E-Bikes Direct, retailer of electric bikes since 2005, has been chosen as one of Halfords’ first approved partners for its new online Marketplace.
The Marketplace will eventually include around 30 third-party sellers, with E-Bikes Direct currently being the only supplier of electric bikes via the online platform. E-Bikes Direct will be offering popular brands of e-cycles including Raleigh, Oxygen, Batribike and Freego.
The digital platform will also feature E-Bikes Direct own ‘Green Edge’ mountain bike, which the company say is “custom designed from research into the features customers want to see in an entry-level electric mountain bike”.
Matt Flanagan, managing director of Sussex-based E-Bikes Direct, said: “Partnering with a long-established British brand like Halfords to expand our online presence is a great way of spreading the message of e-cycling to engage a wider audience.
“We have worked with Halfords for the last year, providing electric bikes to them for the Cycle to Work Scheme and it is great we have extended our relationship. Halfords selected us because it values the high level of customer service we provide, recognising our 10-years’ worth of knowledge of the electric cycling market. We have been providing the UK market with electric cycles for a decade and have seen orders soar as the popularity of e-cycling increases.”
Halfords Marketplace Trading Manager, Nina Morris, added: “We are pleased to be partnering with E-Bikes Direct as we launch the new Halfords Marketplace. As our customers are moving to digital purchasing, our online platform aims to provide more choice than ever and attract new customers who may not have shopped with Halfords before. It will deliver insight on trends and customer buying behaviour in real-time.”
Halfords.com achieved £100million in sales in the last financial year and 25 per cent of all its bike sales were made online. The online Marketplace plans to stock up to 40,000 units, strengthening the existing digital offering by tracking and responding to customer demand to introduce new products quickly.
