Digital Transformation in Action: Wattgives Inc.

Jared Seitz, Business Development Team Lead at Acro Commerce, relates a mostly true story of how a direct-to-market initiative increased efficiency and opened up new markets for a Seattle-based manufacturer. 

The boundaries of digital commerce are not what they used to be

Four years ago, my Uncle Jim supercharged his respectable e-bike business in Seattle after convincing a local lithium battery manufacturer to design a bike battery to optimize the extra voltage and amperage of a car charging station. (And by “convincing”, I mean he stroked a cheque for roughly $85,000.)

But it was worth it—and the proof was in the charge time: up to 80% in thirty minutes and 100% in less than an hour. That may seem standard when it comes to charging your phone, but in the world of lithium-ion e-bikes, a fully depleted battery usually takes between 3.5 to 6 hours to recharge. 

Within one year of the completed prototype, Uncle Jim had sold his little e-bike rental shop and had made a deal with the battery manufacturing business to split the profits on the sale of his fast-charging e-bike battery line, which they named Wattgives. “Because our battery gives watts,” Uncle Jim said, explaining the pun behind his new business venture at a family function in 2019.

World-changing events impacted distribution networks

Orders were flying in from e-bike and scooter distributors all across North America—at least up until an all-too-well-known virus came onto the scene in March 2020. Almost overnight, Uncle Jim’s sales predictions fell by 75%.

Digital commerce: The key to improving a bleak outlook

“This is when I realized we needed to pivot,” Uncle Jim said during his keynote at Ecompalooza last year. “We had over 20,000 Wattgives batteries on hand, and I wasn’t about to let them sit on the shelf. So we devised a direct-to-consumer marketing strategy to keep batteries moving through our website and social media platforms—and eventually—Amazon & Walmart. And here’s the best part, when the distributors resubmitted their orders, we could renegotiate more favourable terms.”

Today, the Wattgives website hosts self-serve functionality that satisfies both their B2C and B2B wholesale customers.

Meet your customers where they are. Online. 

It’s not all work, no play, though. Every Friday afternoon, Uncle Jim packs up early, grabs his Uglystik fishing rod, and heads to one of his favourite spots along the 50 miles of Lake Washington shoreline. He usually doesn’t answer any calls but follows up a day or two later, saying, “Sorry I missed your call, I was on the other line,” and then explaining that the other line was his fishing line. 

Luckily, Uncle Jim picked up while I wrote this story on a Friday afternoon.

“I like to come out here and reflect on the week,” Uncle Jim told me after a few minutes of talking shop. “Wattgives can always do better. Make our batteries better. Make our customer experience better.”

“Mind you…” Jim continued, “You need customers before you can figure that part out. And more importantly, you need to know where to find your customers. And often, that’s where nobody else is looking.”

“This is why I ain’t telling you, your brother, or anyone you’re sharing this article with where my best fishing spots are… Speaking of which… I’ll have to call you back. I just hooked another monster.”

Responding to change means altering how your business works

To shift outdated traditional sales processes to digital experiences.

This is Acro Commerce’s mission statement. It’s what drives us every day.

We also know that going direct-to-market and selling online might not be the best approach for every business. Market dynamics, product complexity, infrastructure requirements, relationships with distributors and/or retailers… These are all things that must be carefully evaluated before making a decision. 

This is why we take a crawl, walk, run and/or fish approach with our clients.

Think of some of your most valuable processes. Now imagine your business next year but with half or more of these processes optimized and digitized for your staff and customers.

How great would that be?

Like my Strategic Partnership Manager, Kyle Zwaagstra, likes to say, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” And neither are the most amazing omnichannel, direct-to-market ecommerce websites—no matter how easy Uncle Jim makes it look.

Are new digital sales channels or digital transformation on the horizon?

We know that the idea of tackling the changes Uncle Jim made is daunting, but Acro Commerce is here to help your business through every step of the process. Reach out anytime. 

No pressure, no obligation, just straight talk and helpful insight.