Ciclocentrico and how Storeden supported the online project

Hello Valerio, could you tell us how Ciclocentrico was born?
Ciclocentrico was born from a dream of mine as I am a passionate and expert cycle traveler. I feel like a promoter of this fantastic way to explore the world and experience bikepacking. I founded in Rivoli, in the province of Turin, the first concept store dedicated to cycle tourism. We help bikers from bikepacking to gravel, from the competitive travelers to the family holidays.
Ciclocentrico is a place where you can find everything you need for your bike adventures; whether it's just a day, a holiday or a trip around the world.

Why did you create your ecommerce and why did you choose to explore a new sales channel 5 years ago?
Our concept store offers highly specialized and technological products. You can find from Gravel bikes to carbon forks, from Cargo bikes to Cowbell handlebars. At the time in Italy there were few online bicycle shops with a level of technology comparable to ours and we immediately perceived the importance of having an online showcase in order to make our uniqueness known to everyone. Nowadays our customers get information from our site and come to the shop with already some expertise. We were looking for an easy-to-use platform that could serve as both a showcase and a new sales channel for our business. 

How did you get to know Storeden?
I got in touch with your reality with an internet search. Storeden is a service that I recommend daily to anyone who would need a platform that is easy to use, highly performing, complete and with technical support in Italian. In fact, I have dealt with the Storeden help desk several times and, in addition to fast responding, the assistance in the mother tongue allowed us to proceed immediately with the suggested changes or configurations. This aspect was decisive for us in choosing Storeden compared to other solutions on the market. 

Have you created and developed your online store yourself?
Align with the activity of the physical store in Rivoli, my wife and I took care of the development of ecommerce. Often launching a website means incurring huge investment of capital to obtain highly customized solutions but still unmanageable on a daily basis. We were looking for a solution that would allow us to explore a new channel without facing too structured costs and to perform with a competitive technology. 
We wanted to be autonomous and focus on our business. 
Precisely this aspect of Storeden got us amused. The subscription cost is minimal but includes all the features you need to be successful online. We can retarget by managing abandoned carts, we can expand our visibility by synchronizing with other sales channels, we can open up to new markets by working in different languages ​​and we can manage the catalog massively through CSVs.

Which features of the Storeden platform did you appreciate the most?
The technology to create the site is within everyone's reach and should I need ad hoc improvements I can contact the Italian help desk.
I really appreciated, as mentioned above, the language of the platform. It is very easy to move and manage the fundamental aspects of the site. I have been working on Storeden for more than 5 years now and I have been helped in solving every problem with transparency and professionalism. 

How did you increase your sales with Storeden?
With Storeden I can quickly synchronize my products with Facebook. Storeden automatically sends daily feeds to my Facebook page and keeps updating my catalog. This allows me to save time and invest in other trades. I can manage the Facebook CTAs, that is the referral links directly to my store and consequently facilitated the navigation and avoid fees. 
Another functional aspect for us is the ability to easily create and manage discount codes to share on social networks or during the events we participate in such as fairs, exhibitions or excursions. We can keep a group of customers loyal to our business and do detailed marketing operations. 
Our site is presented as a virtual environment in which our customers or new users can get information and live an online shopping experience.

Do you have any advice for those still in doubt about online?
Statistics and research show that given the pandemic situation the online presence has been a lifeline for many businesses. Personally I think everyone should try to transform this channel from "anchor" to growth potential. SaaS platforms such as Storeden can guarantee a technology that has nothing to envy to ad hoc web developments but maintains low costs as well. Many traditional businesses are forced to stop, but no one forbids dedicating themselves to online. I really recommend everyone to take some advantage of this situation and delve into the world of ecommerce.