Evans are the UK’s largest specialist cycle retailer. In order to achieve their social business goals they have set up programmes for customers and employees.
One of these programmes includes “Ride it and Rate it”, a consumer review programme that allows staff to assist customers to make better choices about their purchases.
They also launched the "Ride It" blog, a space for staff to share their passion for cycling through social content.
Read this case study to discover how Evans have become a well-rounded social business.
2. • UK’s largest specialist cycle retailer
• Founded in 1921
• Currently employing over 1,000 employees
• Turnover of over £75 million
• 46 stores throughout UK
• No social media activity prior to June 2010
• Social commerce key sales channel since 2010
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3. Evans Cycles social business aims
What does Evans Cycles want to achieve?
Allowing customers
Getting customers Being open to
to make better
more involved in the feedback with
purchasing and
product transparent reviews
maintenance choices
Demonstrate
Foster customers’
employees passion
passion for cycling
for cycling
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4. Social business programmes
How are departments across the organisation involved in the programme?
“Ride it and Rate it” MARKETING
• Consumer review
programme
HR SALES
• Assist customers to make
better choices about their
purchases
• Invites positive and
negative feedback on a
public forum
• On-site consumer reviews,
PRODUCT
shared through social B2B SALES
PLANNING
channels
• Core focus of the brand’s
blog content strategy CUSTOMER
SERVICE
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5. Social business programmes
How are departments across the organisation involved in the programme?
MARKETING
Social customer service
• @askevanscycles
dedicated customer HR SALES
service Twitter account
• Implemented social media
engagement tool to
manage workflow and
collaborate between
teams
PRODUCT
• Customer service staff B2B SALES
PLANNING
trained in social media
engagement
CUSTOMER
SERVICE
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6. Social business programmes
How are departments across the organisation involved in the programme?
Staff riders MARKETING
• Evans Cycles staff sharing
their passion for cycling
HR SALES
through social content
• Requirement for all staff
to have a passion for
cycling
• Blog posts on the “Ride It”
blog
• Staff members’ cycling
PRODUCT
activity monitored and B2B SALES
PLANNING
shared via Strava
• Staff tips videos shared via
YouTube CUSTOMER
SERVICE
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7. Social business programmes
How are departments across the organisation involved in the programme?
Social customer insight
MARKETING
• Internal stakeholder
research
• Customer-led approach, to HR SALES
understand how Evans
Cycles can be useful to
their customers
• Asking customers what
they want and need
• Analyse customer Q&As to
inform product copy PRODUCT
B2B SALES
• Analyse engagement rates PLANNING
to optimise posting
frequency and content/
CUSTOMER
sales messaging balance SERVICE
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8. Organisational culture and approach
What values and approach did Evans Cycles need to adopt to make it happen?
Shared business goals
• Defined first what social media means to the business
Flexibility
• Instilled a test and learn culture to understand what works (or doesn’t) with their audience
Openness
• Open to share positive and negative feedback from customers
Meaning
• Staff are encouraged to share their passion for cycling, and celebrate customer passion
Customer-centric
• Consumer insights key in understanding how Evans Cycles can offer value and be useful to customers
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9. “Our view is that anything that lets consumers make a
better choice about products - be it blogs, Facebook,
reviews on retailers sites, whatever the next big thing is
etc - is a good thing. And it will only move more in this
direction as more consumers turn to their networks
and search to make better purchasing decisions. That's
why our efforts in blogging focus on getting real
customers to review products through our Ride it and
rate it programme”
Will Lockie, Evans Cycles
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10. References
" Christer Holloman
The Social Media MBA: Your Competitive Edge in
Social Media Strategy Development and Delivery
" Actionly
Social Story: Evans Cycles shares how to engage with
customers online
" Business 2 Community
Revisiting the Cliché, “The Customer Is Always Right”
" Useful Social Media
The power of social reviews: it’s good to share
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