“Our return rate is now less than 1%”
By integrating the Smartfit e-commerce tool, the online marketplace bike-angebot.de has been able to massively reduce returns. Precise size recommendations lead to more satisfied customers and that is paying off.
- 1%-Return rate based on the frame size
- 11,500+Sizings per month
- 98.3%Successful frame size recommendations
Smartfit solutions in use at bike-angebot.de
2022
Start Online Sizing
2023
Start Kids Sizing
2024
Addition Recommendation Engine
About bike-angebot.de
- Founded 2011
- > 20.000 bikes available
- Online marketplace for bikes from retailers
- More than 650 stationary retailers from Germany and Austria
- Reliable after-sales service through own retailer network
Interview with Joachim Saiko and Kevin Powsche
Interviewed by Bruno Schotten, our Head of Customer Success, Joachim Saiko (CEO bike-angebot) and Kevin Powsche (authorized signatory bike-angebot) tell us how they have achieved one of their main goals - reducing the returns rate and optimizing service - by integrating Smartfit Online Sizing.
Welcome and thank you for your time! Give us a brief introduction to your business. What exactly does bike-angebot.de do and what is your position in the market?
Thank you very much for the invitation! bike-angebot.de has been a leading marketplace for bicycles for over 12 years. We work with over 650 stationary dealers in Germany and Austria. Our focus is on brokering bikes - we don't have a warehouse ourselves, but offer a platform where customers can find the best deals. There are currently more than 20,000 bikes on bike-angebot.de - everything from children's bikes to high-end racing bikes. We are proud to offer our customers a wide selection at attractive prices.
You have experienced strong growth in recent years. What have been the key factors behind this?
There are three main reasons that have driven our growth: Firstly, our Guru platform, through which we can offer our customers personalized advice. Secondly, the restructuring of our store, which has significantly improved the overall customer experience. And thirdly, the integration of Smartfit sizing, which has helped us to reduce the return rate for incorrect frame sizes to less than 1%. By combining these three factors, we have been able to increase customer satisfaction enormously, which has contributed significantly to our success.
The challenge
That sounds like a very well thought-out concept. How did you solve the issue of sizing before you started using Smartfit?
That was a real challenge. We often had to simply guess the sizes. An example would be: “Are you 1.78 m tall? Then size M will probably fit you.” We don't always have all sizes of a model on offer and unfortunately this often led to returns because the frame size wasn't always right. That's why we decided to integrate Smartfit Online Sizing so that we could provide more accurate advice.
What you describe sounds familiar to us - many retailers know this all too well. How has the situation changed now that Smartfit has been integrated?
Since we integrated the Smartfit widget, we have been able to give our customers much more precise frame size recommendations at any time and automatically. We have noticed a significant reduction in support costs. This has also led to a sharp drop in the return rate and at the same time we are getting feedback that customer satisfaction is increasing noticeably.
Optimization
We are of course delighted to hear this! It's exciting to see that accurate sizing not only reduces returns, but also boosts customer confidence.
That's true, and it's also a real relief for our retailers. They can now give much more professional advice and worry less about returns. We also know that some of our retailers use the tool themselves for their own advice, simply because it provides a quick and clear recommendation.
How did the integration of Smartfit into your store system go? Were there any challenges?
The integration went really smoothly. Technically, it wasn't a big challenge for our team and your support was always on hand. We were always able to integrate the tool and the extensions into our store quickly. This not only saved us time and money, but also made the daily work of our retailers easier.
What's the benefit?
You have already mentioned that the return rate has fallen. What specific advantages does this bring for your customers and your retailers?
Fewer returns not only mean lower costs for us, with fewer support queries and less effort, but also a much better shopping experience for customers. They can feel more confident that the bike they have ordered will fit. Of course, this also strengthens trust in our brand. For dealers, this means that they can provide much more targeted and efficient advice and have to process far fewer time-consuming returns.
What are your objectives for the future with regard to the cooperation with Smartfit and the further development of your store bike-angebot.de?
We want to integrate Smartfit even more deeply into our service so that our retailers can benefit even more from it. The Smartfit size calculator is an important part of our future strategy to continue offering the best service and consolidate our position as the leading bike marketplace in Germany and Austria.
These sound like exciting plans. We look forward to continuing to accompany you in these steps. Thank you for the interesting interview and good luck for the future!
Thank you very much! We are also looking forward to working with you in the future.
Tell us your Smartift success story.
Feel free to get in touch!Write to us by e-mail: info@smartfit.bike
Head of Customer Success
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