The Leading Brands Advisors gathered for another meeting on December 10th, this time at Casa de Praia, within the WYgroup premises.
The event featured the talk ‘eCommerce – How to Sell More Online’, by Carolina Afonso, CEO of Gato Preto and co-author of the book of the same name, which was also written by Sandra Alvarez, General Manager of PHD Portugal.
The author begins by explaining that an online commerce store goes far beyond ‘just creating a website’: it should focus on the entire business model, tailored to ecommerce. Often, managers focus on the brand name, colors, social media, and website, overlooking the ‘ungrateful relative’ that is logistics, as well as profit margins and prices. An ecommerce-focused business model must be multifaceted, without neglecting any aspect.
Carolina Afonso explains that the customer wants the product ‘now’, in an era revolutionized by Amazon and the purchasing patterns set by the pandemic. Several questions should guide the creative process: Who are the logistics partners? What premium services should be offered? How to manage returns?
The book comes as a ‘guide from A to Z’, promising to cover all areas related to ecommerce as a business model. No aspect should be overlooked in order to achieve success in online sales.
The challenges of navigating ecommerce
Mariana Cunha, Co-founder of Futah, joined Carolina for a conversation about the brand’s experience and online commerce. The co-founder explained that the Portuguese brand came to fill a gap in the country’s beachwear market.
The store started as a Facebook page, taking advantage of the era ‘before the brand boom’. ‘We have to invest a lot of money for what a brand posts to reach many people,’ added Mariana Cunha.
One of the biggest challenges was getting the brand to reach as many people as possible, something that involved influencers and free communication on social media. Now, the game has changed, and the communication strategy focuses more on paid digital marketing. Futah’s goal is common to almost all Portuguese brands: promoting internationalization, with the United States and Germany as the main targets. Another consideration is to create physical stores, which could be essential to support the online business.
In any ecommerce business, the logistics process must be carefully considered, due to all the external intermediaries involved that can affect the brand’s ideals and work. The use of collection points has revolutionized this process, making deliveries easier and reducing costs.
Futah’s products have great durability, so they focus on promoting them as gifts in order to increase customer return. Carolina Afonso also mentions that the B2B market and customization processes are key drivers for the products, especially during the upcoming festive season.
Article originally published in LIDER Magazine.
