eCommerce Expo 2025 review: Brompton Bicycle, Kavee, Ahmad Tea crack US market in age of tariffs
“The US is one of the easiest places to spend a lot of money with very little return,” Chris Matthews, Global DTC Channel Director at Brompton Bicycles told delegates at eCommerce Expo in London last month, highlighting the particular cost of advertising in the country.
When the folding bike brand launched in the US it worked with a local marketing agency, but has since found it more cost-effective to work with UK agencies with expertise in that market. "We've seen a huge increase in efficiency in our marketing since then.”
Reza Afshar, Global E-Commerce Manager at UK-based Ahmad Tea, found that volume was a huge challenge when it came to reducing costs in the US market. While they originally focused on selling directly themselves, they have since focused on marketplaces, particularly on Amazon, which now accounts for 90% of its US sales.
Ahmad Tea has also found it needed to change the way it described its products online, based on local search trends. “They want a lot of details about our products - it’s forced us to change our mentality when marketing our products.”
Clémentine Schouteden, Founder CEO, at guinea pig accessory brand Kavee saw similar challenges. She explained that her company had found themselves in a “catch-22” when shipping to the US, without enough volume to work with some local partners but unable to scale up with still shipping from the U.K.
Thanks to a new partnership with launchpad logistics, their business has managed to move past this. “That’s going to unlock the market for us,” she said.
Retailer partnerships and Reddit
For Brompton Bicycle, partnerships with retailers was key for breaking into the US market. “Otherwise it’s very expensive to enter the US to grow your brand,” Matthews said.
The company is focusing on specific states and tailored content for those consumers. It has also found success on Reddit. “We have a massive community on Reddit in the US and they do a lot of selling for us - people really value the opinions shared on there.”
Rigorously tested over 250,000 km. You can confidently tackle everything from dusty singletrack to rain-soaked cobbles. Built tough with disc brake stopping power, this is the most capable Brompton ever.
— Brompton Bicycle (@BromptonBicycle) October 3, 2024
Brompton G Line, it goes as far as you go.
🔗 https://t.co/THPvZTx6Zx pic.twitter.com/H0UBZPKxUB
Matthews said Brompton has seen a “great return” on its Reddit activities, with very little money spent on the platform.
Even after the introduction of wide ranging tariffs in the US, Brompton's US customers have continued to support the brand. “We very quickly increased our prices in April, but our customers were expecting that,” Matthews explained.
While sales have remained steady, and the price increase offset most of Brompton’s costs, the company has still taken a hit on fees.
Increased costs and shipping delays
The introduction of wide ranging tariffs have been particularly challenging for Kavee. “We always wanted stock on the ground, but tariffs meant it was almost impossible to do without it,” Schouteden explained.
With the pet accessories Kavee sells tending to be much cheaper items, passing the increased costs on to customers did not make any sense, forcing them to make the decision to get ready for the US market much quicker. “But being an optimist,” Schouteden added. “This has been a silver lining for our business.”
Afshar explained that Ahmed Tea has had to change its shipping patterns in response. “We’re no longer doing seven or eight shipments a year, we’re now doing just three each year,” he explained, although he noted that many other companies have taken similar steps, leading to long delays at ports.
“That wasn’t something we could plan for, or even foresee, but we’ve learned not to put too much power behind planning each month in the US,” Afshar added.
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