Blue Rose PotteryFiring up sales across 7 marketplaces

Company Overview

Founded in 1994, Blue Rose Pottery sells Polish pottery from five of the largest pottery factories – Zaklady, Vena, Ceramika, Manufaktura and WR Unikat. The company’s goal is to provide customers all over the world with a broad assortment of items and colour combinations that complement any décor, complete any cook’s kitchen, and dress every table.

The Situation

In addition to its retail store, Blue Rose was managing 4,900 SKUs on its own website and Amazon. They quickly recognised the need for an automated solution that would help manage their data feeds. The company was also looking to expand its marketplace presence to reach new customers.

“We had our website, and we had Amazon,” says Jonathan Owens, store manager, Blue Rose Pottery. “Maintaining those data feeds was feasible, but our e-commerce strategy included launching on new marketplaces. We knew that adding additional channels would be too labour intensive. As a small company with limited personnel resources, it simply wasn’t realistic for a single person to maintain those data feeds.”

The Solution

Blue Rose Pottery looked at several e-commerce platforms, but selected ChannelAdvisor for its Marketplaces and Digital Marketing features. Owens says, “At the end of the day, ChannelAdvisor’s customer reviews were better. Their customer support was better.” Marketplaces allows them to seamlessly manage product data feeds and listings, monitor product quantities, expand products across multiple marketplaces and optimize product content globally. Blue Rose Pottery can also use a single inventory feed to send its products to multiple online channels.

ChannelAdvisor’s Digital Marketing capabilities allow them to simplify their paid search campaigns. The single platform helps them effectively manage Facebook, Google AdWords and other search engine pay-per-click campaigns. Owens adds, “Coupling Marketplaces with Digital Marketing has been excellent. It allows us to focus our attention where it matters most – launching new projects, expanding our presence in the e-commerce realm, managing day-to-day operations.”

The Results

Today, Blue Rose Pottery manages over 7,000 SKUs, an increase of 42%, across seven marketplaces, including Amazon, Amazon Canada, eBay, Sears, Shop.com and Walmart. “Before ChannelAdvisor, we sold on our website and Amazon. Now, we’re constantly adding new marketplaces, which has resulted in a huge growth in sales,” says Owens. “It’s been an amazing help for brand visibility and consistency. The conversion rates have been fantastic. We’re seeing multiple purchases from the same people over and over. It’s helping us establish customer loyalty, while also finding new customers.”

Owens emphasizes that optimising product content helps ensure data is mapped to the correct fields every time. “Data feed requirements change constantly. With ChannelAdvisor, we can maintain a single data feed and run it through a template without having to take on more people. This means we can spend more time with clients.”

For Blue Rose Pottery, the platform has helped with order consistency by combining web and marketplace orders into a single API. “We’re no longer chasing down inventory. We get things shipped and out the door quickly. We wouldn’t be on Seller-Fulfilled Prime without ChannelAdvisor. It allows us to see orders and fulfill them within the required timeframe.”

“Many businesses can feel like they’ve hit a wall with their marketplace expansion. They’re trying to grow but can’t get past the shell. ChannelAdvisor enables you to metamorphise into something else,” adds Owens. “You can achieve a bigger expansion than ever expected. For anyone wanting to grow their business, ChannelAdvisor simplifies the process. It gives you a platform to put yourself in front of more people, and ultimately, increase your sales.”