Patrik Kedžuch from Najšport: How to Sell a Premium Bicycle More Expensive Than a Car?
How are premium bicycles sold online and what is behind the success of Najšport? In the new episode of the Biznislab podcast, we talked with Patrik Kedžuch about building a strong e-commerce business, UX, marketing, and the future of e-bikes.
Buying clothes or books online is now a complete standard for most people. But putting a top mountain bike, which costs thousands of euros, into the cart? In the latest episode of our podcast Biznislab, we welcomed Patrik Kedžuch, the founder of one of the largest ski and bicycle retailers in Slovakia - the company Najšport.
We talked about how they managed to build a dominant player in the market from a small "children's room" thanks to an innovative approach, family loyalty, and the courage to make decisive decisions.
Eliminate customer fear with perfect services and UX
The biggest obstacle in selling complex premium goods online is customer concern. No one wants a box full of parts to arrive at their home. Najšport solved this with a client-friendly approach: every bike from the factory is fully assembled, tested, brakes and derailleurs adjusted, and sent to the customer in such a state that at home, they only need to align the handlebars and attach the pedals.
However, it wouldn't work without an excellent e-shop. Together, we organized focus groups and usability testing. We found that quality UX and meticulously crafted product pages are crucial for cyclists. For enthusiasts, it's not just the price that matters, but they need to see, for example, the crank length, the shape of the saddle from above, or a detailed preview of the e-bike display.
Stable e-commerce system BUXUS as a foundation for scaling
A crucial turning point in Najšport's life occurred ten years ago. When Patrik and his brother realized that the business was no longer just a "game in the children's room," they sought a technological partner with whom they could grow long-term. That's when we implemented our e-commerce system BUXUS, which allowed them to smoothly scale the business and handle online sales in such a complex segment without problems. A mountain bike is a very specific product that requires many different sets and variants. BUXUS easily handled not only technical SEO, which goes into extreme details in this case, but also ensured flexible integration with other tools, such as the Retino system for seamless handling of complaints.
When you hit the ceiling: How a new Performance marketing strategy saved us
The pandemic shook e-commerce significantly. After huge demand came a sobering, warehouses remained full, and bike prices fell to a minimum. While others panicked, Najšport came to us at ui42 with a challenging but clear goal: to maintain revenue but cut costs in half.
Our overall Performance marketing strategy changed – we stopped chasing turnover and focused strictly on profitability. We implemented dynamic pricing, which automatically responded to competitors' prices, and significantly tidied up all campaigns. We meticulously optimized performance channels, including Google Ads and Meta Ads, to target only those products that brought us the highest margin.
This approach saved the company's profitability during a challenging period, and for this diligent work with data, we jointly received the Digital Pie award. You can read more about how we precisely connected technology, UX, and campaigns in our Case Study How we helped Najšport grow.
The future of cycling? E-bikes will dominate the market
An interesting part of the podcast also focused on the future and trends. Patrik Kedžuch is convinced that electric bikes will completely dominate the market within two years. This phenomenon is no longer just for older people or as a corporate benefit. More and more performance cyclists are discovering that with the help of a motor, they can see and cover much more in the same time without unnecessary suffering.
Are you interested in more? For example, how Patrik made his first business at the age of seven with beer bottles, or why ski rental is an extremely difficult seasonal business? Listen to the entire episode on the web, on Spotify, or in Apple Podcasts!
Special gift at the end: Patrik Kedžuch spontaneously prepared an exclusive discount for our listeners and readers directly during the podcast recording. When shopping on the Najšport e-shop, just enter the discount code MAJ7 to get a 7% discount on the entire purchase.
(The Biznislab podcast is created in collaboration with Denník SME and the digital marketing agency ui42).
