By Clotilde Chenevoy | the | Customer relationship
Maxiburo, a BtoB site for office products and stationery, has been a sponsor since 2015 of the Rock en Seine festival, which will take place from August 25 to 28. An operation that allows him to work on his customer relationship with of his best accounts as well as his employer brand. Details with Marc Wacheux, CEO and founder of Maxiburo.
Why did you invest in sponsoring Rock en Seine?
Sponsorship has three purposes. This is a way of thanking our excellent customers, who order several thousand euros with at least one order per month. We welcome them to the festival in a relaxed atmosphere, to strengthen our relationship and to meet them as well. We have historically been a VADist and have no field sales force.
Another reason for this partnership is that it represents a way of associating Maxiburo with a local socio-cultural activity, which is not a commercial partnership. Since 2015, we have also developed a strong relationship with the festival group.
Finally, this sponsorship also allows us to animate internal teams, with a unifying theme. It is also important for us to choose an event where we are also geographically close.
How much did you invest in this operation? How do you calculate return on investment?
We do not talk about the amount invested, but it represents several tens of thousands of euros. As for the benefits, they are very good with the team and we know that this is an invitation that our loyal customers look forward to. We track the rate of referrals across accounts to measure operational reach. But it should also be remembered that sponsorship is an attractive tax system that allows interaction in socio-cultural events. It is important for businesses to participate as well and this can be done for all business sizes.
Regarding customer relations, beyond sponsorship, what actions do you implement?
We are from mail order, we still send catalogs. But not all and not all of our offers. We target large projects such as redesigning an office with about ten workstations. The catalog will help you make a decision. But our investments are mainly related to buying traffic. This is also the main budget for marketing expenses.
In the second half of the year, we will modernize our loyalty program, which started back in 2000. We are working with a special agency to make it more visible and more attractive, and all technical improvements are being made inside. We have a team of about ten people who manage our various technological developments. They are also in charge of the redesign of the site that was recently done.
How is Maxiburo?
We have achieved a turnover of almost twenty million euros with very strong growth in recent years. We have made significant progress in our methods of retaining customers and finding new ones. In recent months, inflation has had an impact on our supply, especially paper. We’re raising money so we can’t stop. We pass these increases on to customers, but they ultimately have consequences for the company’s paper consumption. Inflation is also holding back real estate projects, as demand is slowing. Our customers compare offers and move their project over time.
As for the second half, we remain cautiously optimistic because we know anything can happen. Faced with this uncertain universe, we adapt to find new ways and solutions. Confinements show that everything can stop suddenly and start again immediately.