The Bike Cooperative has entered into a strategic partnership with Shopatron, Inc., a collaboration designed to expand online sales opportunities for the cooperatives member retailers and supplier partners, while driving more of the cycling industry to Shopatrons successful e-commerce platform.
Effective March 1st, cooperative retailers will begin earning rebates on all Shopatron transactions. As part of the agreement, the cooperatives network of preferred suppliers will receive a discount when setting up e-commerce store fronts through Shopatron.
Orders placed on Shopatron merchant websites are filled by a managed, distributed network of fulfillment partners, typically local retailers. More than 25 cycling brands already use Shopatron’s platform to partner with more than 2,500 cycling and sporting goods retailers who participate in the Shopatron network to fulfill orders.
Online retail is the fastest growing sales channel in the cycling industry, said Greg Brodsky, managing director of The Bike Cooperative. We know its a sensitive topic of conversation for many in this business, especially bike brands. But eCommerce is going to be the driver of future growth for both manufacturers and retailers. Rather than try to fight the inevitable reality, we feel its in the best interests of our member retailers, supplier partners and the industry to embrace eCommerce. With Shopatrons model, brands can capture sales without competing with their retailers, by sending completed transactions to the bike shops for fulfillment. Because the store gets paid directly for the sale, its a win-win for both sides. We anticipate the same will hold true for our partnership with Shopatron.
Shopatron provides in-store pickup, including a ship-to-store model, which makes eCommerce possible for bike brands. Local fulfillment speeds delivery, motivates fulfillment partners to stock more inventory, and facilitates in-store pickup, a convenience valued by a majority of online shoppers, said Shopatron founder and CEO Ed Stevens. Our ship-to-store model sends more paying customers into local bike shops, rather than pushing those sales out of their stores. This online sales model is good for the brand, good for the retailer and good for the customer, as they benefit from working with knowledgeable local bike retailers.
Shopatron Senior Vice President of Marketing Mark Grondin added, We have established relationships with a number of The Bike Cooperatives retailers and supplier partners over the years. We are excited about the opportunity to provide more of their partners with an eCommerce solution that is good for the whole cycling industry. Prosperous retailers are good for cycling brands, because they bring more customers into the market. Not many people discover cycling on the web.
Headquartered in San Luis Obispo, CA, Shopatron operates Coex Freedom, an order exchange with more than 700 merchants and 12,000 fulfillment partners across 35 consumer products industries. Some of Shopatron’s merchant clients include Louis Garneau, Cannondale, Ritchey, Cane Creek, Blue Competition, 2XU, Callaway Golf, K2 Sports, Panasonic, Suzuki and Thule. For more information and a full client list, visit: ecommerce.shopatron.com.
The Bike Cooperative is a member-owned cooperative with a mission of improving the profitability of independent bike retailers. The Bike Cooperative provides members with exclusive product specials and rebates, consumer financing and credit card processing programs, comprehensive advertising services, and training in management and sales.
