Background
A regional, multi–store, specialty retailer located in northern New Jersey, Ramsey Outdoor has catered to the needs of outdoor sports enthusiasts for more than 50 years. The company, known for its variety of merchandise and extremely knowledgeable personnel, wanted to expand its sales reach through an online presence that would replicate its authentic in-store experience.
Business Challenges
- Assessing the viability of the online channel and developing a successful entry strategy
- Integrating an e-commerce initiative with internal legacy systems
- Expanding already strong margins by controlling costs as the site matures
The Parse3 Multi-channel E-commerce Solution
When Ramsey Outdoor began considering an e-commerce initiative in 2004, the company turned to Parse3 for direction on the best place to start the exploration process.
Parse3 coordinated a multi--phase plan for developing an online presence that would meet Ramsey’s revenue goals and expand its brand value beyond the local marketplace.
First, a market assessment was conducted to determine the venture’s viability.This included a detailed analysis of the competitive landscape,including revenues generated and product lines carried by competing websites.
Next, Parse3 proposed a strategy for entry: What did the ideal online buyer look like? What products should initially be featured on the site? How could the site leverage Ramsey Outdoor’s current brand positioning and customer base to drive additional revenue?
Concurrently,a technology plan was implemented to integrate e-commerce functionality and order fulfillment with Ramsey’s existing internal systems, such as inventory and purchasing.
Finally, Parse3 worked with Ramsey to develop and execute a launch marketing plan for the site, handling everything from creative development and media buying to in-store promotions to capture retail shopper data. The multi-channel marketing plan included components such as organic search engine optimization,search engine marketing through keywords, and affiliate programs.
Once RamseyOutdoor.com was up and running, Parse3 identified key user behavior and buying trends, tweaking the site accordingly to maximize ease of navigation and average transaction value.
Parse3continues to evaluate the now-mature site on a six-month schedule to maintain its high levels of search engine visibility, user functionality, and revenue generation. Moving forward, Parse3 is at work building integrated product feeds to simplify the data-sharing process with channel partners like Amazon.com.
Quantification of Value
- Compounding 100% year-over-year growth since launch in 2004
- Realizing total ROI of site development and deployment cost within the first 90 days online
- Continuing growth in revenue and profits using ongoing new shopping behavior insights and then leveraging buying trend data to drive highly effective in-store merchandising and multi-channel opportunities for up-selling and cross-selling