Trek has unveiled a new e-commerce platform designed to make its brick-and-mortar retailers more competitive in an increasingly digital marketplace.
Trek Connect E-commerce, unveiled to US retailers at the keynote address of the company's annual retailer show, Trek World, will enable retailers to instantly have an online retail presence at no added cost to them.
Beginning in September in the US, consumers will be able to shop Trek and Trek retailers whenever they wish with every single online sale made on trekbikes.com benefiting a Trek retailer. Every online sale made on trekbikes.com will result in a service commission, a percentage of the overall sale, paid to the retailer of the consumer's choosing. The company is supporting its retailers' new omni-channel strategy with Trek Connect Retail Marketing-a suite of digital, direct mail, and seasonal POP assets available exclusively to Trek's committed retailers.
“This is a massive investment in the long-term success of our brand and our retailers,” Trek President John Burke said. “We believe the most successful companies in the future will all be omni-channel enabled and we are doing everything we can to make sure that future for our retailers is bright.”
Trek Connect E-commerce, available to Trek retailers at no cost, will be supported by Trek Connect Retail Marketing's programs of seasonal brand campaigns, in-store merchandising, direct mail catalogs, search engine campaigns, automated email, and social media available at a nominal monthly fee. Retailers that participate in Trek Connect Retail Marketing will also have exclusive access to Trek's design team for assistance with the creation of visual marketing assets.
The product of a two-year long pilot program that included over 30 Trek retailers, Trek Connect was built from the direct feedback, experience, and needs of Trek retailers.
“I’ve been thinking a lot about what Trek Connect means to our customers and David’s World Cycle and it’s really pretty simple: Customers not only have more choices than ever but also have less time. Trek Connect addresses both,” said David Sanborn of David's World Cycle. “We ask three questions at David’s World Cycle whenever we ask ourselves what to do: Is it good for our customers, is it good for our partners, and is it good for David’s World Cycle? Trek Connect is a yes on all three.”
Consumers will have the option to ship their online accessories purchases to their home address or to a retailer for pickup, a process referred to as “click and collect.” All bikes ordered through trekbikes.com will be shipped to the retailer of the consumer's choosing for build and delivery or pickup. Trek retailers will receive a service commission regardless of the consumer's chosen delivery method.
Trek Connect will launch in the United States in September. As a test market, the US will serve as a development program and enable the company to evaluate the potential for expansion to other markets globally.
