ROCKETROI & CYCLI MATTIO: boosting Italian export thanks to data and technology

Cicli Mattio reinvented Italian export on a global scale during one of the most uncertain periods of the last 50 years, increasing turnover by 24%, with a 10% decrease in advertising expenses. The collaboration with ROCKETROI, which began in February of this year 2020, proved to be a key factor not only in maintaining positive results despite the pandemic, but also in exceeding all expectations thanks to the overall optimization of the company's advertising apparatus.

Background y objetivos

Cicli Mattio is an all-Italian ecommerce reality for outdoor enthusiasts on two wheels. It stands at the intersection of an authorized retailer of major brands, manufacturer of its own clothing and bikes, and organizer of breathtaking experiences in the valleys of the Cuneo area.

Positioned on a global stage with a turnover of €4 million in 2019 and a growth rate of +30% per year, Cicli Mattio has chosen ROCKETROI to respond to the frenetic pace of exports worldwide, linked to a growing need for optimization, rationalization and relaunch of the advertising apparatus. A secondary, but no less important, objective is to outline a solid roadmap for brand strengthening, in support of the relaunch of the bicycle and apparel brands.

In three points, the main objectives of the collaboration are:

• Penetration of new markets

• Horizontal growth in established countries

• Expansion of marketing strategies (Influencer, Branding, Content)

Strategy

The multichannel strategy built was based on the complementarity of the main payment channels, such as Google Ads and Facebook Ads, and on a thorough review of the tracking system through the "enhanced ecommerce", better known as improved ecommerce

GOOGLE ADS

With 24 countries actively reached with ads, Google Ads has always been the largest investment. Although e-commerce was already well established, the advertising account structure was not optimized to increase profitability and brand reach. Here our expertise in Digital Marketing technologies, combined with a close relationship with the client, allowed us to restructure Cicli Mattio's online offering in the best possible way.

Reorganization and optimization by category

The commercial reorganization of the campaigns was based on the need to divide Cicli Mattio's offer by product categories:

1. Bicycles

2. Clothing

3. Accessories

4. Components

This subdivision has allowed us to maximize the performance of each of them and to have more control in the promotion of the products to the final consumer with a 100% customer-oriented customization.

Reorganization and optimization by country

As a second step, the focus shifted to the countries in which we operate, identifying 3 macro-groups with a data-driven approach, representing, in order, the level of investment and the detail of the actions in the accounts.

• 1st Group: Countries with an established presence in the market and strong brand awareness.

• 2nd Group: Countries demonstrating strong growth potential with good campaign performance.

• 3rd Group: Countries that, due to socio-economic differences, represent difficult markets to reach.

For countries in the 3rd Group, thanks to the improvement of Google - Facebook relations with an advanced tracking system, prospecting actions are carried out to acquire more and more new customers and increase brand awareness.

In fact, the ultimate goal is to accelerate growth in the most reactive countries and push the rise of the countries in the 2nd and 3rd group to reach the canons of the top countries of the number group.

FACEBOOK

The second key tool of the strategy was Facebook ads, which was a skillful ally of Google in communicating the brand's personality and building audience loyalty. The main actions have been:

• Customer loyalty in group 1 and 2 countries with hyper-segmented actions through high-quality audience and remarketing.

• Generation of new user traffic, especially in countries with less brand awareness.

Thanks to a data-driven approach, we have ensured smooth communication between the two platforms, which have been mutually supportive, limiting as much as possible excessive impressions with consequent overlapping conversions and inefficient spend.

THE EXPANSION OF THE MARKETING MIX

Collaborating with Cicli Mattio as a strategic partner, we have assimilated and reworked the needs of the business, firstly optimizing the work on the platforms and, secondly, helping the company to grow horizontally, through the planning and development of the accessory and necessary aspects of the current Digital Marketing Mix.

1. Upgrading to enhanced ecommerce is the first action we have taken to have more visibility on user behavior and profitability of each product. These tracking implementations between Google Analytics 360 and the website allow us to detect much more information when needed. The detail that can be achieved is incredible, segmenting groups of users based on bike color choices, clothing sizes and more.

The strategic vision of Ciclimattio, together with ROCKETROI's technological know-how, has allowed us to identify this aspect that can make the difference, gaining added value over the competition.

2. Speaking of competition, the latest tactical solution implemented is Boardfy, a technological platform for automatic price comparison that gives us the certainty of always being competitive in those products where the fight against the penny is driving users' purchasing choices.

Results

Overall impact

The overall results of the joint actions revealed the effectiveness of the strategy and made it possible to achieve the proposed objectives in the short term:

1. Reorganization and optimization of the advertising structure.

2. Rationalization based on country data of the commercial action with consequent higher advertising impact on the selected countries.

3. Audience engagement through video courses on social profiling and promotion of #cyclingathome, through the very popular reels, which sold out and ended a few weeks after the start of the pandemic.

4. Improved relationship between Google and Facebook, with advanced tracking system to optimize omnichannel acquisition strategy and user conversion.

Quantitative results (February-August 2020 vs. 2019)

The hard work of these months of collaboration with Cicli Mattio has resulted in dizzying figures in a time of profound change and uncertainty. It is the numbers that have confirmed that the strategies put in place have supported and accelerated the growth path the company wanted to achieve.

Next steps

Trust and harmony are essential ingredients for any collaboration and reinforce the design and medium-long term execution of many ideas, such as the rebranding, the production of audiovisual content and the activation of influencer marketing campaigns.

The coming months will be decisive in continuing to nurture the competitive advantage that Cicli Mattio has gained over the last 25 years and that in the last 6 months has been revitalized thanks to its partnership with ROCKETROI.

The launch of the new Cicli Mattio brand clothing line will represent a challenge and an opportunity to relaunch the company and assert its identity, and position itself with character within the cycling market at European and global level.

At this stage, respect for the environment will be the focus both in the production process and in the promotional process, in order to guarantee the company's long-term competitiveness and sustainability, generate consumer confidence and differentiate itself from its competitors.

"Competitive advantage is about being different. It means deliberately choosing different activities to convey a set of values." - Micheal Porter