Suggestions
Chris Mattingly
Co-founder blubolt • Co-founder SparkLayer
Chris Mattingly is a prominent figure in the eCommerce industry with extensive experience in developing and managing eCommerce solutions. He co-founded blubolt, a leading UK-based eCommerce agency, in 2006.13 As the Co-Founder and Director of blubolt, Mattingly played a crucial role in establishing the company as a respected Shopify Plus Partner agency, known for delivering sophisticated eCommerce websites and data-driven CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization) for various brands.12
Career Highlights
blubolt Co-Founder:: Mattingly co-founded blubolt in 2006, guiding the company through its growth and evolution over 17 years.1 Under his leadership, blubolt developed its own successful eCommerce platform called bluCommerce, which helped propel brands like Hush and Seasalt to new heights.2
Transition to Shopify Plus:: In 2019, blubolt achieved Shopify Plus Partner status, continuing to deliver high-performing websites for notable brands such as RIXO, Bella Freud, and Never Fully Dressed.2
Recent Developments
In July 2023, Chris Mattingly stepped down from his role at blubolt to focus on new endeavors within the eCommerce space.1 While he will continue to support blubolt for the foreseeable future, Mattingly has embarked on a new venture:
SparkLayer:: Mattingly is now the Co-founder and CEO of SparkLayer, a B2B eCommerce platform he founded in early 2021 with Rhys Laval.3 SparkLayer aims to simplify B2B eCommerce solutions and help brands grow their B2B business.34
Chris Mattingly's experience in eCommerce spans over a decade, making him a respected figure in the industry. His transition from blubolt to SparkLayer demonstrates his continued commitment to innovation and problem-solving in the eCommerce sector.34
Highlights
Smart. Sophisticated. Cutting-edge. Twillory’s latest collection… and their new wholesale store powered by SparkLayer B2B!
We’re thrilled to announce one of our latest launches for fast-growing DTC fashion brand, Twillory, who now have a new way to manage their wholesale business:
✅ They’re saving time for their internal team (who were previously manually processing orders) ✅ They’re giving their wholesale customers a seamless ordering experience (by using their Shopify store to place and manage orders) ✅ They're navigating pre ordering more efficiently (crucial for seasonal products and apparel brands)
Head over to our blog for the full case study https://lnkd.in/ej4Q5EKA
DTC brands, if you’re embarking on launching a B2B/Wholesale store you’re 90% there!
Building SparkLayer B2B, we’ve had a front row seat seeing 1,000s of brands launch B2B eCommerce stores, across different platforms.
A common misconception is that launching a B2B store requires building from the ground up, complex and costly integrations, and lengthy timelines.
Whilst true in some cases, most eCommerce stores already have the underpinnings and foundations to rapidly enable a B2B channel and start taking orders.
Here’s what your current DTC store likely already has:
✅ A well designed frontend that represents your brand (making for a good B2B customer UX) ✅ A well organised product catalogue and site search (to make finding products easy) ✅ An email marketing integration (to segment your customer channels and automate workflows) ✅ In-built platform analytics and third-party tracking (to report on your B2B performance) ✅ Multiple payment providers (to accept proforma “upfront” payments) ✅ An integration(s) with your back office systems (for automation of inventory, orders, etc)
What’s missing is the 10%:
👉 A way to show your B2B pricing 👉 A way to enable customer-specific B2B payment terms 👉 A way to (optionally) configure customer-specific catalogues (B2B-only products) 👉 A way to manage B2B shipping rules (if necessary)
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While the above approach is an oversimplification for some use-cases, if you’re already using one of the big eCommerce platforms, you have a massive head start and you can at least trial your new B2B channel in a very cost-effective (and time-effective) way!
#b2becommerce
