Find out how a coat and jacket boutique like Bohemian Traders managed to become one of the largest fashion retailers in Australia. This by choosing to migrate to BigCommerce, thus doubling the amount of data.
- Annual revenue growth of 166%
- Customer growth of 309%
- More than 17,000 orders processed
La success story de Bohemian Traders
It all started when Emily Berlach, founder and creative director of Bohemian Trader, found a custom-made bohemian jacket online. She contacted the store to purchase it, however, it was out of stock.
The store had no plans to restock, so Emily looked for another supplier online. However, she discovered that the minimum purchase quantity was 10 jackets. Having still 9 jackets in her possession, she launched her online store on the BigCartel platform. Then, she promoted the jacket on her blog (The Beetle Shack), and sold them all in just 2 hours.
After 3 years, several failures of its BigCartel online site, a failed migration to Volusion, annual growth of 166% on BigCommerce, more than 500 products in its catalog, thousands of references and 10,000 customers, Bohemian Traders is one of the most coveted online fashion and clothing brands in Australia.
And this is just the beginning for Emily and her team!
“With BigCommerce, everything is easy to use. It’s intuitive but also scalable.” David Berlach, CEO of Bohemian Traders
Today we invite you to discover the history of Bohemian Traders and its evolution through the words of its CEO, David Berlach.
A platform that evolves by 166% per year.
“The business started on the BigCartel platform as a simple hobby, in addition to what Emily was already creating on her blog. As it developed, it became clear that we were going to need a more comprehensive platform. The BigCartel site was starting to malfunction and no longer met our needs due to our rapid growth.
We then decided on Volusion, but it quickly became apparent that their system was outdated and there were a lot of things that were impossible for us to do but seemed easy enough on other platforms like BigCommerce and Shopify.
In addition, we therefore began to study the different options, in particular between BigCommerce and Shopify. We did some research and ultimately chose BigCommerce primarily for its ease of scalability. Indeed, we did not want to register on a platform that we would have to change again.
Our goal now is to continue our rapid growth without burning ourselves out too much, so to speak. Without a doubt, it has been incredibly exciting. Since our first day in business, we've grown 166% annually and some of that growth can definitely be attributed to the move to BigCommerce. This year we are looking at another 160% curve. So everything is getting better and better. It’s very exciting to be part of this project. »
Actionable analytics for data-driven customer segmentation.
“We use BigCommerce analytics quite extensively on a daily basis. In fact, this is one of the main reasons we chose BigCommerce and not Shopify.
As part of our BigCommerce Enterprise plan, we have access to BigCommerce Insights, which makes it easy to analyze our store data and trends. We don't need to pull data from spreadsheets and sort it to see what's happening. Which instead allows us to focus on extracting Insights data into a CSV and tailoring campaigns to target specific customer segments. »
"We use BigCommerce's out-of-the-box customer groups to do this segmented merchandising. It's critical to our business. As a smaller player, we don't want to be caught in a race to the bottom on price, so we focus on areas where we can really create value for our customers and our business." David Berlach, CEO of Bohemian Traders
Ready-made customer groups to reward quality segments.
“We work very hard to educate our customers about the products we sell. We believe in the quality and fits of our clothing and we maintain prices with unparalleled customer service. It's clear that as a direct retailer, our strongest profitability comes from full retail sales, which is why we look at our customer segments in BigCommerce Insights to achieve this.
It was therefore a question of really rewarding customers who pay the high price. They therefore have early access to our new collections and are the first to benefit from invitations to “Champagne Shopping” evenings, etc.
Additionally, we use BigCommerce's ready-made customer groups to achieve this segmented merchandising. This is essential for our business. As a small player, we do not want to be caught in a race to lower prices. We therefore focus on areas where we can really create added value for our customers and our company. »
IntuitSolutions implements simplified improvements.
“The BigCommerce checkout page is a ready-to-use page. It's really good, but we wanted something more rational. So we worked with BigCommerce partner IntuitSolutions, who overlaid the checkout page and reorganized all the information.
Now there are three columns on the checkout page. There is no scrolling at all. It’s clean and not distracting to customers. Additionally, we can brand it or include upsells or cross-sells as needed. It works very well.
IntuitSolutions has also integrated Google so that when the customer starts to enter their address, the form will auto-fill or give them suggestions and then fill out the rest of the page for them. This makes the payment process very smooth. »
“Since our first day of business, we have grown 166% annually and some of that growth can definitely be attributed to the move to BigCommerce.” David Berlach, CEO of Bohemian Traders
Merchandising in a multi-channel environment
“We strive to display the same messages and campaigns across Facebook, Instagram, email and our homepage. 94% of our traffic comes from Facebook, Instagram and email alone, so it’s important that these channels work in unison.
We refresh and redesign the site fairly regularly so that the home page is updated weekly with new visual content. We launch brand stories every three weeks. Additionally, we strive to often tell a different story to promote various products and engage customers in various merchandising campaigns.
What people see on the site's homepage and what they see on Facebook, Instagram and email is targeted around these stories. »
Preferred and trusted payment providers, no matter where you sell
97% of our customer base is Australian, and ZipPay is recognizable to them and integrates easily with BigCommerce. »
Thousands of stock units without the slightest problem
“We have thousands of SKUs. We have around 500 individual products, but each product has different sizes, from extra small to 4XL. Each season we introduce around a hundred new products, each with different SKU numbers.
The upload process is quite simple, and BigCommerce handles our high number of SKUs without any problems. »
One-click (shipping) integrations worldwide
“When it comes to shipping, we use Australia Post, and it works well for us at our stage. We also use an integrated application called StarShipIt, which is directly integrated with BigCommerce. StarShipIt is the intermediary between our BigCommerce store and our e-parcel account with Australia Post. For us, it’s a one-click system. The integration syncs all data in both directions.
BigCommerce apps integrate easily with platforms and there are tons of them that can be used with just one click. With our previous platforms, you had to use a third-party conduit for an application to work, which increased costs and added complexity. »
Leveraging the BigCommerce Blog to Build a Stronger Strategy
“We found an incredible article on the BigCommerce blog that really reinforced what we were thinking in terms of strategy. We focus on revenue multipliers: increase in average order value, increase in purchase frequency, and increase in total customers.
This article has perfectly described the process of success. We will be implementing many of these elements over the next 6-12 months. »
Organic Growth Lessons
“Our advice to other online sellers is to start slowly and grow organically. Increase your use of tools as you need them, not when someone else tells you you need them. Clearly understand all your costs and keep your accounting in order. This way, your cash flow will be able to finance the business as you grow.
Also understand who your core customer base is and determine how to speak directly to them.
Finally, use a platform that is comfortable for you. With BigCommerce, everything is very easy to use. It’s intuitive and it’s scalable. The ability to evolve is a very important thing. »
"Each season we introduce around 100 more products, each with different SKU numbers. The upload process is quite easy, and BigCommerce handles our high SKU count without any hassle." David Berlach, CEO of Bohemian Traders
Smotly, your BigCommerce partner agency
Our Smotly agency specializes in the integration of the BigCommerce e-commerce solution. Thus, we can meet the needs of all types of companies, SMEs, mid-Market or larger companies, wishing to set up or overhaul their BtoC and/or BtoB e-commerce platform.
Indeed, the Smotly team is made up of seven certified people, members of the BigCommerce certified partner program.
Do not hesitate to consult our article on the advantages of the BigCommerce solution or to request an interview to discuss the subject of BtoB and BtoC e-commerce!
Find the original version of the testimony of David Berlach, CEO of Bohemian Traders on the site [BigCommerce](https://www.bigcommerce.com/case-study/bohemian-traders/).