Gearing up for our season

• Fall is when shops start working “on” the business, not “in” the business
• For 25 years, without fail, our phone rings off the hook in the fall
• Gonna have a lot to talk about this year
• Always talking about websites, ecommerce, and Google search
• Point of sale is the center of a lot of our conversations
• BRAIN: 35% of shops are considering a change in POS in the next 12 months

We delivered for shops this summer

• Early adopters used all season
• Reviews have been great
  • Simple. Modern. Easy to use.
• Has the exact features most shops use
• Clients have great ideas that will make it even better
• Advantage of working with a smaller company like us
• We listen to our customers

Why we are the best choice

• Everything you need to streamline your bike shop
• 25 years of experience helping bike shops modernize
• Trusted by the entire bike industry
• Friendly and knowledgeable service by people that know the business of bikes
• No debate. We have the best data.
• Feature to feature we are very competitive
• Easy for everyone in the shop to use

What we have

• Everything you need to help a customer at the register
• Work orders to help you run a professional service department
• Better inventory management that companies like Square or Clover
• SMS text messaging built in
• Hands down the best supplier data integrated throughout the software
• Customer service you can count on

What to do if you want to learn more 

• Keep it simple
• Call us or request a demo
• No pressure. Want you to be informed.
• If you choose to sign up
  • Get you up and running fast with easy onboarding
  • A member of our team will be with you at every step

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

Ryan has a cool trip planned with friends on the Aquarius Trail hut to hut next week. 6 days in Southwest Utah with Nebraska friends and no logistics work required.

June retail sales PeopleforBikes

• Bright spot is inventory stabilizing across the channel
  • I’m joining a PeopleForBikes webinar later this month to discuss
• June is typically the high point for sales, but this year the month was very soft. 
• Bike shops were -11% in total sales dollars for the month
  • Bicycle sales -13% and unit sales were -17%
  • Higher unit prices and shift toward more expensive electric bikes
• Bike prices are still falling, but not at the same rate as unit sales. 
  • 29” wheel mountain and most road categories are showing some of the best price stability - likely a reflection of returning category health and new product releases. 
• Bicycle repairs are an essential revenue source for shops. June saw the highest YOY increase in bike shop service/repair dollars since 2020, but that’s paired with the lowest number of service orders in eight years. 
• While service departments are bringing in increased revenue, there’s a bit of caution mixed in as fewer bikes are likely being worked on. 
• Chart in the email tells a clear story on long term trends. Dealers need to join PeopleForBikes and start getting these monthly market reports.

August ecommerce results from Workstand

• Very good August for some (+11% compared to -2% in July)
• Better than July for most (-9% compared to -17% in July)
• Site traffic up all year, August best at +13%
• Trend continues - Order volume down and average order up
• Store pickup May-August 32,000 orders (lot of store traffic)

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

We often get wrapped up in the day-to-day, putting out fires type activities, and we don’t want this to sound preachy but, cycling competes with other consumer goods for attention and dollars so bike shops that don’t stay top of mind with the shoppers who have already done business with them are at a disadvantage but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Sometimes I’m sure we all wish it weren’t this way, there is a lot of communication but people who make meaningful purchases receive communication from the stores they shop with. So today’s question is, are you communicating with your key customers in the way Home Depot, Best Buy, and Nordstroms are?

Importance of regular outreach - not just during major promotional periods. 

Busy season or not, consistent outreach yields better results than only communicating when you want to sell something.

How?

Social - use an 80/20 or 90/10 rule - 90% engaging, interesting, community info - 10% promotional

Physical events - be at the places your customers are just to be there

Transactional emails - reach out based on the products and services your customers purchased from you - want to try our WorkstandIQ Loyalty program? Mention this episode and get 6 months free! 

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

Suzie is under the weather this week so Ryan and Mark take on recent issues affecting the retail bicycle landscape. We hope you feel better soon, Suzie!

Law firm focused on electric bike injuries

Electric Bike Library Content - included in all Workstand website subscriptions

Premium Electric Bike Content - included in our Marketing Subscription, available to all Workstand website clients for $400 per campaign.

Learn about People for Bikes

https://www.peopleforbikes.org/

NBDA Retailer & Supplier Best Practices panel discussions are worth checking out!

We are gathering data on bike shops to understand the market. We want to know for sure how many bike shops are operating.

Greed - why have some suppliers and retailers characterized themselves as greedy during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Ryan’s LinkedIn post of a BBC report from 1997

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

Tips for making your website your own. The closer your website aligns with your in-store presentation, the better. Shoppers generally meet your website before they visit the store so take an honest look at your site and answer the following question - is your website what you want to present to potential customers? Is it what you wouldn’t say to them if they were in your store? 

• Working with the included templates and theme editor
  • There are 7 templates to start with
  • Add your logo and set your brand colors
  • Local photos - you do not need a professional photographer
  • Local content - where to ride, staff, history, unique value proposition
  • Our Help Center has great tips and instruction and our Client Success Team can guide and train you in making updates
• Premium Themes - here’s something new we’ve come up with
  • Based on our popular Premium Content Packages
  • Semi-custom themes for a reasonable investment of $1,499 and can be completed in a week or less
  • Many to choose from with additional designs added each quarter
• Full Custom Design - as unique as your business
  • Design and content planning
  • Let your imagination run wild - take inspiration from other industries, websites, print, nature, anything
  • Project costs start around $3,000 and generally land between $4,000 - $8,000 (can be higher) and typically take 6 -8 weeks to complete

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

Welcome Around the Workstand!

Summit - we met as a team recently

• Big characters. Great culture.
• Aligned behind our purpose
• Awesome leadership team

Industry talk

• Trek D2C announcement
  • Expected evolution
  • Seems to be a relatively well thought out program
  • Unknown impact
  • Playbook - Have a great digital strategy
    • More important than ever
    • We’ve got you covered on technology and marketing
• June online results
  • Platform flat overall
    • Driven by Google advertisers and bike sales
  • Typical dealer down 8%
  • Site visits see continued growth over 2023 but slowing
  • Order volume remains down 13%
  • Offset by - Average order value up 16% compared to 2023
  • As expected strongest click and collect performance
    • 41% of orders
    • Roughly at 2019 levels
    • Down from COVID highs of 60%
    • Sign that the typical dealers are getting store traffic from orders
• Collision conference in CO
  • AI was everywhere
  • Clearly going to be impactful on business
  • Zero click search one of first areas of impact

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

As a fully remote company, Workstand teams try to get together in person once or twice yearly. This week is one of those times and our Client Services Team - Client Success, Catalog, and Business Development - will be meeting in Boulder, CO. We may be a little slower to respond than usual but it's for a good cause. Weeks such as these are always full of learning moments and great information that we take back to the clients we serve so we thank you for being patient during any inconvenience while we work to improve the services we provide.

Here's what Suzie and Mark talk about in today's episode.

Data dive - we gave you these stats, but what does that mean for you? 
-Google search trends
-Strong electric bike sales
Some report sales down - some report sales up
What’s working?
-Good website management 
-Email Marketing
-Google Ads

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

In this engaging episode, we dive into various topics from celebrating Pride Month to insights from the NBDA Retailer Summit. The conversation starts with a lively discussion about attending a drag show during Pride Month and the experience of embracing gender expression. The focus then shifts to the NBDA Retailer Summit, highlighting the successful collaboration between suppliers and retailers, with a key emphasis on financial competency and the importance of selling online.

NBDA Retailer Summit
Great support from suppliers, almost half of the attendees
Retailers of all sizes
Longtime supporters, plenty of fresh faces
About half of the presentations were from retailers
Learning from each other
Themes; understanding finances and selling online (all in D2C business)
My presentation on how suppliers think about retailers in the digital space
Standing room only
Good questions
A couple of dealers want to sign up based on the information

May platform results
Order volume across the Workstand platform was -14% for the month, the slowest performance of an already soft spring selling season.
Online bike sales however drove up average order value, resulting in total platform sales being +2%.
Sessions and pageviews continue their strong performance, indicating that consumers are shopping. Our traffic data aligns with Google search volume which has been reliably high this spring and steadily rose during May. 
A bright spot for the month is the typical retailer having their best month of the year, being only -2% for the month compared to -7% in April. Still lagging behind the top performers. 

Electric bikes online
I mentioned online bike sales earlier. It’s worth calling attention to electric bikes. 
Year-over-year online unit sales growth for e-bikes in April/May 2024 is strong at 60% relative to 2023. Electric bike buyers seem to be very comfortable buying their bikes online. 
We have total industry sales results from PeopleForBikes from Q1. While only about 2% of e-bikes sold by bike shops in Q1 2024 were sold online, the annual growth rate of 45% indicates it is outpacing total IBD electric bike sales - reinforcing that same point about consumers buying these bikes online. 

Lauren on the NBDA podcast
Lauren did a great job speaking to why the work of helping bike shops means so much to her and how that informs the work her department does.

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

During the episode where we tried to answer some common questions in a straightforward manner, one of those questions concerned the idea of what makes a good website homepage. We’ve been thinking about that since the episode and today, we want to help boil that answer down to a base level so that everyone can have the tools to identify good content.

This goes for websites, emails, and all sorts of marketing and communications really but the primary question to ask is ‘Am I answering a question or solving a problem?’

We often talk about how all shopping today starts with search. You want a thing or need a service so you search for that thing or service. SEO best practices suggest the content on your website will perform the best when/if it provides good results for those search queries - in other words, do you have those things on your website, do you offer those services? If the answer is yes, do those things exist in such a way as to be obvious and accessible to the searcher?

If someone walked into your store and did a quick scan or lap, would they see the same things on your homepage?
 
Your website is an extension of your brick-and-mortar business - it should look like it 

Make it easy for the searcher to find and consume the content and you make it easy for a search engine to recommend your website over and over again.

You might be asking yourself, does that mean that every single image or piece of content have to answer questions in this way? What about my blog? What about my Tuesday night worlds recap? What about the 1,000-word how-to article about rebuilding 8-speed Campy shifters? Just think about the utility of your content to the people you’d most likely hope to have in your store. Irrelevant content does nothing to help and can even hurt as a search engine will see that nobody uses it or worse, finds it and bounces away quickly.

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

Look back at April data and help share some actionable items for helping retailers capture more business 

• Ryan was back in Colorado last week and saw a lot of our team based out of there. We did a pinball happy hour on Thursday, a gravel ride on Friday, and went to the Supercross race in Denver on Saturday. 
• We are stoked about the big software enhancement we released last week. The product detail pages now have a super modern visual interface for customers to select size and color variations. The shopping experience is comparable to REI. We expect to see an increase in add to cart rates just in time for summer website traffic. 
• Looking at the bike industry, most retailers and suppliers are putting a lot of weight on the market performance in May. The spring was pretty erratic and we’re looking for stability entering the summer.
• Promising indicators coming out of April.
• Google search volume for bike shops has been steadily growing on an expected seasonal trend after a slowdown in March.
• Google search volume for “best bike” was at the highest level in the last 18 months in the first week in May. This is great news about consumer demand but it’s also noteworthy that volume for this term is outpacing “bike shop”. This consumer shift to online shopping is continuing - it isn’t going to retreat after COVID. The long term trend is holding, growing about 1% share of total retail sales every year. 
• April website traffic for bike shops using Workstand was up 9% over March and up 11% compared to last year.
• Average Order Value online in April was up 12.5% compared to last year as more consumers are buying bikes online.
• Paying attention to headlines about supplier financial health. Obviously Trek’s cutbacks earlier this year were eye opening but I trust that their leadership team is more than capable of managing through the situation. The news about Kona was more troubling because the company is up for sale. Kona is an important brand for our customers and I’m hoping that the right buyer comes in and stabilizes the company.

What’s coming up next 

• NBDA webinar with Suzie and Ryan this Friday
• Ryan attending the NBDA Retailer Summit next week
• Client Success Summit in June 

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

There are many things in life where clear-cut answers are difficult to come by. Websites and marketing certainly fall into this category. Do you ever wish someone would just tell you the answers? We will.

Today, based on our own experience - even if you only consider us, Suzie and Mark, that is a combined 20 years here at Workstand working with bicycle retailers all over North America - and with as little bias as we can muster, we’ll just tell you the answers to some common yet confusing questions we often hear.

Direct and simple, ready?

The one we hear the most often - SEO - how can I do better in search?

I’m a local business, why should I sell online? I want people to come to my store and I don’t want to encourage them to shop online.

Why should I pay for ads? Why should I pay Workstand to run my ads?

Does my homepage look good? Is my homepage effective? We don’t hear these questions often enough. 🙂 Request your Complimentary Website Review by the Workstand Client Success Team

Can you help my website perform better without adding additional costs?

The admin navigation has moved since we published this video on how to streamline communications but the info is still valuable and relevant. Use the admin site search to find things that may have moved around.

What am I paying Workstand for in my subscription? I don’t use all the features in my subscription/what could I be taking advantage of more effectively?

Puppies or kittens? Well both, of course.

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

Ryan joins Suzie and Mark for our monthly industry update. This time around, it's also a quarterly update and we look at results and trends thus far in 2024. Ryan tells us about the Bicycle Leadership Conference (BLC) he recently attended and where his travels will take him in the coming months on behalf of all at Workstand.

BLC
300 bicycle industry leaders in attendance 
Pragmatic about inventory and optimistic outlook 
Inventory situation, talking heads too critical of bike suppliers
Strong consumer sales paired with dealer Just In Time (JIT) orders means wholesale velocity is picking up
Electric bike maturing, growth in transportation
Data presentation
Outstanding service award - Ryan accepts an award on behalf of Workstand! Yay us.

Q1
Ecommerce growth +10% across our platform, February strongest at approximately 22% YoY
Order volume off, with Average Order Volume up double digits
Bike discounts driving sales, especially from Specialized (big traffic increase)
Overall traffic is up every month in Q1
Top performers still driving, typical dealer -3% for the quarter

Google Search Index
General consumer interest in bikes steady with last year
Specifically “bike shop” is a bit softer YTD
That has been the general trend, but learn more as the season develops when “bike shop” volume increases
All search volume has been spiking dramatically on March weekend
It's important to win search, must have products online as consumers shift away from channel-specific search
Electric bike search volume outperforming general terms

More travel for Ryan and team
Our team at Sea Otter meeting with suppliers - look for Matt Lolli and Chris Gardner from our Supplier Team
Speaking at NBDA retailer summit in May
Collision Technology Summit in June

Questions this week:
Q: When will the Workstand POS be able to replace Lightspeed?
That’s not our goal but ...
For many retailers it can today, even if some of the features are lean we are enhancing them rapidly
Perfect fit for our initial target market, merchants with a more outdated POS

Q: Do I have to pay for Google Ads to show up in local search results?
No. Your product pages and location pages in particular are optimized for organic and if you maintain your website properly then the content you create should perform well.

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

We talk a lot about marketing and selling by way of great websites, Google Ads, email marketing, and more but this week is different. This week we want to point out that stores shouldn't hard sell all the time. One of the best things a store can do to build long-term value within their community is to meet consumers where they are and help them find value in bikes, riding, and being a part of a healthy and fun-oriented community. That means that in addition to catalog-enabled, commerce-focused websites, merchants should be offering content aimed at helping riders get the most out of their bikes and the bike riding community. Workstand offers so much to help with that! Library pages, brand-supported landing pages, Premium Content Packages, and easy tools to build whatever type of page content is needed. Winning search starts with providing content your customers (and prospective customers) find valuable. Sales follow.

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

The band is back together! Ryan is back and will join us each month to share key takeaways from current inventory data,  talk about big-picture topics in our industry, and answer your questions.

Higher total sales amounts (by the dollar) in 2023 but lower total unit sales

• The most recent report from PeopleForBikes provided some summary information about 2023. Last year’s market value was nearly $1 billion over pre-pandemic markets. A lot of people rightly point to the dollar growth coming from a higher average selling price, meaning dollar growth is outpacing units. 
• 4% decrease compared to 2022 but a 7% increase over 2019
•  Electric bikes now make up 20% of total bike sales.

What’s happening now?

• Look at more recent data, we're paying careful attention to the December through February data. Important key metrics have turned the corner across the network. 
• Total online sales are up about 11% and site traffic is up about 10%. 
• Most of 2023 was down relative to the prior 12 months but that trajectory is changing.

What are the areas of growth in our industry? What’s doing well?

• A lot of the growth we're seeing is coming from bikes - largely electric, 29" mountain, and sport/performance road. 
• Heavy discounts in those categories is achieving the intended result of increasing total dollar sales volume.
• Interestingly, discounts in sport/performance road are actually driving up the ASP for bikes in the category. 

But who’s doing well?

• While the largest dealers continue to drive most of our sales volume, in February we saw the first significant uptick for the small and medium sized retailers. 

Crystal ball time - how is 2024 looking? Can we make any predictions? 

• Sizing up the IBD channel right now suggests that 2024 is going to be a tough year. Google Search Data, ridership data, and the sales of consumables like chains and nutrition indicate that people are interested in and riding bikes. 
• Retailers on the whole are running their businesses pragmatically and relying on just in time ordering to stay flexible. 

Okay, you’ve taken us through a number of ups and downs…how can retailers take action to make a positive impact on their sales? 

• My one piece of advice to our customers is to stay very active with your marketing. 

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

In this engaging episode, we had a lively conversation with Julie Walsh, our marketing strategist at WorkStand, discussing the Spring Marketing Playbook. Julie shared insightful tips and tricks for preparing your business for the spring selling season. We delved into the importance of cleaning up your website, updating settings, and ensuring a fresh, spring-like feel to attract customers. Recommendations included activating the shopping cart feature and utilizing Google Local Shopping Ads to boost sales.

https://blog.workstand.com/spring-2024-marketing-playbook
https://workstand.com/help/google-shopping

We touched on the significance of automated post-purchase email campaigns and maintaining consistent communication with customers through newsletters and engaging social media content. Julie emphasized the value of simplifying content, making it visually appealing, and ensuring it aligns with the brand's personality.

Additionally, we explored the role of incorporating brand content, such as product launches or collaborations, to enhance your website's appeal and keep customers informed about new arrivals. The conversation highlighted the ease of implementing pre-designed content to give your website a fresh look without overwhelming yourself with intricate details.

As we wrapped up, we encouraged listeners to explore the available resources on our website, engage with our marketing agency for personalized guidance, and stay tuned for future episodes where we'll have our President, Ryan, back to share his industry insights. Julie's expertise and practical advice provided a comprehensive guide to revamping your marketing strategy for the upcoming season.

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

Workstand was invited to present this week at the NBDA P2 Group meeting. We were both there along with Lauren Webb, our Agency Director, and Matt Viara, our Paid Search Team Manager, and we talked about ways to improve ecommerce performance. There were some great questions and conversations so we thought we’d hit the highlights of that meeting today.

Custom Websites - it’s about more than just design

• Content Planning
  • Organic Search
  • Paid Search Destination
• Sales metric improvements
  • Average Order Value
  • Revenue Per Session
  • Conversion Rate
  • In-store traffic and sales

Data Management

• What if my Point of Sale data isn’t great?
• Would it make more sense to manage website inventory manually?
• Does all that supplier data clutter up the shopping experience?

Point of Sale

• Why did we build ours and who do we expect will use it?
• POS doesn’t have to be complicated.

Tech Tip: If you’re already a Workstand website client, our POS features are live in your admin now. Take a look, particularly at how simply an in-store sale can be yet how powerful with all of your suppliers on tap. Check out your Template Publisher and Theme Editor to personalize your look. Let’s talk about custom if you want to go from personalized to customized. Finally, how are you performing relative to those metrics we talked about? 

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

The beginning of the New Year is always a time of reflection, goal setting, and transformation. It’s a great time to look at your website the same you may be looking at your life, career, fitness, etc.

We can break this process down into 5 different phases:

• Step 1: Goal setting
• Step 2: Review
• Step 3: Plan
• Step 4: Train
• Step 5: Promote 

1. Goal setting
   1. Look over your sales, marketing, processes, and important areas of your business to set attainable goals for 2024/2025.
   2. Sales growth, category growth, marketing performance, marketing cadence, add-on sales.
      1. DELEGATE - get multiple opinions, don’t be afraid to get creative.
2. Review your website  - this can seem like a like but if we focus on your website as the place to ground your goals, everything else can work around it. You’ll have an accurate representation of your business, an effective link destination, and a place to attract new customers while you sleep/work in your store, etc.
   1. Look and feel
   2. Catalog 
   3. Merchandising
   4. Services
   5. Community, staff, mission, etc. - what’s important to you, the fun stuff, what sets you apart
   6. The shopping process
3. Plan - break up this work into smaller pieces 
   1. Reach out for help - your team, customers, friends, US!
   2. Tip: start with the homepage - this can help guide the rest of your decisions or areas of focus.
4. Train - make sure your whole team is on board and has the tools/knowledge to help you achieve your goals.
5. Promote - you did all this work, you set the goals, and you’re motivated to bring in new business - now take an active role in growing your business.
   1. Build an easy-to-follow marketing schedule 
   2. Utilize tools you're comfortable with but also take this opportunity to try new technology, services, and outlets
      1. Traditional email marketing, social media, automated email marketing, google ads/local listings 

Tech tip: Leverage pre-built content from the library

• Working on, revamping, or redesigning your website can be overwhelming when you’re learning but a great way to lighten your load is by using complementary content.
• Use the structure, the images, or the inspiration - swap out what doesn’t fit your business and your goa

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

Welcome to a new year! It’s the beginning of our 25th Anniversary as a company.

Fraud is a constant topic of concern for our merchants. Just because Christmas has passed doesn’t mean there isn’t still potential for chargebacks related to those sales. Coming out of a heavy holiday sales season, let’s look at how you can protect your business without losing too many sales going forward. How can you document your processes and support your team in a way that ensures the best chance of dealing with fraud effectively?

Here's our Limiting Fraud Help Center Article

• Common types of fraud
  • Stolen cards/card numbers
  • Returns of altered products
  • Friendly Fraud - it isn’t really
• Understanding the landscape and the risk - it’s not all bad, almost all transactions are legitimate
  • How your ecommerce setup can help or contribute to fraudulent transactions
  • Just because an order makes it through Stripe, PayPal, or any provider doesn’t mean it is guaranteed to be a legitimate transaction
  • What to look for in orders that should make you suspicious
  • What to do if suspect an order is fraudulent
    • Google the address
    • Call the phone number
  • Orders for pick up in-store can be fraud too
    • Process for verifying orders/identity
    • Document and display your procedures
    • Support your staff if you want them to support you
• Credit card processor/gateway fraud measures and notifications vs Workstand’s own efforts
• Merchants are ultimately responsible and left holding the bag
• Ask for help. There is nothing we or any provider can do to prevent 100% of the fraud or guarantee an order is legitimate but we will review orders with you, and share insight based on our experience.
• Tech Tip: Determine your procedures for dealing with fraud and document it. Train your team on those procedures and support them in dealing with customers. Remember, they may be dealing with brazen criminals and that isn’t easy. If they don’t feel like the owner and management have their back, there isn’t much incentive to uphold the procedures.
• What’s coming up next? What’s new for 2024? Our marketing packages have been enhanced to deliver more value, new Google local ads management package

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

Barbara Wiesner has been with Workstand for nearly 18 years. She knows more of our clients and more of our clients know her than anyone else who works at Workstand. Barbara has done a little bit of everything at the company, from the relatively early SmartEtailing days until today, she is a leader who is adept at helping both our teams and our clients succeed.

Remember all those meetings at Interbike? Barbara does. She met with clients for years and helped wrangle all that trade show madness to ensure we were able to visit, face to face, with as many SmartEtailing/Workstand merchants as possible.

What would Workstand today be like without Barbara? Well, let's all be glad we haven't had to find out.

See you around the Workstand!

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

Suzie got a new bike and other completely expected events. We're in the final days before the big holiday. Be sure your website is ready for last-minute shoppers.

• I bought a bike from my local bike shop! Happy holidays to me.
  • Just like Workstand, I don’t play favorites…
  • https://workstand.com/request-a-brand
  • Other brand updates in our monthly update blog + quarterly brands and supplier newsletter 
• Final holiday push ideas
  • Last minute gifts 
  • Gifts in store and ready to pick up today
  • Staff picks
  • Gifts under $50/$25
  • Gifts to show your love - small, safety-oriented stocking stuffers - lights, bells, mirrors, fun reflective items 
  • Kids’ bikes 
• Make sure you have your post-holiday plan in place
  • Lots of News Years and winter complimentary content is live in your page library
    • Resolutions, winter riding, snow sports 
• What’s next from Around the Workstand
  • Client Success Team leader, Barbara Wiesner will join us next week, December 19th.
  • Off the 26th and 2nd
  • We’ll see you again on January 9th!
• Tech Tip: Financing options - the option to budget a large purchase can often be the difference between checking out and abandoning the cart. Use Klarna and/or PayPal financing to raise your conversion rate and average order value.
• Catalog sections - be sure you’re getting the results you expect and don’t over do it with selection parameters.

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

Inventory visibility online - a quick primer - What is SEO and Organic Search and what is SEM and paid search?

• When we work with merchants to help grow sales, we think about two high-level ideas concerning website traffic - Organic/SEO and Paid Search/SEM
• Organic/SEO is working on the website’s content in order to be an attractive option for a search engine to choose when someone searches for a particular topic. It’s what the website does to draw in traffic.
  • Quality content
    • What represents your business, people, products, services, and community…
  • Active management of the website
    • Homepage merchandising - well-maintained websites perform well and are easy to navigate/shop
      • How often? Hero, monthly. The entire homepage, consider seasonally. 
    • Catalog maintenance - at least monthly?
  • Ancillary, off-site activity
    • Google My Business, Social platforms
• Paid Search/SEM is, as the name suggests, paid for so that a business has a better opportunity than Organic search to win a high-intent shopper
  • We primarily work in Google Ads
  • Product and/or Awareness focus
• I said two but those two together end up producing a third hybrid opportunity - free shopping ads on Google
  • Must have your data so setting up Google Merchant Center is required and providing Google with a compliant product data feed is also required - luckily, your Workstand website does this for you.
  • You have no control over the products that show or where they show up - Google algorithms handle all of that
• Tech Tip: Enable Google Shopping
  • Settings > Marketing > Google Shopping
  • Deal with the beast that is Google Merchant Center or let us help

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

How’s the holiday selling season going? This is a good time to assess your success so far and make changes if needed.

• Feeling great! Sales have been strong.
  • Perhaps no further sales or discounts are in order
  • Keep the website up to date, use a gift guide or homepage sections to call out what’s available, but hold pricing
  • Hold all proactive marketing as is - do not decrease that activity as it’s likely a large part of why things have gone well so far
  • Be sure all external marketing has clear calls to action and paths back to your website. Social, email, print, et al
  • Decide your hours heading into the final stretch and be sure they are updated on all platforms.
• Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Small Business Saturday were not so great. We need more!
  • Get a sale configured and installed on your website now!
    • POS pricing updated
    • Prominent homepage messaging leaning on sale pricing, free add-ons, free shipping, upgrades, and anything that can spur action
    • Focus heavily on what is available in the store now for purchase
    • Promote convenience. We have this now, ready for pickup. We will hold all purchases until December X, at 4 pm to help maintain the element of surprise
  • Increase your proactive marketing efforts
    • If you’re sending one promotional email each month, send two (or 4)
    • Increase the frequency of social media posting
    • Be sure all external marketing has clear calls to action and paths back to your website. Social, email, print, et al
    • Assign someone to monitor and respond to all inquiries - phone, email, FB messenger, Instagram, TikTok messages
    • Increase your paid ads budget and use that to reach more buyers with the intent to purchase
• Tech Tip: Get help. You know how you think of most home bike mechanic’s work, right? Well, that’s often how marketing looks when a busy business owner tries to learn a new thing in the busiest time of the year in hopes of somehow becoming a marketing expert overnight. The results often end up looking like that derailleur with the limit screws cranked down or missing, all jammed in the spokes with the chain hopelessly wedged between the chainrings and the frame. Let someone help you. Let us help you.

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

This week, we are discussing the upcoming holiday season and the importance of retailers preparing for it. We mention holidays such as Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Small Business Saturday. It's crucial for businesses to take action during this time, as there is a higher sales volume compared to other months. We highlight the high intent to buy during this season and the potential for increased conversion rates and revenue per session.

To effectively prepare for the holiday season, we break down the discussion into categories of who, what, when, where, and how. Starting with the importance of seasonally relevant homepage merchandising, we emphasize the need to communicate who you are and why customers should shop with you. It's essential to have holiday content on your website, such as a gift guide or information about sales. Updating other sections of your website to be more seasonally relevant, like discussing winter bike maintenance, can also attract customers.

Customers appreciate businesses that have consistent and clearly stated holiday hours and closures. Therefore, it's essential to update your website and other platforms like Google My Business and Facebook with accurate information. 

Providing a tech tip, we suggest using start and end dates to schedule content on the website, ensuring that the right content is displayed at the right time. For businesses needing assistance, we offer our help through our success team and agency subscriptions for website maintenance needs. We also note that we can help with one-time projects or temporary relief of duties, even if a business is not interested in a subscription. Businesses are encouraged to reach out to us for support, and we mention that all the information is available in our Help Center.

In conclusion, we extend our wishes for a Happy Thanksgiving and express our willingness to see everyone around the work stand.

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

Let’s get to the basics Around the Workstand - your website, what you’re presenting to the shopping public, why it matters (search, conversion, credibility)

• Your website is the cornerstone of your marketing, the first thing most new customers see about your business, and how it is presented determines to a large extent what you will sell (or not sell) online AND in your store. Get it right!
• If you aren’t displaying what matters to you, what value proposition your store offers, what services you offer, products consumers care about, you just can’t win search and you can’t matter to most consumers.
• The goal is to win searches - for every person who just decides to wander into a store and see what’s there, there are hundreds or even thousands who never saw or considered a store because they have poor or no search visibility. Google matters.
• When consumers do find your website, will they be impressed and convinced of your professionalism? A catalog full of products with prices and availability BUT no way to purchase them is a gigantic roadblock and likely a red flag to shoppers. They won’t just decide to drive down to your store to find out if they can buy what they want, they’ll simply move on to a result that offers what they want in the way they want it.
• What to do. 
  • Ensure your website is shoppable in a sensible way. Categories grouped, navigation is simple and intuitive, catalog is accurate, services are clear, and pricing and availability are clear for everything you offer. 
  • All content should look good on all devices.
  • Payment options and delivery options should be as plentiful as you can manage.
  • Ask for help. Our Client Success team will help with training and pointing you in the right direction. Our Marketing Agency team will simply do the work for you.
    • Complimentary site review - https://workstand.com/website-review
• Tech Tip: I think today’s tip is to do all that stuff we just talked about. Do it now. It will make you money.

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...

• If you haven’t checked out our last 2 episodes with our guests Lauren and Alex, please do. They are fun and informative.
• Who would you like to hear from next? Which part of Workstand are you curious about? We’ll do our best to get a guest to match.
• Content is coming out of our ears!
  • All complimentary content is live in your Page Library
    • Here's the How To video that explains where to find and how to install Library Content.
  • Partner created content 
    • Trek Project One https://libpreview2.smartetailing.net/page.cfm?pageid=5148&contentType=1&preview=1
    • Santa Cruz V10 - launches today 
    • Specialized Holiday Promotion - https://workstand.com/specialized-holiday-2023
    • More on the way from Giant, Cannondale - keep an eye on your inbox!
• Tuesday marketing tip: Let’s talk more about holidays
  • Start talking about it now
  • Make sure your products are easy to find - homepage sections (hero, product carousel, etc) google local listings, email marketing 
  • Not sure what to promote in marketing? If I came into your store looking for a gift, what would you recommend? 
• Tech Tip(s): Using the complimentary library content - start and end dates, use them when and where to save time/mistakes - Google Local Listings!

Be sure to email your questions to podcast@workstand.com. We read all emails sent and we look forward to hearing from you.

If you're a Workstand client with questions about your subscription, email support@workstand.com or call 303-527-0676 x 1. If you are not currently a Workstand client with questions about how our programs work, email info@workstand.com.

Find Us on LinkedIn
Ryan Atkinson, President + Co-Owner
Suzie Livingston, Marketing + Communications
Mark Still, Business Development

We also publish Around the Workstand on our YouTube channel if you'd like to watch while you listen. Here is our Around the Workstand playlist.

If you have any questions about the topics discussed in this episode of Around the Workstand or if you have ideas for new topics we can cover, schedule a time to meet with Mark Still here or email mark.s@works...