Research

Butchers and Bicycles

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Abstract

Morten Wagener is a Danish design, and innovator who founded the cargo and personal transportation bicycle company, ”Butchers and Bicycles,”. He identified a business opportunity to improve the future of urban transport. His idea was that most of the trikes) on the market lacked good design, maneuverability and styling. With his engineering and design background, Wagener set out to design a new trike; which would meet the needs of the target market, which his research identified as well- educated individuals who were very interested in aesthetics. Furthermore, Wagener was convinced that trikes were one of the answers to future urban transportation problems. Wagener decided to develop the best trike he could in terms of quality, style, design, maneuverability, safety and a great riding experience. Each of the company’s bicycles is hand made and there is a waiting time of at least two months between order and delivery. From a marketing perspective, one of the differentiating factors of Morten’s product is the quality of the ride (compared to competing products) and so his marketing team coined the slogan “Built-to-Tilt” because even though it’s a trike it feels like riding a two-wheeled bicycle. Then the challenge was how to go to market with a marketing budget close to zero? The target group from the beginning: consumers that are lifestyle oriented, such as readers of Monocle and Wallpaper magazines, who are first movers that appreciate quality and are willing to pay for it. Many of these customers were young urban families that might buy a Butchers and Bicycles trike as an alternative to a second car. Also, Copenhagen is number one in investment in cycling infrastructure, which makes it easier for families to adopt this form of transport. How to reach the target market was initially a challenge but the team at Butchers & Bicycles invested in the design of their website, and professional promotional video, which reached a 157,000 people since its launch. They also have Facebook and Instagram pages, which are used to build and develop customer relationships. This approach is rather organic insofar as they have built a reputation through word of mouth and social media but it has proved to be highly effective.