Success story: eCooltra's turn in uncertain times

26/05/2020
  • To what extent can a business transform in a crisis? We are going to talk about the turn made by eCooltra and how it managed to balance its business areas during COVID-19.

  • It is a fact that not all niches have behaved the same way during coronavirus: many have suffered and some have grown. But the truth is that, to a greater or lesser extent, we have had to reinvent ourselves to continue selling. 

    ECommerce has had some better chances, but ... what happens to other businesses that need the presence of the customer? How can a company, that depends on social activity, carry on? 

    Well, pay attention to the case of Cooltra and eCooltra because it represents good teaching in this regard, both in communication and resource management
  • What is eCooltra?

  • If you live in a big city or have frequently traveled to one of them, you will have seen how, little by little, all of them have been filled with shared transport

    These types of electric vehicles are managed through a mobile app and allow them to be used on demand by their customers, paying a price per minute. It is called carsharing and motosharing

    Its success lies both in the eco-friendly and sustainable aspect of the business and in the very nature of cities and consumption models, which are increasingly seeking to be more efficient

    Users have learned - largely thanks to eCommerce - the virtues of on-demand use of resources. In fact, it is not very different from cases already commented on this blog, such as that of Airbnb and its shared flats. 
  • INSIGHT: Just as there has been an evolution of software as a service, it was logical that goods or products as a service should follow. Shared resources, where feasible, stand out for their high amortization capacity. 
  • Cooltra and eCooltra: sharing the eggs in two baskets

  • For a hyper specific business, there is always the risk of being exposed to the ups and downs of the same market, fashion, trends, disruptive competitors that change the rules ... By not diversifying the business we have, as we say, all the eggs in the same basket. 

    Hence, Cooltra, which is a company of rental and leasing of vehicles for individuals and fleets in a more traditional or standard way, turned its sub-brand of electric motorsharing for individuals eCooltra, expanding its scope and possibilities with an alternative but complementary line of business
  • INSIGHT: When you have an infrastructure in place and the right suppliers, it is much easier to give your business model a thought to find opportunities that help you diversify. Take advantage of existing negotiations and contacts to enter new sectors
  • Carsharing and coronavirus: the disaster

  • All this COVID crisis has changed businesses and  consumers. Overnight, population has been confined to their homes, off the streets and afraid of contagion by contact. 

    This it is the worse possible scene for a company like eCooltra. Let us consider that their clients must stop moving from one place to another and, those who still have the necessity, carry far the sanitary measures, so they are reluctant not only to touch handlebars, but also to put a helmet on that is shared with multiple users. 

     How does eCooltra react to save its business? Basically through three means. 
  • #1 – Communication

  • They were absolutely clear that they did not want to lose the link with their community. The user database is one of the keys to their business, so they devised a strategy focused on email marketing and gamification so that customers continue to keep the brand in mind despite not being able to use the service. 
  • INSIGHT: Small weekly games and challenges such as those raised by eCooltra serve to enhance branding by reinforcing the brand presence and providing certain intangible differential values. Gaming in confined times is an escape route.  
  • #2 – Corporate responsability

  • It is not necessary to do a very complex study of FUDs (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubts) or fears, uncertainties and doubts to understand what discourages the user from using a service like eCooltra: vehicle hygiene and compulsory accessories

    From the beginning, they have worked to make their community feel from social networks and newsletters that the measures were being redoubled with the regular disinfection of the motorcycle fleet, adding hairnets for the use of helmets and others. This has been one of his basic lines.
  • INSIGHT: Anticipate the stoppers of your users and articulate your speech so that you can clear their doubts unequivocally and explicitly. Do not hide the problem and make the solution you have found public
  • #3 – Diversification

  • Fortunately, they are not a company exclusively dedicated to motosharing: they also have the monthly rental division and the fleets for companies

    The eCooltra user may not want to use public transport but neither does a shared motorcycle, but things change if the use made is exclusive to him and is returned the moment the situation stabilizes. Flexible and non-permanent renting can attract many new potential clients. 

    As for business fleets, something similar happens. The increased demand, for example, for food delivery has meant that restaurants and chains have seen the need to reinforce the fleet of vehicles so that those motorcycles that were stopped had a new use. 

    And finally, eCooltra has known to see an opportunity at the most severe moment of confinement. At the time when only workers from companies with essential services were going to work, eCooltra launched its fleet of B2B motorcycles so that these companies could provide their workers with a reliable and safe alternative to public transport when going to work. 
  • INSIGHT: Adapting is the real key to business. You cannot stand still while things change, and less if it is as drastically as in this case. 
  • Was the eCooltra case inspiring for you? We hope so, because these insights can be applied directly or indirectly to any business, whether online or retail. Give it a try!

  • Images | Unsplash, eCooltra.

Miguel Nicolás


Miguel Nicolás O'Shea is a life-long copywriter (more than 15 years working in agencies) and a specialist in Search Marketing (SEO and PPC). From now on, he will contribute with his online marketing experience to Oleoshop, publishing regularly.

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