Zee & Co are eCommerce Awards 2019 finalists!

#Ecommerce

We are delighted to share that our client Zee & Co, a UK independent fashion retailer, made it all the way to the finals at this year’s eCommerce Awards.

Best Fashion eCommerce, Best Mobile eCommerce and Best Use of a Multichannel – those are the 3 categories where they excelled and earned their seat at the table with other amazing UK businesses. Read on to get the details on how they got here and how we helped along the way.

This recognition is well deserved, and couldn’t have come at a better moment. The Zee & Co team, led by Joann Johnstone, their Operations Manager, have amazingly handled the digital transformation of their 30-year old business. And they’re not stopping any time soon.

From brick-and-mortar to mobile-first and back again

Within several years they went from brick-and-mortar stores to mobile-first. After that, they embraced multichannel in its true form, making sure the customer always comes first. In other words, they recognized the need to move fast with the world of fashion and embraced technology early on.

Back in 2007, they had launched the first version of a bespoke eCommerce website. Fast forward to 2012 and their move to Magento Commerce. We initially came in to design and develop their mobile theme. Yes, those were the days of desktop vs mobile themes. Responsive themes with Magento were, well, pretty much where PWAs are these days.

After we had completed that project, we opened up a number of other topics, from their ongoing challenges with ERP and streamlining operational workflows between physical stores and the website, to overall UX and customer satisfaction.

Over the years, we have worked together on a number of projects. Above all, this is truly a team effort, as our designers, developers and digital marketing experts worked around the clock. We helped our client in introducing the true omnichannel experience, ensuring that the improvements in mobile traffic and revenues didn’t hinder the operations of their physical stores.

With the addition of click-and-collect and order-in-store options, these channels rather complemented each other. And this constant innovation enables both online and in-store customers a working endless aisle solution. This enhances their shopping experience, and it shows.

The results

The best measure of any business activity is how it affects the bottom line. And with this client, it all came together extremely well.

Zee & Co has achieved a 275% increase in turnover over a five-year period (2013-2018) and was named in the top 50 internet growth companies by Internet Retailing in conjunction with Rakuten Marketing (2018).

72,82% of their total revenues is now coming from mobile devices. And don’t forget – this is a 30-year old business, with 5 retail stores, this is not a startup, struggling with very small revenues if any.

They have started getting in significant mobile revenues only 5-6 years ago, so the growth of the mobile channel has been immense. Btw, they don’t have a standalone app, all of this is coming through their responsive Magento website.

A word from our client

I asked Joann Johnstone, Zee & Co Operations Manager, and a force to be reckoned with in the world of UK fashion retail, two questions. Here are her thoughts:

What does it mean for Zee & Co to be selected among the finalists at this year’s eCommerce Awards?

We are absolutely delighted to be finalists in the eCommerce Awards and honored that the hard work of our eCommerce Team has been recognized. To be shortlisted by such a prestigious Award Company is a fantastic achievement.

This achievement is truly a team effort, so what would you share like a piece of advice for merchants out there, working alongside eCommerce agencies? What’s the recipe for a successful relationship?

My advice would be to find an eCommerce partner with a strong business synergy to enable compatible forward-thinking strategies. We view Inchoo as an extension of our own eCommerce Team and a true business partner. This relationship has allowed both Companies to thrive in sometimes difficult trading periods.

We’re very proud to play a part in the success of our dear client. And we will celebrate in style together in late September when the award ceremony is taking place. Fingers crossed!

Check out the full list of eCommerce Awards finalists in all categories here!