as very or quite important. But only 50% of respondents rate their technology as good for delivering personalized content and product experiences, highlighting a significant gap between expectations and current capabilities. Marina, is this something that Le Col could relate to previously before -joining Crownpeak? -Well, that's a really good question to begin with. And, uh, yeah, absolutely. Yes. When considering the adoption of a solution like Chrome Pack, several challenges stood out which highlighted the need of such a platform. I guess one of the primary challenges was the extensive manual effort required to manage all the experiences and ensuring that the old content was relevant and up to date across the multiple touchpoints became increasingly complex, and also the sheer amount of time and time involved in the manual processes was another significant pain point. So the team was really spending a lot of time on repetitive tasks, which could be better utilized on on other projects and ultimately as a business responded. Achieving those business KPIs became more challenging as well, because the inefficiencies in the manual processes, um, frequently caused delays in and inconsistencies which kind of affected the ability to to meet the, the performance, uh, or while prioritizing the customer satisfaction. So yeah, by adopting Crownpeak, we were able to automate many of these processes. We were ensuring that the content was relevant and consistent with saving more time. And we are better aligning the the efforts and the business KPIs targets. And I guess not only just that, but it's always been a really a game changer. Um, for local and increasing brand recognition, loyalty and growth. So firstly, XO's AI powered capabilities have improved our online merchandizing in ways that we couldn't do before. It allows us to personalize, personalize the product recommendations and marketing efforts with precision, and making our brand stand out in the crowded market on a stay, stay top of mind for customers for a global operation. XO um supports for the international agency and has been crucial because it kind of helps us cater to diverse markets and all respecting all those local nuances and, um, strengthening the global presence overall. So in terms of customer loyalty, XO creates personalized shopping experiences, uh, to our customers. So they feel valued and understood. And I truly believe this connection is key to fostering a strong brand loyalty. And lastly let's talk about growth. So XO drives growth through targeted data driven merchandizing. So by optimizing all those strategies we've seen significant increases in an uplift in metrics like AOV. Um so yeah it helps us also identify those emerging trends and opportunities which help us stay ahead of the curve and continually optimize those strategies that we've been setting up. Really happy to see how how your partnership with current BIC has helped you shift the gears. One of Stephen Bartlett's advice in his recent book is to never compromise yourself story. And I believe, like all have done, just that reaching a global market is indeed a significant challenge for many brands. Just a couple of years ago, like all, made some drastic changes, leveraging XO's capabilities that address how you reach your customers around the world, effectively breaking these into multiple more relevant markets based on regions and behavior. Yeah, I'd be happy to explain our approach to Reanalyze in our merchandizing and why it's been so important for us. So we've been always quite dedicated to providing the best possible experience for our customers, no matter where they are in the world. So as we grew internationally, we kind of recognized the need of adapting the merchandizing strategies to better meet those diverse needs and preferences of the global customer base. So firstly, regionalize in the merchandizing allow us to be more responsive to local markets and to say, um, and on top of the trends and demands, every region, as we know, everyone in e-commerce, everyone knows this, that every region has its own unique set of preferences, cultural influences and seasonal proteins. So yeah, by tailoring those products offerings, we can choose ensure that customers receive relevant products that are appealing to them. For example, certain styles might be more popular in Europe, um, than in America. And um, and yeah that that exo help us. Um, Kathryn. Those those, um, those experiences really. And secondly, um, as you can see in the, in the screen, it helps us build a stronger connections with our customers. When customers see that you understand them and correct their specific needs, it kind of fosters the sense of loyalty and trust in the brand. So, yeah, this localized, um, approach just demonstrates that our commitment to each market. So in that we're just not a, a global brand, but a brand of weaker about everyone experiences. Um, and I guess another important factor is the ability to create targeted and effective marketing campaigns that resonate well and deeply with the local audiences. So yeah, that led into higher conversion rate and stronger brand loyalty. So yeah, this is strategic approach kind of help us grow in in a way that is both sustainable and -scalable. -I think this is very important for a global brand to consider, and I think you guys have done an amazing job. Please. The most convincing sign that someone will achieve new results in the future is new behavior in the present. How has Crowpeak enabled this change -for you? -Well, I guess it's also advanced AI and analytics capabilities, provides us with granular control over the strategies so we can just monitor and adjust everything in real time based on demand customer behavior. So this control, this level of control kind of ensures that we can quickly respond to the to the trends and, yeah, to the preferences that each market, um, is, is having. So despite the regionals and the merchandizing, it was also crucial for us to kind of maintain a consistent brand story. So we think so we can create those regional specific strategies that I just mentioned. But we can also stay and um, stay on top of the brand identity and just make sure that does not diluting at all. So this balance is quite key to maintain a cohesive brand history of global markets. And one of the biggest advantages of XO, I guess, is the ability to scale and automate all the processes, like I said. And yeah, that means we can just grow quite rapidly without compromising the quality of what we are doing on the website. And of course, the customer experience is. -Very amazing to hear. -Thank you for sharing that. The State of Product Discovery report states that 84% of respondents agree AI is needed to improve the efficiency and success of their product discovery capabilities. As a very successful marketer, Steven Bartlett says, the way a product is presented to consumers drastically affects their perception of its value. Framing isn't about lying and deception, it's about knowing how to present your product through the most factual and compelling lens. Like all is following pretty much the same concept, I invite you all to check out their website. It is designed to feel like a cycling art gallery. It shares a story. It makes us all want to be like the cool people in those shots, relate to their stories and ultimately desire their products. Marina, for the past two years, we've worked together on leveraging XO's capabilities in developing some powerful and intricate strategies, especially for your PDP's and PlPs. Can you please share what everyone how you're using Exo to enhance your shopping journey on your PDP's? And while you do this, I will switch to your live website so everyone can visualize this as well. Yeah. Of course. Um, so yeah, just I guess we'll start with we've recently optimized the DPD base, making them more content led, as you can see here, and focus on brand building. So we kind of actively listen to our customer with feedback and implemented those changes to deliver best in class experience. Now regarding the PDP strategies, uh, using the tool, uh XO has been quite instrumental in enhancing the cross merchandizing and upselling efforts. So we've introduced some product recommendations that showcase complimentary items, enabling customers to easily complete their case or take even the advantage to offer to buy a bundle for additional savings. For instance, we're now viewing the pro jersey, uh, PDP and um, yeah, it's just suggesting merchants forward and uh, also bundle and few accessories there. This approach I guess not just improve the customer experience overall, but it's simplifying the shopping journey and driving, um, business outcomes by increasing sales and the AOV as well. So yeah, the results, uh, since we've implemented these strategies, are having quite substantial since implementing our new strategy, uh, we've kind of observed like a 20% of lift in AOV over the past year. And, um, the significant the significant increase is kind of underscores the effectiveness of the product discovery. Um capabilities in encouraging customers to purchase additional items or opt for even higher value products. Similar to your product detail page. As well, your Plps reflect the variety of offerings you're providing your customers with. Despite boosting what many may call a small catalog from products to content to bundles and member exclusive items. Yeah, so we've seen it has the pops as well, using the tool which kind of transformed the online merchandizing strategy. So yeah, by prioritizing product performance, conversions, new arrivals, we've ensured that the top performing items receive the visibility they deserve. Additionally, we normally have some relevant content to promote some marketing campaigns leading to higher engagement or plps, although you cannot see that in there at the moment. Regular visitors to outside might be familiar with some of this. And uh, yeah, I guess if you're curious to see these improvements in action, there's a great opportunity to check back often. Um, and then we also have some exclusive items that are available just for members. Um, so we kind of carefully merchandise those as well. Uh, because obviously we want to drive new signups for our club, but without really distracting from other offerings. And overall, with these strategies, uh, with it, the it kind of improved by a 10% in the engagement metrics. And that includes, um, clicks rates and displays. While it might seem modest, I think in my opinion it represents a meaningful improvement in how our content and recommendations are captured in the customer interest. So these enhancements to our product discovery have not only driven higher sales, but also it has improved the the experience overall and the interaction with the brand, which is great. Um, so yeah, really pleased so far with the results. As I mentioned before, I'm a big fan of your brand as well, and for all the other cyclists out there. For my fellow cyclists, I just wanted to drag your attention. The call has just launched one of their new collection. It's amazing. It's called Ark. It's their first collection inspired by hybrid or gravel, actually, more, uh, cycling. It's currently only available for early access to to their members. So go ahead, check out their website, sign up for that free membership, and have a look at this cool new collection. I personally think it's amazing and impressive, and it's something very new in the market in design, but also in technology as well. So I strongly encourage everybody to give that a try. It's not that I work at all, but it looks really cool. Go and check it -out. -Speaking of KPIs, the previously quoted State of Product Discovery report shared that 62% of market leaders see product discovery as a core strategy to improve conversion and average order value. Any results you can share with us today? Uh, yeah. Like I said, we've seen some increases in IOB and um, in engagement metrics as well. So I guess as we reflect on integrating these strategies into the PDP's and PlP's. The broader impact on our business is clear. So these improvements in AOV customer engagement and sales are just direct outcomes of the commitment that we have to a data driven strategy and well-defined business goals. I guess data has been always quite central to the strategy, uh, which has enabled us to optimize the product discovery and enhance our our market position as well, um, through evidence based decisions. So, as I said, with XO's, just highlights the importance of having really clear strategic goals. And these improvements we've seen just reflect the the strength of our long term strategy vision. I guess it's worth saying that we're not just focusing on immediate gains, but we are also building that foundation for sustained growth, um, ensuring agility in the future, which is quite key in a rapidly changing and challenging market. Um, yeah. Um, our focus will be continuing testing and learning, uh, to position us for future success. Thank you very much for sharing that. Success is defined by the attitude towards the small stuff. The easiest way to do big things is by focusing on the small things. Thomas J. Watson, former IBM president, said every time we've moved ahead in IBM, it was because someone was willing to take a chance and try something new. His core principle in principle of innovation was if you want to increase your success rate, double your -failure rate. -Well, speaking of innovation, there are a couple of lessons that we we've learned. Um, we basically learned the the tremendous impact of personalization. We've seen first hand how personalized recommendations can significantly enhance the experience. And that that kind of teaching us the importance of understanding and anticipating the needs of the customers to create more meaningful interactions. Um, also, the work with Exo has reinforced the need to remain agile and adaptable, but also it has only critical role of cross-functional collaborating teams in achieving the goals. Um, just by working together, we've been able to seamlessly integrate Excel um in the operations and maximize -the benefits. Really. -Following that note, I found a really interesting quote in a book I recently read, The Psychology of Money, where Margaret Morgan Housel says you can be wrong half the time and still make a fortune. I think this represents a true testimony about the healthiest mentality when approaching e-commerce. Well, I couldn't agree more with that quote, Andre. It perfectly captures the the essence of our approach. Really. Um, I guess accepting the mistakes, um, is what you need to do, but really knowing what truly matters is how you respond and how you adapt. So I guess why in embracing that mentality. We've been able to refine the operations and be much stronger and resilient as a team. Um, and yeah, it's really the dedication to to learning, testing, um, that empowers us to better serve the, the customers and proper our business forward. -You know, that's very, very relatable. -And I'm sure there's other other people in our in our session today that can relate to this as well. For all my fellow DIYer physio fans out there, I'll quote Stephen Bartlett one last time. There is no greater force of creativity, determination and commitment than a person undistracted by a plan B. Marina, what can you tell us about the future of AE? What future initiatives are you working on? I like that quote, that quote, to be honest. Um, yeah. I guess one of the main focus is for the future is creating personalized, um, experiences for new and returning. So just splitting that out a little bit more, uh, for newcomers, obviously we'll just, uh, aim to introduce the brand to them with tailored content and product suggestions. Whereas for those who've been without with us for a while, we might be refining their shopping experiences based on their past interactions and shopping history. At some point, hopefully we'll we'll start working and stepping up our email marketing game as well, ensuring that the recommendations are even more personalized and and based on those shopping histories as well. Of course, I don't want to give away too much just yet, so let's say we just working on some surprises. I will give up our customers hook and coming back for more. Thank you so much for such an insightful conversation, Mariana, and also for sharing the little the little hints in your strategy as well. And I really hope everybody that they join us today can relate or learn some some new ideas from you guys and uh, check out your website as well. Let's see if we have some questions from our audience today as well Let's have a look. Okay, so one of the questions that was raised was how easy is it to manage strategies across multiple regions to you do this through the tool itself? Yeah. So um, managing these strategies I think is is quite straightforward with the platform to be honest. It's the interface is it's really easy to use and to create, monitor and adjust the campaigns. And yeah, it's quite like you've got quite, quite a bit of flexibility as well. Um, to quickly respond to all these local trends and preferences that we've been talking about. So, uh, yeah, like I said, significantly reduces the workload. And, uh, and has the, the ability to stay competitive as well. -Thank you very much. -We run another one, and I think this is someone that's been quite, uh, tend to during the session. Did you mention earlier that you're displaying content as well as products with the tool? Could you go into more detail on -this? -Yeah, certainly. I did mention that. So, um, one of the key objectives moving forward is going to be to dynamically generate content based on customer's interest and browsing history, I guess, uh, which will allow us to be more, even more personalized. And yeah, we think so. I'm hoping that that transition can be seamlessly, uh, executed, um, and have that level of personalization. So, um, yeah, really looking forward to, to bring that -into life. -Thank you very much for answering that. And let's check one last question. Um, how would you pitch this budget to your team? Well, that's more of a tough question, but I guess, yeah, when pitching the budget for forex. So, um, I would just focus on, on several aspect. I would probably start highlighting how Exo can address your your specific business needs and challenges because every every e-commerce mart, um, may have their own ones. Um, so yeah, this just includes these capabilities in automating your processes, um, providing actionable insights, whatever it is that you need. Um, but yeah, I guess, uh, I will start by that. And then emphasizing the, the, the scalability of Excel is crucial. So I would explain how the platform allows us to, will allow you to grow those strategies and help your business expand as well. Um, so yeah, in summary, if you had to pitch this budget, I would focus on the direct contributions to your business. It says availability for future growth. And, um, yeah, just, uh, the alignment with, with with -your goals. Really? -Very good. Sounds like you're working for us Um, thank you very much for answering that. And I guess one last question, um, for today, and then we'll obviously get to the other questions, uh, following the session. Does working with XO alleviate a lot of merchandizing time to allow for additional projects, whilst not a detriment to ongoing strategies? Yeah. Um, yeah. Like I said, it just reduces, uh, all the only manual processes and the more kind of, uh, busy periods. Um, it helps you to, to stay on top of other, other things rather than just, uh, manually adjusting things. So. Absolutely. -Yes. -Thank you very much for for answering that as well. And that covers it for our webinar today. Thank you so, so much, Marina, for joining me and for sharing Le Col's incredible journey with product discovery. And thank you for everyone for listening and participating as well. -Have a great day everyone. -Thank you everyone. Bye -Thank. -You Andre.