Federico Iglesias (Gijón, 1978) is, since 2016, the CMO of , one of the main eCommerces in Spain and that, year after year, becomes one of the main protagonists of the . In fact, this year PcComponentes has extended the classic big week of online sales to fifteen days of offers and discounts, accompanied by an intense campaign on multiple channels. To find out a little more in detail how they have raised it and what they hope to achieve from these discount days, we have spoken with him.
We are now in the busiest sales season of the strangest and most complicated year for Spanish eCommerce. Let’s do a little recap: how has the year been for PcComponentes so far?
I think that this year has been very complicated for the whole of society, both personally and at work. If we focus on the eCommerce vertical, I think it has been more of a challenge than a complication, since it has been a sector that has had to be dimensioned very quickly to be able to meet the demand, which due to the current situation boosted the online channel exponentially. From the start of the pandemic, we were very clear that the key was in a quick decision making, concise and most importantly, that the execution was just as fast.
During the lockdown period, we experienced growth of over 300% compared to the same period of the previous year. This, obviously, requires a very important elasticity to adapt all the productive areas of the company and be able to manage such a volume of orders while maintaining the level of quality and service.
This process has been key for us, always taking into account the safety of our colleagues and implementing very rigorous measures from a health point of view. After confinement, what we have seen has been a evolution in the consumption format: now people feel more comfortable buying online, and demographic segments with less weight in sales before covid have taken on an important relevance in our business.
Something we are proud of is that, despite the exponential growth we are experiencing, we have been able to improve our NPS (Net Promoter Score), That in the end is what really matters. It is not about selling in any way, it is necessary to ensure that the customer experience is not affected and even in these circumstances, we have had the ability to continue improving. We are not perfect, but the determination to continuously improve is in our DNA.
Naturally, this has a direct impact on the company’s results. Last year we invoiced 404 million euros and the plan for 2020 that we drew up last January, when things were very different, was for 17% growth, something that is already a long way off. We estimate a growth of around 50% compared to the equivalent period in 2019, which would place us in a global turnover of over 600 million euros.
And in an exceptional year, you have considered an exceptional Black Friday, lasting two weeks, multiple offers, raffles… When did you start designing the campaign?
Starting from the idea that the 2020 It will be the most online Black Friday in history Due to health circumstances, and anticipating a high level of sales activity in the online environment for this campaign, at PcComponentes we have decided to accept the challenge of maximizing the shopping experience, with a campaign that, for the first time, lasts two full weeks (of November 15 to 29, putting the finishing touch on the 30th with Cyber Monday).
In this way, we try to extend the window of opportunity for purchase and maintain our usual good service to a number of clients, who aims to be much higher than other years. We have been planning the campaign for several months so that it can be a success from the logistical point of view and the selection of offers.
How have you distributed the efforts of the promotional campaign? What channels are you using and which ones give you the best results?
As for the promotion, we have achieved a selection of almost 3,000 products for this Black Friday. Taking into account that there is a certain shortage in some product categories, I think that a very good job has been done. As for the main categories, obviously everything related to telecommuting still very strong, but product categories related to smart home such as smart thermostats, speakers and light bulbs, to give an example, have acquired a very interesting level of demand. Other categories such as white range (large electrical appliances) are pushing our sales very strongly. It no longer seems strange or complex to buy a refrigerator online, and less so in a year like the one we are experiencing.
As for the channels, all of them are giving very good results and each one is aimed at a different customer profile. Noteworthy this year where we have premiered with a very relevant level of and virality.
This is how we look when we play!
As a differential element, we have introduced a new channel to our Black Friday with a new Live Streaming platform from our Xperience Center in Barcelona, which is giving very good results in terms of engagement. The possibility that our community can interact live with us it is something that the user values and in the end, our mission is to continue evolving and improving to get closer to our community.
Why have you decided to jump into those two weeks of promotion?
Last year we had a one-week Black Friday campaign, and this time we’ve changed the format to two weeks, starting earlier. Bearing in mind that the volume of online purchases is going to grow exponentially, we have decided to extend the campaign so everyone can shop comfortably. We even maintain and continue to meet the 24/48-hour delivery times that characterize us.
In that sense, we will do everything possible to deliver orders on the date set. During Black Friday, and in the face of a possible avalanche of orders, we have to be vigilant so that, if the effectiveness of delivery drops, we are able to modify and adapt the deadlines, but the most important thing is to fulfill the commitment made with the customer.
What goal do you set for Black Friday this year?
The forecast that we have marked is that of increase turnover by 35% compared to previous years and increase the number of orders by 45%, which were 200,000 in 2019. As we foresee high sales activity on Black Friday in the online environment, we have decided to accept the challenge of extending the campaign to improve the shopping experience. In this way, PcComponentes’ Black Friday will last, for the first time, two full weeks, extending the window of opportunity for purchase and maintaining good customer service.
On launch day, there was such an influx of people, that we saw your queue management system activated in the first hour. How was that first day?
On the first day of the campaign, the traffic on our website soared in such a way that one of our contingency plans was precisely the activation of the queue system. It was very important to guarantee the stability of the web at the same time as keeping users informed of the waiting time to be able to access the web.
Every year, our community surprises us, and the Black Friday launch of PcComponentes is always a very special moment in the company. All kinds of historical records have been broken in terms of traffic, orders per second and billing.
And how is it going so far?
So far, Black Friday is working normally and the reception is being very good, as we expected. We will have to wait until the end of the campaign to be able to make a more complete balance of how it has worked in general terms this year and to be able to draw conclusions and lessons learned, but the data for the first week are very encouraging.
This campaign is an important challenge on many levels, especially logistics: how have you approached logistics to avoid complications, delays, etc?
For this campaign, at PcComponentes we have improved the distribution and effectiveness of last-mile deliveries in very specific provinces through the new PcCom Logistics service. In addition, we have reinforced the workforce to face this campaign, incorporating new employees for the logistics, customer service, workshop, after-sales and physical stores departments, with an increase in staff of more than 70% on average to be able to supply the demand for orders satisfactorily.
But as I mentioned before, if we have to modify and extend the delivery times we will do it, since the important thing is to comply with the delivery date that we have provided to the client at the end of their purchase. The important thing is to maintain an honest sale and always offer the information truthfully and realistically.
After Black Friday is the Christmas and Kings campaign. What expectations do you have for those dates?
The Christmas campaign has been progressively losing weight in sales due to the impact of Black Friday, we are becoming more forward-looking and we make our purchases earlier. But even so, we have set ourselves a very challenging sales target, as is usual for us, and we are very confident in these last weeks of the year.
What headline about PcComponentes would you like to read in Marketing4eCommerce in a year?
PcComponentes, leader in technology and company in the Retail sector with the best NPS and shopping experience.
Imagine that you could travel in time: What advice would you give to your 2010 Self?
Professionally, nothing really. I think that all my decisions (good, bad and regular) have guided me to get to PcComponentes and I am in a very sweet moment in my career. I am very lucky to be part of a company with which I share its values and its mission. In addition, I am surrounded by a great team of professionals and most importantly, on a personal and human level they are even greater.
Personally, He would have told me to give my mother more hugs and more kisses, who sadly passed away last year suddenly. Mother of many children (I am the eighth), she was the person who taught me to believe in myself, persevere and never give up.
And a little more difficult: what do you think eCommerce will be like in 2023? How have consumer preferences, technologies, etc… changed?
I think we will see disruptive elements such as the Social Selling or Voice Selling, which will be quite a challenge from a technological point of view. We will buy more and more on the move and anywhere, and I foresee a significant evolution in the offline channel, which in my view will have its place and will add value to the consumer, but with a very different format than the one we now know.
Quick Quiz:
- What is the first social network you open in the day? The first thing I see, as soon as I wake up with a coffee in hand, is the PcComponentes NPS and Sales panel, hehehe. They arrive later and…
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