BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
Bikesoup is now an official partner of ActSmart and is the UK’s freshest online new and used bike marketplace, offering a unique bike-specific e-commerce platform and low advertising rates.
The website now allows all specialist cycle retailers the ability to reach a nationwide audience, thus competing on a level playing field with larger multiple retailers that have big marketing budgets.
Recently launched to consumers, Bikesoup has already seen a great response from users – and now it’s time for the retailers to take advantage.
Bikesoup has also been promoted to consumers on ACT’s website – www.thecyclingexperts.co.uk – and every retailer’s shop listing on The Cycling Experts will feature a store’s entire Bikesoup stock list so consumers can see what dealers have to offer; alongside other services such as ride it away cycle finance.
All retailers who upload their stock onto Bikesoup will benefit from extra promotion with a focussed national PR and marketing campaign beginning in January 2011.
The website is intuitive and bikes can be uploaded in a matter of seconds via the bespoke dealer stock management system. Advert upload speeds will be further increased as bike manufacturers’ product catalogues are added to the site.
Other Bikesoup innovations include a voucher system for shops to help their customers sell their used bikes and a database of available bike boxes, which can be used by private sellers; reducing shop waste and driving more traffic directly into the shops, increasing walk-in sales revenue.
Worthing-based bike shop Quest Adventure has been working directly with Bikesoup. The store’s JP Saville says of the partnership: “Bikesoup will be the perfect working partner for independent bike shops like mine, who would like to compete with the bigger retailers and achieve more sales, cost effectively. For ‘hard to shift’ bikes it is much cheaper and much more efficient, time wise, than using eBay.”
Discounted rates are available to ActSmart members, ranging from ten per cent off for Bronze to 20 per cent off for Gold and Platinum members. Bronze ActSmart subscription is free so sign up now to take advantage of this offer www.actsmart.biz/cycles.
Bikesoup is offering all dealers a no-strings-attached, no obligation two months free advertising trial on the site www.bikesoup.co.uk
For more information call ActSmart on 0845 618 7256, or email info@actsmart.biz
