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Looking ahead, Unbound Group’s efforts are mostly focused on the upcoming soft launch of the platform scheduled for the end of this month, which will see it go live without any marketing or publicity (that will come with the full launch in September), in order to test the end-to-end customer journey and customer support.
However, even at this early stage, Rose is definitive about the pivotal role that the marketplace will play in Unbound’s digital strategy going forward. “The marketplace is going to be front and centre of the digital strategy. As we transition, we’re still going to be a manufacturer, but ultimately it’s a digital business, and we’re going to have a digital strategy to grow that – not only with products, but also services that we can potentially offer our customers; so, we’re already looking at the future and how we can grow that digital footprint.”
Unbound is also looking into potentially offering subscription products to its customers further down the line. “We would like to go down that route – there’s lots of opportunities, but first of all, we need to get this site live … We’re really looking forward to using the data and what we learn from it to drive our digital strategy.”
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Mirakl has also been bolstering its offering as a platform in recent months, acquiring ecommerce personalisation vendor Target2Sell in April, which improves the customer experience for shoppers by creating tailored recommendations and customising the on-page experience. “The thing with the increased [product] offering from a marketplace or dropship – you want to make sure the experience for the consumer is not overwhelming, is tailored to their needs, and we’re very excited about [Target2Sell] because they treat first-party and third-party products alike; it’s whatever makes most sense for the customer. So, for us, that’s going to be a big area of growth,” said Marchessou.
Another major piece of the business that Mirakl is investing in is called Mirakl Connect: a database of brands and partners that will be available to form partnerships with marketplace operators like Unbound. “The idea is that we recruit brands and partners into that database, and then if a customer is interested, they can create a joint relationship,” Marchessou explained.
“I think the good news is that in fashion, shoes, accessories – we’re seeing a lot more interest and traction from brands to expand into marketplaces. Basically, it’s a platform economy, so we’re having a lot of success with recruitment into that Mirakl Connect ecosystem. I think more and more companies will also have a mixed platform offering for brands between dropship and marketplace – which are two very similar models, but slightly different ways of interacting with the operator. That will be another big area of growth and focus for Mirakl.”
Unbound Group’s marketplace will be made up of dropship partners initially, but Rose noted that the retailer plans to quickly take advantage of the partnerships offered via Mirakl Connect. He emphasised that Unbound Group prioritises working with “best-in-class” technology providers: “I think what we can offer is a technology stack to partners that want to work with us, so this is really about us bringing in best-in-class technology providers.