Ruroc is an online retailer that started selling unconventional, and aesthetically unique ski helmets about 10-years ago. The aggressive designs and mind-blowing graphics combined with the full-head covering and face shield created a niche market for Ruroc that resulted in a global community of loyal fans, followers and customers. After proving the concept in ski helmets, the company recognized the need to expand beyond the seasonal ski business.
In 2019, Ruroc entered the motorcycle helmet business, which is dominated by a couple of large players who market and sell in mostly traditional ways. Supported by its bold product and strong online and social media presence, Ruroc successfully launched its Atlas helmet, hitting $1 million in sales in a single day, and transforming the business by removing the winter focused seasonality overnight.
“We were entering a market with some very established players,” said Stuart Worgan, Finance Director for Ruroc. “We were always confident in the design and graphics on the helmet, as well as the strong online and social aspects to our business. We knew if we could get the product right, and get it out there, with people riding in it, we would be able to sell it globally. That has been the case.”
Ruroc hasn’t always been a data-driven company. Reporting went through the IT department and was notoriously slow. Worgan needed data to track performance to improve decision making so he brought his experience with Phocas over from his previous employer, and deployed the business intelligence software internally.
“It’s been an eye-opening experience for the founders,” said Worgan. “Phocas revolutionizes how we run the business.”
COVID-19 has shuttered thousands of retailers around the world, and consumers have moved to online shopping, which has benefited Ruroc. At the same time, as the virus broke out, Ruroc used Phocas to quickly drill down into sales by country, and plan its marketing activity in order to reach consumers when they are ready to buy.
“When a country goes on lock down, we have naturally noticed a drop off in sales for that market for 24-48 hours,” said Stuart Worgan, Finance Director for Ruroc. “On day three, we have seen a rebound, and that’s allowed us to be more targeted with our social media activity and online advertising. We use Phocas to track these sales trends, allowing us to be more proactive with our planning.”
The pandemic closed ski resorts around the world, and caused a significant drop in ski helmet sales. The motorcycle market is booming, however, as people are spending more time at home looking for opportunities to get out for a ride, or eagerly anticipating when they can.
“People are still going out on their bikes because they can do it alone, or the first thing they want to do when they can venture out is go for a ride,” said Worgan. “Having clear visibility with a few clicks into any sort of sales view, by product, country, time of day, city, as well as by accessory upsells, allows us to improve our marketing activities so that we can reach consumers when they’re ready to buy and get back on their bikes.”
