Leading independent fashion retailer Best Menswear, who was one of 183 online retailers that received a grant through the COVID-19 Online Retail Scheme, is now targeting significant online sales thanks to its newly-revamped website.
The Scheme, which was proposed by the Irish Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation, and administered by Enterprise Ireland, was designed to help Irish businesses enhance their online sales capabilities to make them more competitive and scale internationally.
This is Best Menswear's third attempt at creating a viable online offering and it finally got to market thanks to a new partnership with Belfast-based technology firm IRP Commerce.
The IRP Commerce Cloud has been transforming the online fortunes of some of Ireland's most successful retailers, manufacturers and distributors since 2001 and its team optimised the Best Menswear site for international growth and long-term profitability.
Managing Director of Best Menswear, John Smith said, “When we received the grant from the COVID-19 Online Retail Scheme a mere 12 weeks ago we never envisaged that we would have an operational ecommerce site that would be making significant sales already. After meeting the team at IRP Commerce, we knew straightaway they have the vision and experience to help us achieve our potential.
Through the new www.bestmenswear.com site, customers who know and value our brand are enjoying the same excellent service and experience they have become accustomed to at Best Menswear. We are confident that our new ecommerce site will complement our eleven retail stores and strengthen our customer base here in Ireland and beyond.”
Although sales have initially come from the domestic market, supported by the strength of Best Menswear's local click and collect service, the medium-term strategy is to target UK and US markets, and ultimately all international markets, with its premium menswear collections and its exclusive Marco Capelli brand.
The Best Menswear web team, which is currently sitting at three full time members of staff and four part time, is confident that, thanks to its strong global brand portfolio and comprehensive menswear collections – alongside the new online sales strategy and technology provided by IRP Commerce – this is now possible.
Philip Macartney, Chief Commercial Officer at IRP Commerce said, “Best Menswear is an excellent example of a retailer that maximised its opportunity out of a challenging situation. Our teams aligned very quickly on strategy and approach and as such we were able to replatform onto the IRP Commerce Cloud with minimal fuss. This coming together will now allow Best to forge ahead with its ecommerce strategy and to achieve the global aspirations this retailer deserves.”
Find out more at Best Menswear and IRP Commerce.
