eCommerce success story: Fútbol Emotion

Over the years, we have analysed many case studies. Stores that stand out for their business model, their products, the way they sell them or how they communicate. Countless sectors, from the most generalist to the smallest niches.

However, we had never entered a segment that stir up passions: football. Since we have decided to do so, we are going to do it big: with Fútbol Emotion. It is not just any brand, as it has become a true reference at national and international level.

Review with us their store, the strategy they follow and the content with which they feed their social networks. There is a lot to comment on, so… warm up, we are starting.

Whenever we do an eCommerce success story like this, we like to stop at the figure of the entrepreneur. To know a little more about who had the idea, what their motivation was and, above all, how they went from an idea to a commercial reality that is also profitable.

In the case of Fútbol Emotion, the person in charge is a passionate fan of this sport, of course, but he goes a bit further. His name is Francisco Javier Broto and, if you are a fan with some experience, you may remember a Javier Broto who was a first division goalkeeper in teams such as Getafe. Indeed: we are talking about the same one.

When Broto hung up his gloves, he was fully aware that he had to look for an alternative business. A means of livelihood outside professional sport, and that is how the idea of opening a sports store specialised in football was born.

Although Francisco Javier Broto retired from football in 2005, he began to prepare this transition in parallel and, thus, in 2001 what would be the germ of the current Futbol Emotion was born: a store of products for goalkeepers called Soloporteros.

As its name indicates, in Soloporteros all kinds of technical equipment for goalkeepers were sold. This was a good idea because, objectively, it was a specific niche that was not being served with this level of zoom.

Things were not going badly, but, obviously, all efforts were focused on attracting a very specific profile. In fact, the most specific possible within football because, after all, there are only two goalkeepers per match (plus the substitutes, of course).

Obviously, this shortens the market and, over time, made him think bigger. After many years, in 2016, everything is rethought, including a rebranding. We move from a store for goalkeepers, to a modern eCommerce combined with physical stores and with a broader vision: this is how Fútbol Emotion is born.

The decision ended up proving to be the right one, because they have ended up selling internationally in more than 50 countries through eCommerce, and opening physical stores in Spain, Portugal and Italy.

Turnover kept shooting up, according to public data, they went from selling 50 million euros in the 2021-2022 financial year, to exceeding 80 million in 2023. 50% of Fútbol Emotion’s turnover comes directly from eCommerce, an online store so well developed that it has accumulated numerous awards, including the eCommerce Awards.

Before going into depth in their communication and marketing strategy (do not doubt that we will), it is worth taking a look at their online store.

Let us bear in mind where we were coming from, so I leave you a screenshot, even if only partial, of what soloporteros was like in its beginnings.

25 years ago, electronic commerce was beginning to take its first steps in Spain, so what you see was the vision of an entrepreneur quite ahead of his time.

From there we have moved on to something with an appearance much more in line with what we understand as a modern eCommerce.

Just taking a look at the Futbol Emotion home page and its menu is enough to see the depth of its catalogue and how they have organised their offer: