Retailer Spotlight: Omafiets
This month we talked to Chris Moore from Omafiets in Sydney. Omafiets is as famous for it’s Dutch bicycles as it is for its service and comprehensive range of bikes for families and urban commuters. They opened in 2011 and have become a hub for both new and used bicycle sales in inner Sydney. Their ByK range is extensive and their ‘Lifetime Service Guarantee and Trade-Ins’ offer is a big selling point for customers. Why did you start stocking ByK Bikes? We were looking for a good quality kids bike, available in every size we'd need. We love selling bikes that kids want to ride, and because ByK are made to last they'll still be in great shape when the rider has outgrown them. Explain your Lifetime Service Guarantee and Trade-Ins offer? We like ByK bikes so much that we're prepared to offer a Lifetime Service Guarantee on all ByK kids bikes. This means we will service ByK bikes for free, and replace damaged or worn-out parts for free, as long as the the customer who bought it from us owns the bike. This includes things like flat tyres and worn-down brake pads. We also offer guaranteed trade-in prices for ByKs purchased from us, towards the next size up - 50% within 1 year and 30% within 3 years. This ensures that customers can buy the right size bike and not worry about their child growing out of it too quickly. How much do you think the Lifetime Service Guarantee and Trade-Ins offer entices new customers to the store, or is it more a benefit that really gets the customer 'over the line' whilst in the store considering a purchase? It's useful in justifying the price of ByKs in comparison to other kids bikes (which though cheaper, are definitely not as good value!) 
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Our Lifetime Service Guarantee and Trade-Ins offer is something that people talk about to their friends, so it definitely generates new customers.
How many models do you stock now? 28. All models except the CX Bikes How much of an impact does stocking the full range have on your sales? A huge amount. There's none of the hassle of "We can order that in for you..." What is your top selling model and colour? The E350, closely followed by the E450. Blue and red are always popular. What is the most common question asked by a customer about the ByK Bikes? Parents often ask why they're a better kids bike than others, which is something we have no problem answering based on other families' experience. What do you find is the best selling point of the ByK Brand? * The fact that they're so lightweight is definitely the best selling point, though parents are also very interested in our Lifetime ByK Guarantee. What would you say the rate of return is for a ByK customer coming back to upgrade to another ByK? 80-90% - we have several customers who are now ByK families. We also do trade-ins within 3 years of purchase, which is a great incentive for customers to upgrade to the larger sizes. We have a 80-90% return rate for ByK customers so stocking the full range is beneficial and our trade-in offer is a great incentive for that.
What is the best selling point of the larger models - 540 and 620 ranges - and what type of customer is likely to buy these bikes over another brand/model? The 540 range allows kids to use the level of gears they're ready for, with the 3-speed internal and 16-speed models. They're the same ByK quality that people are used to. The 620 range is great for really tall kids or really short adults. They're very lightweight compared to a lot of adult bikes. How have you managed to fit so many ByK bike models on your shop floor? We cram them pretty tightly together, but it's still a bit of a struggle to fit them. We've decided not to go up with our display, because it's good to be able to pull them out quickly. But it's definitely worth having them all on the floor. ByK has grown into the broadest range of kids bikes available. Are you seeing the same growth? We've seen good growth in kids bike sales, but we've never sold any other brands of kids bikes. What percentage of your shop sales are kids bikes? Kids and adult bike sales have grown at roughly the same rate - kids are about 20%.Our kids bike sales growth is about 20%. We’ve never sold any other brand of kids bikes, other than ByK
What percentage of new customers come in for ByK Bikes and end up being a 'family' customer whereby other members of the family end up buying bikes too? Heaps! There are other families who go the other way too (from adults to kids bikes), but many say "I'll need a bike to ride with the kids".ByK customers quite often become ‘family’ customers generating a lot more sales for us.
Do you find most ByK Customers arrive in the store knowing what they want, having already done their research? Is this typical for other kids bikes models/brands that you sell? We find that people might have heard of ByK, they might have a size in mind, and that's fairly common for all our customers. The new Road and Cyclocross ranges have had some great reviews. Are you selling them? We stock the road range, but we haven't sold that many of them. We're not really a road store so they're probably not the best fit for us - but you can see some of the kids really want one! What is the most popular ByK accessory you sell? The ByK Helmets Do you use social media to promote your range of ByK Bikes? If so, how often? We use facebook and instagram to promote ByK bikes, most often when there's a family who have a story that will encourage others to ride (like their kids riding to school for the first time). How would you rate social media as marketing tools for your store? Which one do you prefer to use? Also, which one generates the most customer interaction and which ones generates the most new leads do you think? We publish the same content to Instagram and Facebook (because we're short of time!) but Facebook is definitely viewed more.Instagram and Facebook are great for showcasing customers who are using our bikes - they show just how widely ByKs are used, by kids of all ages.
Links - Website: www.omafiets.com.au Facebook: facebook.com/omafiets Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omafiets/