eCommerce Strategy, Audit & Research for Luxury Gourmet Brand

Overview

Bateel International is a renowned luxury gourmet brand in the Middle East, operating two distinct ventures: Café Bateel, with 25 restaurants across three countries, and Bateel Boutiques, featuring 47 gourmet retail boutiques in 14 countries. With a workforce exceeding 2,000 employees and a robust corporate structure, Bateel exemplifies luxury and quality. As a Product Manager Consultant and eCommerce subject matter expert, I was tasked with conducting an audit, researching, and crafting a comprehensive eCommerce strategy, which I presented to top management after three months of rigorous work.



Photo from one of the boutiques in Dubai

Challenge

The brand asked me to conduct a study to see if entering the eCommerce world is a good idea. This includes choosing between local or global markets, figuring out what technology is needed, what kind of team we need to build, how much money to invest, potential sales, and what marketing is necessary.

My Journey 

My project journey can be divided into three main phases:

1. Audit of digital estate, GA analytics, CRM, existing technical solutions, social networks, SEO, marketing, UX, Design, Copywriting, etc.
2. Stakeholder Engagement: communication with the company's stakeholders to understand their needs, collect feedback, identify potential risks, and gain insights on how to effectively incorporate eCommerce into existing business operations. 
3. Crafting the eCommerce strategy based on findings and insights.

Phase 1: Comprehensive Audit

Scope of Deliverables

1. Competitive Analysis: Identifying competitors, conducting SWOT analyses, and evaluating market positions using tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush and SimilarWeb.
2. Target Market Analysis: CRM, GA, Customer Interview, studying EU trading reports.
3. Communication Channels Review: Analyzing current platforms, social media accounts, and public brand/product reviews, based on it providing actionable recommendations.
4. Customer Acquisition Cost Analysis: Utilizing Google Analytics, and Google Ads bids to determine breakeven points, and analyse conversion rate per top pages and page types.
5. CRM Evaluation: Assessing scalability, flexibility, and security aspects of the current systems.
6. Website UI/UX Audit: Investigating user experience and conversion obstacles through analytics and real-time behaviour analysis and also, analyses of value contributions from various pages.



Phase 2: Stakeholder Engagement and Insight Generation

This crucial step focused on deeply understanding the company's culture and operations. My method involved:

1. Interviews and Workshops: Arranging meetings with key department members to discuss their expectations, concerns, and hopes for eCommerce.
2. Synthesising Business Insights: Examining Bateel's operations to pinpoint where eCommerce could integrate smoothly, improving service delivery.
3. Assessing Risks and Gathering Needs: Conducting a thorough risk analysis and collecting detailed requirements to establish a strong foundation for the eCommerce strategy. This included reviewing current processes, identifying shortcomings, and planning improved workflows with eCommerce.
4. Promoting Team Collaboration: Emphasising the need for cooperation across departments to align the eCommerce strategy with the company’s overall objectives, ensuring support from all sides.

Phase 3: Crafting the eCommerce Strategy

The strategy was built around key performance indicators, multilingual website considerations, content planning, and detailed technical and marketing recommendations. After careful consideration, Magento 2 was selected for its customisable nature, meeting Bateel's complex requirements more effectively than other platforms like Shopify. 

Deliverables: a comprehensive 5-year strategy consisting of about 150+ pages.

• Market Analysis
• Competitors Research
• SEO Research
• UX Research
• eCommerce Trends
• Unit Economics
• Breakeven Points Calculations
• Customer Communication Channels
• Content Strategy
• Multi-language Store Setup and SEO Strategy for International Markets
• Retention Strategy and Loyalty Program
• Upsell & Cross-sell Strategy
• Email Marketing Plan
• Re-marketing Campaigns Across Different Channels
• Overall eCommerce OKRs
• Steps-by-step Actionable Plan for eCommerce Strategy Implementation

Result

The board's endorsement of my digital strategy signalled their confidence in its success, kickstarting Bateels digital transformation journey. Entrusted with spearheading this project, I dedicated four years to its realisation, a journey I've chronicled in 'Building D2C eCommerce Brand.' Today, this strategy continues to drive the brand forward, contributing to an impressive annual growth of at least 35% in eCommerce sales.

This case study demonstrates my analytical and strategic skills and underscores my ability to guide a significant digital transformation within eCommerce. Are you ready to propel your brand into its digital future?

Let's Make Your Brand Shine. Click 'Get in Touch' to schedule a discovery call and start your brand's digital transformation journey with me.