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“What can be challenging sometimes is [that] digital appears as an opportunity, but there are so many moving pieces behind the scenes.
It's taking the skill sets that have worked, new requirements that the digital business might need, and having some candid discussions amongst key team members to make sure that we're using resources efficiently in the right ways and making sure that as that wheel is moving, all of those wheels are moving in one continuous direction.”
— Zach Rubin, Director of Ecommerce and Marketplace, Zephyr
When you’re asking consumers to make a high-end purchase, delivering a seamless digital experience is a must.
Zephyr, which manufactures smartly designed range hoods, refrigerators, and beverage coolers, has mastered the art of digital. The company’s website is just as well-designed as its products, giving consumers all the information and imagery they need to make an informed buying decision.
Zach Rubin, director of ecommerce and marketplace at Zephyr, joined a recent episode of the “Unpacking the Digital Shelf” podcast, “Small but Mighty Team: Standing Out on the Digital Shelf,” to share how Zephyr has built its digital operation and the company’s three-ingredient recipe for success.
Zephyr was focused on delivering an omnichannel experience even before 2020, but like many businesses, the pandemic caused the company to ramp up these efforts.
“When COVID hitm and storefronts were closed and traditional ways of doing business had changed, our team was ultimately left with the question of does our current online presence on marketplaces and on other sites accurately represent who our brand is, what products we offer, and the value behind those products?” Rubin says.
Zephyr decided to bring all these channels in house, own its online experience, and build its digital team. Rubin likens Zephyr’s digital operations to a hub-and-spoke model, where the company’s digital team is the hub of the wheel, and all the cross-functional teams that support it are the spokes.
After Zephyr created its digital team, this group and Zephyr’s cross-functional teams initially focused on how to leverage all the information from the company’s point-of-sale (POS) and legacy systems to better support data governance and market expansion. Rubin says this process has required a “full team effort.”
“It's really been that wheel that's been in motion the entire time, making sure that all of those key stakeholders along the way are supporting that growth, but also getting an understanding of the processes along the way,” he says.
As part of its digital transformation, Zephyr has learned that you can’t build a seamless digital experience without the right people.
Rubin says one of the reasons Zephyr’s digital team has been so successful is because it includes people with digital shelf experience and those who have deep institutional knowledge of the business. Sadie Escamilla, an ecommerce specialist at Zephyr, is a prime example of this.
Escamilla previously worked on the operations side of the business and had been at Zephyr for about four years when the company started building its digital team. Today, Escamilla is in charge of managing new product content, updates across retailer platforms, ongoing merchandising enhancements, and retailer follow-through.
“Sadie's been really instrumental in helping us to get to where we are today because she has a lot of institutional knowledge,” Rubin says. “What Sadie really provided was the understanding for the way that the company worked and an understanding of the personnel, the resources, and the opportunity that the company had, piggybacked with her attitude of ‘there's so much more room for opportunity.’”
Zephyr has used what it has learned over the last three years to optimize its digital experience. Rubin says the company’s “recipe for success” includes three key ingredients: foundational basics, enablers, and accelerants.
Foundational basics are the starter elements an organization needs to begin its ecommerce journey.
These starter elements include having a full assortment on your website, competitive pricing, inspirational merchandising, and reliable inventory and back-order information to set realistic customer expectations. Imagery is also essential.
Zephyr relies on high-quality lifestyle photography and videos to inspire customers and help them imagine its products in their home. Along with content, people and processes are just as critical. Rubin says Zephyr has a dedicated account contact who serves as a liaison between the company and its retail partners and identifies new growth opportunities.
He adds that maintaining a low-incidence rate is another important foundational basic.
“There's nothing worse in drop ship when you get a product that you purchased, you've been waiting for it, you're super excited about it and it shows up damaged,” he says. “Make sure that you continue to invest in different areas to provide structural integrity to your drop ship packages and ultimately provide a happier customer experience.”
Enablers encompass two core elements: quick shipping and what Zephyr calls “the why behind the buy.” The company offers one- to two-day shipping on most of its products and focuses on optimizing enhanced content.
"We call it the 'why behind the buy,' but personally, I like to call it our own little digital salesperson for the PDP [product detail page] … It's an opportunity to bridge the gap between the experience that customers have in store when they can ask questions, and online when they're looking for just a little bit more information to get over the edge before they convert on that product."
— Zach Rubin, Director of Ecommerce and Marketplace, Zephyr
Accelerants are the last ingredient in Zephyr's success recipe. Companies only can get to this stage once they've mastered the foundational basics and begun to optimize these areas of the business.
"Accelerants are really how do we put the fuel behind the fire?" Rubin says.
Zephyr accomplishes this with promotions to increase its visibility, such as end-cap opportunities, mail-in rebates, and gift-with-purchase offers. It also tailors campaign strategies for specific digital touch points, whether it's running sponsored product ads, purchasing sponsored keywords, sponsored shops, or onsite and offsite targeting.
Rubin adds that market and international expansion can be accelerants for many brands.
"Maybe you're only selling domestically here in the U.S., and there may be an opportunity in the Canadian market," he says. "Those are some really great accelerant opportunities to bring your business to the next level."
Zephyr has built an effective digital operation in just a few years, but it's possible for other brands to do the same. Forging better partnerships with retailers will be critical for brands in 2023, as collaborating more closely can help both brands and retailers uncover new growth opportunities, Rubin says.
"It may sound overly simplistic, but it's the truth. It may involve leveling up discussions in 2023. It may involve resetting a certain meeting cadence that you have." he says. "If you think something's a good idea and you get a hard no, think of alternatives and provide them recommendations. Again, that standing meeting is the jump-off point, not only to collaborate but also to hold everyone accountable and ultimately to develop a plan and execute it together."
To hear more of Rubin's insights on how to build a digital team and deliver a seamless digital experience, listen to the full episode.
