MAAP Rides to Customer Success with Shopify POS

The Challenge

MAAP has used Shopify for its ecommerce business since its inception in 2014. So when it came to selecting a retail partner to facilitate a new experiential hub in Melbourne and scale their owned retail presence globally, MAAP needed a partner to deliver the seamless brand experience it wanted, regardless of channel.

The Results

No matter where they transact, be it on the website, at the experience hub or at a pop-up, customers are assured of the same premium brand experience. This is shown through an in-store customer return rate of 43%. This experience extends beyond the sale, to seamless post-sale support and onboarding. 

MAAP has been propelling cycling forward since 2014 with its profound love of the sport in all its forms. To support avid cyclists, MAAP produces world class apparel, engineered to excel in all conditions, at all levels of activity and ability. At its flagship retail store in North Melbourne, the cycling community is supported with in-store bike racks, coffee and pastries, latest release products, launch events and their weekly shop rides.

While the brand is intrinsically Australian, MAAP has its eye on the rest of the world and ships to 120 countries. MAAP has been using the Shopify ecosystem for its ecommerce since day one of its operations. So when the organisation was looking to open an experience centre and increase pop-up locations internationally, Shopify POS stood out as their preferred choice in retail partners. Shopify POS gave MAAP customers the consistent and familiar brand experience they were expecting, all while the brand activated in an entirely new location in a new market. This gave MAAP an opportunity to deliver a tactile experience to their existing or potential new customers who had previously only been able to purchase online.

We have been using Shopify for our ecommerce since day one. So it made sense for us to go with Shopify POS so we could enjoy the same ecosystem and have the same level of brand experience and customer service that Shopify offers to our online customers.

An experience of community

Like many previous ecommerce-centric businesses, MAAP is seeing a strong demand for physical retail stores, as its customers want to bridge the gap between what they’ve seen online, and require a personalised experience in understanding the product, what it feels like, how it fits, and the technical specs. 

When opening its Melbourne hub, MAAP wanted to ensure a really premium in-store brand experience, so customers not only walk away with a product, but also walk away with knowledge, and post purchase support. This experience also needed to extend into the pop-up stores across Adelaide, Sydney and Europe. By using Shopify POS, customers are assured of a premium brand experience no matter what MAAP channel they choose.

With Shopify POS, everything is linked. So we know who customers are because they have transacted with us, and we can support them through the next phase of being a customer, which we see ultimately is not only about the next purchase, but is equally about their engagement with our global cycling community.

Meaningful connections

MAAP reports Shopify POS has not only improved customer experience across channels, it has enabled seamless inventory management, product recommendations, and community building. Once a customer transacts, MAAP automatically feeds customer information into the database, so they then become part of the brand. 

As a result, customers receive welcome and onboarding messaging, information, and recommendations, and become a part of the wider MAAP community for a premium experience beyond the actual transaction at point of sale. Some of these community experiences include customers being able to join them on hosted MAAP In The Field rides, weekly virtual rides and races on Zwift and STRAVA events. 

Using Shopify POS, staff can locate products in the most efficient way possible. We don’t use a barcode system in our stores. Instead, we group products into collections that are meaningful for the retail team and are easy to find while processing the point of sale for our customers in any location within the store. This way, customers are not having to wait very long for what they want, the conversation within the store doesn’t have to stop and the transaction is really smooth, fast and fully integrated.

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