Cordova Outdoors Blazes a Trail of Success with BigCommerce
Discover how customizable, cost-effective and reliable BigCommerce is and why we built it that way.
13.94%
increase in revenue
262.19%
increase in customers
8.41%
increase in order
Performance metrics compare data from 2021 to 2023.
A brand that can withstand the test of time.
For Cordova Outdoors, cutting corners isn’t an option. This DTC and B2B brand produces heavy-duty hard coolers in Idaho’s Treasure Valley with one ultimate goal — to be used for a lifetime and passed on to the next generation.
Whether taken on a fishing trip or up against a grizzly bear, these American-made and locally designed coolers are built with the highest quality materials and can withstand anything nature presents.
However, Cordova’s product line doesn’t stop there. The brand boasts a suite of ruggedized outdoor accessories — from soft coolers to drinkware — and gives shoppers the freedom to customize any and all of their items.Â
Cordova's commitment to quality and American craftsmanship sets it apart from competitors — as highlighted in the latest episode of the Make it Big podcast, available on Spotify and Apple.
As a leading brand in its industry, Cordova knew it needed a reliable ecommerce site to match its high-caliber products. The answer was simple — BigCommerce.
CHALLENGE
Limited ability to meet customer needs.
With the goal of being a primarily DTC business, Cordova lacked the ecommerce capabilities to fully cater to this target market. Once it realized its platform at the time would never meet the brand's required standards, it began looking for alternative solutions and stumbled upon BigCommerce.
After learning about the platform’s customizability and freedom to integrate world-class technology, Cordova knew choosing BigCommerce was a no-brainer.
“BigCommerce honestly just fits the bill. It's customizable and gives us the ability to have a bespoke website that we can easily control,” explained Gentry Jensen, President of Cordova Outdoors. “It's not a one-size-fits-all solution. Whatever it is, you can create what you want on BigCommerce.”
In addition to its freedom to customize, the analytics dashboard, automation capabilities, and various support channels drew Cordova to BigCommerce.
“One of the main reasons we chose BigCommerce is because of all the materials surrounding it. We are a small team, so having a lot of information and different tools to rely upon is completely invaluable,” remarked Madison Teague, Ecommerce Manager at Cordova Outdoors.
“One of the main reasons we chose BigCommerce is because of all the materials surrounding it. We are a small team, so having a lot of information and different tools to rely upon is completely invaluable.”
Madison Teague Ecommerce Manager, Cordova Outdoors
SOLUTION
Building a fully custom solution.
As a brand that chose BigCommerce partially because of its customization capabilities, it’s no surprise that Cordova Outdoors has taken a headless approach.
With the help of its agency partner, efelle creative, Cordova launched a headless theme to provide shoppers with a unique front-end experience.
“We can manage the front-end and back-end independently, which has built a seamless experience for the user. This has made us more efficient, and I’m really pleased with our site's aesthetic,” remarked Jensen.
Through its partnership, efelle develops and manages both the front-end and back-end of the site, saving Cordova significant time that it can reallocate to growing the business.Â
“This makes it so that we can get flexible with our changes and empowers our team to get creative with what we want to accomplish. Since we are so small, bringing on people with deeper skill sets saves us time and also helps us create the best version of our site,” explained Teague.
Optimizing unique features.
One of Cordova’s standout features is that it enables shoppers to customize any of its products. The brand has seen all types of customers take advantage of this offering — from businesses incorporating their company logo to individuals wanting a completely unique cooler.
With the new site, Cordova wanted to ensure they optimized this capability to provide shoppers who choose to customize with the best experience possible.
By integrating the tool Customily, Cordova Outdoors was able to launch a feature that allows shoppers to easily personalize items and preview what the final product will look like.
“If someone wanted to add a logo or a name to a product — like a piece of drinkware — they'd be able to type that in or upload a file onto our website and see what their actual finished piece will look like, which is really fantastic. Another integration that we are working on that isn't quite live yet is a full 3D render view of our coolers,” explained Teague.
Cordova’s personalization feature is a major differentiator from competitors. Offering shoppers a simplified way to design one-of-a-kind products has amplified the user experience and made customization more accessible.
Refining its marketing strategy.
Since switching platforms, Cordova Outdoors has taken advantage of BigCommerce’s variety of features and apps to amplify its marketing efforts.
The brand incorporates various targeted marketing tools to effectively reach consumers. Cordova integrates Klaviyo for creating email campaigns, and Attentive for SMS messaging. Combining the power of both tools enables the brand to utilize their strongest features and automatically transfer data between apps.
“As a small team, automation is our friend, and it is the name of the game. Whatever we can automate, we want to try. Having Klaviyo and Attentive work in sync is absolutely amazing,” remarked Teague.
BigCommerce’s analytics dashboard has also enabled Cordova to hone in on its marketing strategy and make adjustments based on performance metrics.
“What's most valuable about BigCommerce is I can see any metric I can think of and get to it quickly,” said Jensen. “We're able to easily gather data that helps us adjust our sales and marketing strategy without taking too much time or needing an expert in-house — which is great.”
Agency Partners:Â
Tech Stack:
“As a small team, automation is our friend, and it is the name of the game. Whatever we can automate, we want to try. Having Klaviyo and Attentive work in sync is absolutely amazing.”
Madison Teague Ecommerce Manager, Cordova Outdoors
“What's most valuable about BigCommerce is I can see any metric I can think of and get to it quickly.”
Gentry Jensen, President, Cordova Outdoors
RESULTS
Increasing sales and saving time.
Cordova Outdoors has seen unimaginable results since launching on BigCommerce. From its first year on the platform — 2021 — to 2023, the brand has seen a 13.94% increase in revenue, 262.19% increase in customers, 8.41% increase in orders, and 5.51% decrease in abandoned carts.
“We've seen growth across all platforms and all channels. Our biggest increase year-over-year has been our average order value on BigCommerce,” explained Teague. “We're seeing people place larger orders with more accessories and additions. I think BigCommerce is really powerful there, allowing us to capitalize on those upsells.”
In addition to increasing order value and revenue, BigCommerce has also saved Cordova a significant amount of time managing its ecommerce site. This time has allowed Cordova to refocus on what it does best — building world-class outdoor accessories and growing its business.
“I would say the most valuable part of BigCommerce is that it gives us our time back. It's easy to use, and it's all connected. We have a lot of things that are automatically happening behind the scenes for BigCommerce,” remarked Stevi Fanning, Director of Business Development at Cordova Outdoors. “It enables us to build processes in-house, be innovative, and build relationships with our current customers while also building relationships with new customers.”
“I would say the most valuable part of BigCommerce is that it gives us our time back. It's easy to use, and it's all connected. We have a lot of things that are automatically happening behind the scenes for BigCommerce.”
Stevi Fanning Director of Business Development, Cordova Outdoors
LOOKING AHEAD
Conquering new terrain with BigCommerce.
With BigCommerce’s freedom and flexibility, Cordova knows they’re on the trail towards success.Â
“For us, the future looks like growth. People know how amazing our products are and how great it is to buy something made in America,” said Fanning.
With so many opportunities on BigCommerce, Cordova’s next step is to focus on growing the B2B side of the business and implement tools designed to improve this overall experience.Â
“One of our biggest goals is to sell more B2B on BigCommerce. That's definitely one of our 2024 priorities,” explained Teague.
The brand knows that anything is possible with BigCommerce’s robust capabilities and top-notch support team.
“Working with BigCommerce has been great because it gives us the support that we need, and we’re so grateful for that,” remarked Fanning.
“Working with BigCommerce has been great because it gives us the support that we need, and we’re so grateful for that.”
Stevi Fanning Director of Business Development, Cordova Outdoors
Published: July 2024
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