The bicycle industry is changing rapidly. Where the shop floor was the starting point of the customer journey for years, it now almost always begins online. This requires reliable, structured product data that not only shows products but also guides the consumer's choice. In this regard, i-Aspect supports retailers with their online visibility and lead generation.
“In the bicycle industry, the average consumer first orientates themselves online when purchasing a bicycle,” says Robbert Ooms of i-Aspect. “Not so much to order a bicycle directly, but for the insights. A bicycle is, after all, a fairly technical product that the average consumer knows little about. Initially, it is mainly about the aesthetic aspect: whether the bicycle is beautiful.” Nevertheless, the process of buying a bicycle directly online can be simple, he explains. “But here too: most consumers lack insight into the suitable type of bicycle and its usage. This also applies to the technical knowledge of a bicycle and the increasingly diverse forms of e-bikes. As a result, the bicycle as a product is less suitable for direct online sales. For that reason, retailers in turn often do not have a strong focus on selling new bicycles online; they find customer satisfaction after purchase more important.”
Importance of product data
Ooms emphasizes that reliable product data is of great importance for this online orientation. For this purpose, i-Aspect has a direct connection with the DST platform. “They offer connections with common point-of-sale systems and with multiple suppliers, such as Kruitbosch and Accell.” He explains that based on the authorization of profiles, they can load the website or webshop of their customers in the bicycle industry. “That happens automatically, with a whitelist placed in between. This ensures that only the products for which a shop is an actual retailer can be shown. The majority of the e-commerce data from connected point-of-sale systems – and thus the store stock – is also established via the DST platform."
Changing role
The full-service internet agency i-Aspect once started from a strong starting position within the bicycle industry. “With dropshipment via Kruitbosch, a DST connection, and high online visibility, the focus was on e-commerce early on. However, many bicycle shops turned out not to be typical online entrepreneurs with an e-commerce focus. They do not necessarily want to sell online, but rather sell in their physical stores through online presence.” Ooms now sees that the role of online has shifted and that the need for insight and support has changed as a result. “Websites of bicycle shops now function less as a sales channel and more as a showcase and lead generator for the store. The number of online visitors is large, but requires a different approach where more knowledge and understanding is needed. Just putting a bunch of bicycles on your website? That is no longer sufficient in this day and age.” For this, i-Aspect increasingly offers a total service with attention to online strategy, the customer journey, and web support for quality in content creation.
Satisfied, still some small wishes
Ooms is satisfied with the cooperation with DST, indicating that things have improved significantly, especially with the introduction of DST 3.1. “Take the battery of an e-bike, which was not standard included in the price. Of course, we still have small wishes, for example, that the model years of bicycles are consistently updated in the data. This is especially necessary if certain models continue into the following year and entrepreneurs can still deliver them as brand new. Another wish is that products will be clustered consistently, so that they can also be displayed more orderly in a webshop as variants. That also relates to how DST works, where they are dependent on their participating suppliers.”
"Point-of-sale connections and current stock information make the difference between a static website and a platform that is truly alive. In combination with smart applications, a sales channel is created that actively supports the store."
Still plenty of possibilities
Ooms notes that brands such as Riese & Müller show where the market is heading: high-quality, configurable products where user-friendliness is central. “That development has brought the industry a lot, especially since the breakthrough of the e-bike as a complete product – including battery. At the same time, retailers are often less concerned with the technical side of data, even though that is precisely where the opportunities lie. We see that shops we support now really benefit from well-filled and structured data,” he says. “Not only for bicycles, but especially for the parts and accessories behind them. Search engines in particular give so much more relevance to the rich bicycle-related data of such a website.” According to him, there are still plenty of online possibilities, for example in the field of cross-selling. “The power lies in the combination of online visibility and the knowledge of a local specialist. Data plays a key role in this, also for local findability and providing relevant information on the website. Many retailers simply do not have the time for that. Those who use data smarter make it easier for the consumer and themselves.”
“DST data very valuable and practical”
“With Hartman Tweewielercentrum, we are active online with the website fietskopen.nl. The product data from the DST platform plays an important role here. If we had to enter all the bicycle data for our online bicycle brand catalog manually, it would be a lot of work and take a lot of time.”
“Our point-of-sale system is linked with DST, so that we now only need to scan most stock products: all product data is loaded via barcode. Our web partner i-Aspect also loads a richly filled catalog of all DST bicycle brands for which we are a retailer into our website. This provides our website with hundreds of bicycles with very complete information and detailed properties, on which we can be found via search engines.”
“This provides us with a valuable contribution to online lead generation. We do not want our customers to quickly order a bicycle from us online without personal and sound advice. But we do understand well that in the year 2026, the website is indispensable for the initial purchase orientation of consumers. The product data of the DST platform is therefore very valuable and practical for us.”
Chris van Haren – Hartman Tweewielercentrum, Bennekom
About i-Aspect
i-Aspect is a full-service digital agency located in the heart of Utrecht. With over 25 years of experience, a team of specialists in various disciplines, and an excellent network of strong partners, they help companies and organizations achieve their online ambitions.