How Braun Büffel took its D2C business to the next level with Shopify

From key rings to purses and travel bags, Braun Büffel has been a household name in the leather goods business since 1887. To this day, it remains one of the few companies to still have production sites in Germany.

Braun Büffel's focus lies on craftsmanship and usability. With the highest product quality and a lifetime repair service, the company is building a long-term relationship with its customers.

In the digital age, however, a functioning shop system is indispensable. Thus, Braun Büffel chose the path to Shopify.

Since switching to Shopify, Braun Büffel has achieved the following:

• Nearly 50 % higher conversion rate
• More than 28 % higher shopping cart values
• 66 % shorter page load times

Challenge: From specialist retail to the D2C business

In March 2020, during the first Covid-19 lockdown, Braun Büffel launched its online store. On the one hand, this was accompanied by psychological challenges: The company had to confront its retailers – who until then had the exclusive right to distribute Braun Büffel products – with the fact that the company would soon also sell its leather goods directly through its online store.

On the other hand, the company initially lacked expertise in D2C sales. The online store, which was initially run with Magento, was not user-friendly and had to be managed entirely by an external agency. As the online business grew, this situation became increasingly difficult for Braun Büffel. What was needed was an e-commerce system that could be easily scaled and integrated, making ideal use of the newly acquired resources while ensuring ease of use.

Solution: Shopify as the Perfect Match

Shopify proved to be the ideal choice for Braun Büffel: after just 12 weeks, the core shop was up and running, allowing them to focus extensively on integrating surrounding systems and optimizing usability. In about six months, the company was able to achieve a complete relaunch with Shopify, taking the user experience to a new level.

Since then, Braun Büffel has been able to showcase its content more effectively, addressing customer questions upfront, thereby creating a stronger connection to its products. Shopify's user-friendly interface enables the Braun Büffel team to work creatively and goal-oriented – for example, through simple A/B testing.

Another reason for switching to Shopify was the simple control and integration of the various processes and tools. Relevant apps can be seamlessly connected and configured via the Shopify store without requiring developers. This enables Braun Büffel to implement its own ideas and solutions at top speed despite its small e-commerce team.

Result: Improvement in all areas

With the shop relaunch and the migration from Magento to Shopify, Braun Büffel is now able to implement its plans directly and easily. This has increased the conversion rate by almost 50%, while the average cart value rose from approximately €72 to over €100. This represents an increase of over 28%.

With the use of Shopify, the shops’ page load times have been reduced by 66%, significantly enhancing the user experience. Tis improvement has increased the trust in the brand and simplified product asses, resulting in a drop in the bounce rate from 55 % to 42%.

In the meantime, Braun Büffel is working on expanding into Scandinavia and the rest of Europe. Shopify serves as a source of data and innovation, enabling Braun Büffel to establish itself as a flagship and pioneer of the D2C approach in its industry. This heightened brand awareness also benefits the company’s retail partners.