How eBicycle Company Serial 1 Increased Conversions 98% on Digital Storefront
Serial 1 offers premium eBicycles that are “guided by intelligent, human-centered design and crafted using the most advanced bicycle technology available, to create the easiest and most intuitive way to experience the fun, freedom, and instant adventure of riding a pedal-assist electric bicycle,” VP, finance and corporate operations Rex Hamilton tells CGT.
Hamilton is responsible for financial planning and analysis, financial reporting and operations, treasury, tax, human resources, legal, corporate systems, and e-commerce operations at Serial 1. He joined Serial 1 after working in various finance roles at Fortune 500 companies including Harley-Davidson where he focused on the profitability of future motorcycles. Prior to that, Hamilton was with MillerCoors and GE Healthcare working in various finance roles.
But even with all that industry experience, it doesn’t quite prepare any consumer goods executive for launch during a pandemic. Serial 1 launched in November 2020, so the company hasn’t known the eBike market prior to the disruption of COVID-19.
Still, with a diverse target audience including both younger urban cyclists and older adults, Serial 1’s imagery needed to resonate with multiple consumer groups without excluding any of them.
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“Serial 1 eBikes are very sleek and beautiful and we have lots of gorgeous product and lifestyle imagery at our disposal. However, as we began marketing our eBikes, we weren’t sure which specific shots would appeal most to our customers and potential customers,” explains Hamilton. “Do they like to see the eBikes in-action? Do they like to see close-ups of the sleek design that shows off our integrated internal wiring, for example? Or would they rather see wide-angle shots of the entire eBike on display?”
Hamilton adds that they wanted to test which images would resonate with its customers best. “There was a manual A/B testing option that would potentially take weeks to finalize, or we could partner with Vizit. The decision was extremely easy when we started comparing the two options, especially when we were on a relatively tight timeframe. Vizit offered us a way to use technology to figure this out rather than simply guessing or testing.
Driven By Technology
Hamilton reveals that at its heart, Serial 1 is a technology company committed to furthering bike culture via eBikes. “Using appropriate technology in all areas of our business is key to success and growth,” he says.
What’s more, using Vizit’s software to analyze visual content, Serial 1 was able to reveal, in real time, the View of the Consumer — that is, the unique visual preferences of each of its target audiences, as well as the trends and visual techniques that are most motivating to each segment.
“Vizit allowed us to make data-driven decisions around the visuals we were using for different audiences,” says Jason Huntsman, president of Serial 1. “We accelerated our decision-making process without the need for lengthy and costly experimentation.”
After Serial 1 implemented the visual content recommended by the software, conversion rates increased by 98%. In addition, online shoppers spent 25% more time on the website, and its research and testing time decreased by 99%.
During implementation, Hamilton and his team leaned on learnings to find success. “One of the most prominent trends that we saw during the project was the importance of making the product feel accessible,” he says. As an example, automotive brands will sometimes show a vehicle traversing massive sand-dunes or plunging thru a deep river. While this might happen to one or two customers, it is not how most of these vehicles will be used.
He adds, “We found this to be true with our eBikes as well. Showing the premium eBikes being utilized in the most likely use cases resonated with our customers. We believe this is because we helped the customer see themselves using our eBikes in a similar manner.”
As for next steps, Serial 1 just released the MOSH/TRIBUTE Limited edition series eBike, which sold out in less than 24 hours. “We’ll continue helping to help people in the US and Europe experience the fun, freedom, and instant adventure of riding a pedal-assist electric bicycle,” Hamilton closes.
