Rapha gears up for online boom

Rapha Racing, the luxury cycling brand that gets most “middle-aged men in lycra” hot under the collar, has overhauled its online strategy to provide so-called “Mamils” with a much more immersive and personalised experience.
The company, recently named in The Sunday Times Fast Track 100, has been working with web and e-commerce consultancy Sceneric on the project.
A new omni-channel platform will enable the British luxury cycling accessory firm to pursue its international e-commerce expansion plans, while gearing up for the delivery of new personalisation and highly sophisticated post sales services to customers.
Set up in London in 2004, the brand now has offices in the US, Japan, Australia and Germany and offers a raft of performance road wear, accessories, publications and events, all celebrating the sport and culture of road racing.
The new platform offers advanced personalisation and promotions, and will also flag up Rapha’s Cycle Club locations. These spaces are a mix of retail shop, café and gallery where visitors can view the complete range of Rapha clothing, select from bespoke products unique to the club, watch live screenings of major races or meet up and participate in group rides.
Sceneric has also developed a dedicated B2B portal, which supports Rapha’s growing global network of premium retail partners and will enable full operational integration of the new commerce platform with Rapha’s distribution centres around the world.
Sceneric founding director Jim Herbert said: “Launching in 17 territories simultaneously required an outstanding development and test regime, and a partnership between Rapha and Sceneric that ensured the site launched with minimal issues. As a customer and a supplier to Rapha I am very pleased that the new platform is exceeding expectations and has simplified the task of retailing such excellent products.”