Cowboy thoroughly reviews its business method. The electric bike manufacturer will now surround itself with partner resellers throughout Europe, including in France, to sell, repair and manage the after-sales service of its fleet. A strong paradigm shift.
Source: Grégoire Huvelin – Aroged
Until then, the sales channels of the Belgian brand Cowboy were limited to its website alone. In France, the only way to try one of its e-bikes before buying it was to go to its Parisian store, at Bon Marché Rive Gauche, which opened in June 2022. For the rest of the territory, nothing lent there.
This era is now over since the manufacturer will surround itself with a network of independent partner resellers throughout Europe.
Thanks to this new step, “future customers in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom will now be able to test and buy the C4 and C4 ST models”, we learn in the press release sent to the editorial staff.
Five French cities concerned
By the end of the year, Cowboy aims to recruit 300 new partners in 60 towns on the Old Continent. In France, five cities will be concerned: Paris, Lille, Nancy, Lyon and Marseille. For the latter two, only after-sales service will be provided. Buying and testing a model is obviously not (yet) on the program.
“Ahead of this launch, we tested our offer with more than 80 partners across Europe, combining distribution and after-sales service, and we are very satisfied with the results obtained so far”, specifies Adrien Roose, CEO and co-founder of Cowboy.
Source : Cowboy
For the development of this network, distributors will initially be selected, then benefit from a dedicated Cowboy account manager. Then, a complete training on the repairs and the maintenance of the VAE of the mark will be lavished to them to become, in fine, certified partners.
This change might seem trivial at first glance, but it constitutes a real paradigm shift. Until then, Cowboy was confined to a sales method very labeled “start-up”, relying solely on online sales. Here, it radically changes its business philosophy by drawing inspiration from more historic and traditional builders.
Adapt to the buying habits of the French
This also allows it to considerably increase its visibility – the design of its electric bikes also has the merit of catching the eye –, to improve its after-sales service and to take better care of its customers.
The purchase of an electric bike represents a generally significant financial commitment – the average price of a VAE in France tickles 2000 euros. Being able to test them, touch them, take them in hand before taking out the credit card is an essential link in the sales process. Such a lack can be detrimental to a brand in the long term: Cowboy seems to have understood this.
Source: Anthony Wonner – Aroged
Such visibility within authorized resellers could also enable it to considerably increase its sales. As highlighted by Union Sport & Cycle in its 2022 Cycle Observatory (26th minute), retailers and major brands (Decathlon, Intersport, etc.) dominated the distribution of bicycle sales in 2022, with 23 and 62% of volumes. Online sales were limited to 6% of the market. This therefore reflects a certain buying habit.
Financially, the company relies on two recent fundraisings: one of 10 million euros in March 2023 from investment funds, another of 1.6 million euros via a crowdfunding campaign. With the ultimate objective of crossing the break-even point in the coming months.
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