When it comes to building a successful e-commerce brand, there are a few key elements that every entrepreneur must keep at the front of their mind. First of all, you have to offer products that people want to buy. For anyone familiar with consumerism in general, this one is a no-brainer. From there, you will need a user-friendly website where customers can easily purchase that product. It might sound simple, but it’s easier said than done. Making sure this all goes off without a hitch requires long-term thinking, flexibility, and dedication.
But that’s not all you need to succeed according to Robert Felder, CEO at Bearbottom, one of the fastest-growing men’s clothing brands. He believes that the recipe for building a successful e-commerce company, calls for one more essential ingredient: passion.
I had the chance to sit down with Robert Felder one-on-one via Zoom where I asked him all about his methods for building a successful brand. He had some words of wisdom to share with all of us.
“In general, people need to think long term in all their planning and everything they do and passion is so key to that… You gotta find something that you’re passionate about.”
But passion and authenticity aren’t the only factors that set this brand apart from the rest.
How is Bearbottom navigating market challenges and rising above volatility? Here are four fundamental contributors to their success:
- Dedication to their customer
- Building a great team
- Flexibility in the face of challenges
- Remaining open to new technology
Dedication to the customer experience
We all know how important it is for e-commerce companies to build up their customer base. Their success as a business depends heavily on their ability to pull in customers and keep them coming back for more. Bearbottom seems to have cracked the code for facilitating an incredible customer experience.
In fact, almost everything they do is implemented with the customer in mind. From designing new merchandise to their shipping process, it’s all centered around adding value to the customer’s experience.
For most companies, consistently appealing to a regular flock of return customers can mean the difference between success and failure. As a CEO, Robert Felder has built much of his expertise around taking notes on what not to do. As we know, there are plenty of larger e-commerce companies that struggle with customer service and resolving issues. However, this doesn’t seem to be a problem for Bearbottom.
Mr. Felder says it best himself,
“It just comes back to treating the customers how we would want to be treated and how we would want the product to be. That’s the same way we want that whole experience.”
Building a strong network of professionals
How does a growing e-commerce company maintain such a high level of customer service? According to Robert Felder, it all comes down to building an efficient team of customer service representatives and warehouse managers.
“Without the team we have in place, nothing we do is really possible.”
Forming a successful e-commerce company is hard work in itself. However, building a strong brand without the support that you need is impossible. That’s why building up a professional network is so important for e-commerce companies. Finding the right team of suppliers, marketers, and customer service representatives can mean the difference between success and failure for many small businesses starting out in today’s market.
Robert Felder understands the importance of building and maintaining relationships with Bearbottom’s suppliers. In fact, the company has grown to a point where a few of their suppliers have opted to dedicate production exclusively to Bearbottom. This is a great accomplishment and responsibility for Robert Felder, who sums it up with a few words, “our success is their success.” It appears that this couldn’t ring any more true.
In the future, Bearbottom has set goals to expand its team to reflect the growth that the company has experienced thus far. This growth is expected to expand into the relationships that the company has developed with its suppliers through the addition of more exclusive supply partners and thus, more job opportunities.
Remaining flexible in the face of challenges
Flexibility means something different for every brand, depending on its mission, values, and main objectives. For Robert Felder, remaining flexible in the face of challenges translates to maintaining the commitments they’ve made to customers, employees, and suppliers.
We’ve already established how important customer service is to the company, but I’ll admit that I was pleasantly surprised to see that Robert Felder puts his money where his mouth is throughout every aspect of the company, especially when it comes to facing unforeseen challenges.
Inflation and market volatility are nothing new in the world of e-commerce. Price increases have extended into the supply chain and have impacted everyone. Unfortunately, some companies prefer to pass this additional price burden on to their customers. But that’s not how Robert Felder rolls.
In fact, Bearbottom’s merchandise has not undergone any price increases as a result of inflation. Instead, they have absorbed the brunt of the financial burden in favor of cultivating beneficial relationships with their suppliers and building trust among customers. Based on the success of the company in general, it’s safe to say that this has been paying off for them so far.
Remaining open to new technology
Bearbottom uses a variety of technology to facilitate the operation of many of their most significant processes.
“It’s amazing what you can do with different tools if you’re willing to learn how they work and really get the most out of them,” - says CEO, Robert Felder.
Through the use of technology, Bearbottom has been able to maintain efficient operations and streamline a lot of their daily operations. This allows the company to do more than just tailor the experience of the customer. It also frees up time and resources that can be put to better use elsewhere. Replying to customer inquiries and ensuring that shipping and exchanges are completed efficiently are two things that can set great companies apart from mediocre ones.
According to Robert Felder, this all comes back to adding value to the customer experience.
“With e-commerce you want it to be quick, you want it to be efficient, you want it to be easy. That’s the end. Every process should be easy whether it’s shopping, returning, exchanging, looking at the products on the website… all of it. We just try to make it easy and simple.”
Find what you’re passionate about, and follow that
There’s one thing that can be said for sure about Robert Felder, CEO of Bearbottom Clothing, and that’s that he understands what his customers want. Furthermore, he is willing to do whatever it takes to deliver that to them. Whether it’s consistently keeping their favorite shorts in stock, ensuring helpful customer representatives are available, or guaranteeing a quick and efficient shipping process, the team at Bearbottom is proud to be able to make it happen.
At this point, you might be wondering how the CEO of an online retail company remains so connected to his customers. The answer to that question is more simple than you may think. It all comes back to following his passion for providing stylish merchandise and positive experiences to his customers.