As schools worldwide closed due to COVID-19, Australia’s Springfree Trampoline, a global leader in backyard trampolines for children, experienced a huge spike in demand for its products.
“The sales that we would normally see in November and December, we saw in March and April,” said Danielle West, head of sales and marketing for Springfree Australia.
To cope with the unexpected increase in orders, the business responded quickly and adapted fast. “The sales and marketing plan that we had pre-COVID was put to the side and we had to be extremely agile based on the current situation that was in front of us,” she said.
Spring to Life
Founded in 2003, Springfree Trampoline employs over 300 people and its products can be found in 25 countries. Manufacturing is based in China, and it utilises both retail and direct-to-consumer channels from its Australian headquarters in the Sunshine Coast.
“Our factories were impacted by the Chinese government sanctions, but we carried adequate stocks across our markets,” West said. “That's just a benefit to having your own factory and owning the supply chain from start to finish. You have a bit more control.”
As demand surged across the world, particularly in the United States, Canada and Australia, the team was simultaneously adapting to new ways of working.
“It's been an interesting time navigating through our own internal structure,” she said. “Managing working from home arrangements, meeting the demands of our consumers and having to change our services and some of our day-to-day operations.”
Throughout this period, Springfree has relied heavily on its systems and processes to ensure the whole organisation has had visibility of complex and ever-changing operations.
“Having cloud-based systems that we can all run from home has enabled us to all be connected from a sales standpoint. We can all pull reports when we need them,” West said. “It has highlighted how strong our processes and systems are. It’s kept everybody on the same page, particularly with the ecommerce and online sales.”
New World of Commerce
As economies begin to reopen, Springfree is facing a new set of challenges. “We are kind of going back to the drawing board and saying, well, what have we learned from this? What's changed?” West said.
These lessons are shaping the Springfree business model as it starts to plan ahead. “We've seen some seismic shifts in the way that people interact with our brand and how they shop,” she said. “A far higher percentage of our customers have been online, aided by our positive online reviews and great brand sentiment. This period has given us some tangible data to be able to apply to our new strategy.”
Springfree’s global team is more connected than ever, with the business now focused on improving both its online and offline experiences, utilising new insights from customers around the world. “Growth of our core channel mix is our main focus,” she said. “There's always an opportunity to improve our offering. So, it's just about balancing our priorities and investing resources into what will have the most impact.
As Springfree looks forward, West reflected on what’s helped the business most throughout the pandemic. “It's honesty and transparency with your people and your customers, both externally and internally.”
Find out more about Springfree Trampoline Australia or visit its US site.