With a custom solution that addresses B2C and B2B audiences, the brand exceeded expectations in the first 40 days of the project.
Founded in 2009, Giga Atacado has 10 stores and over 1,400 employees in the state of São Paulo — the chain is a specialist in wholesale and retail in Brazil. This is because it serves B2B clients, focusing on small retailers and individual customers, who seek the best cost-benefit ratio when shopping. In order to improve their service to different audiences and play a leading role in the digital market industry, the chain decided to trust VTEX as the provider of its new sales channel: the e-commerce giga.com.vc. The project began in November 2020, and the website went live on July 31, 2021.
André Nassar, CEO of Giga Atacado, explains that the project’s first stage involved extensive research and benchmarking carried out by internal teams. The Giga team visited more than 10 retailers that operate with the “Click and Collect” option to identify frictions and, thus, structure the best operating model for their customers — from the ordering process on their website to the shipping method or in-store pickup.
“We noticed an opportunity to play a major role in digital wholesale sales in the country and solve our customers’ problems, optimizing price and time. Our core driver was to provide a better experience for our B2B clients, the small merchants, but also provide the best pricing for B2C customers.”
Renato Rodrigues, Ecommerce Manager at Giga Atacado
Two audiences, one solution
To best address their needs, Giga Atacado chose VTEX IO, a headless commerce platform that balances speed and flexibility, accelerating the delivery of highly custom experiences. The customization this architecture offered was a fundamental aspect for Giga Atacado, which was looking for a way to provide its different audiences a digital experience similar to the physical one.
“In physical stores, customers can easily choose to buy products in the retail or wholesale model. You can buy a single unit or ten boxes of the same product. We needed to offer that same experience in our online store.”
André Nassar, CEO of Giga Atacado
They solved this challenge with VTEX’s native B2C platform, which was customized to meet Giga Atacado’s B2B needs.
“Giga Atacado is an open ecommerce on our B2C platform, so we developed custom pricing capabilities to meet their B2B model.”
Lais Cortazzo, Business Solutions Architect at VTEX
Just like in the physical store, in Giga Atacado’s ecommerce, you can buy products per unit or in large packs. It is an open site, so there is no need to log in.
“We were able to replicate in digital the exact same experience as in physical stores. Customers can choose to buy retail or wholesale very easily, on the same product page, and without logging in. All of this was made possible thanks to customizations natively available on the VTEX platform.”
Renato Rodrigues, Ecommerce Manager at Giga Atacado
Currently, the company has noticed a growth in B2B orders on the platform, and also an increase in the average order price in wholesale sales.
“This result translates the basis of omnichannel. It’s not only about creating a new sales channel. It’s about offering the same shopping experience for customers across all channels.”
Lais Cortazzo, Business Solutions Architect at VTEX
Drive-thru: “Click and collect” efficiency
Giga Atacado’s ecommerce offers the options “ship from store”, when orders are filled from the store and then are shipped to the customer’s delivery address, and “Click and Collect“, when customers can pick up their online orders at the company’s brick-and-mortar stores. For this second option, the chain invested in building a dedicated structure at the Giga Limão store — a 1500 m² area designed to serve customers in less than a minute.
“It was an investment that involved physical works in our parking lot to offer the best infrastructure to all customers who opt for this type of delivery. Part of our B2B audience has been using the in-store pickup, and now, due to our complete infrastructure, it’s available even for trucks.”
André Nassar, CEO of Giga Atacado
The Giga Atacado team also invested in developing an exclusive visual identity for the drive-thru and massive communications to advertise it to its customers.
According to Giga Atacado’s Ecommerce Manager, the preference for this option is above projections. Around 30% of the orders invoiced are from customers who opt for “Click and Collect”, a share above the market.
Partnership, results, and expansion plans
From beginning to end, the project relied on the Guidance service provided by VTEX’s Advanced Services team. For the Giga Atacado team, relying on VTEX consulting and expertise in digital commerce with solution architects highly proficient in the platform was fundamental to overcoming the challenges of going digital.
“The great advantage about the project was the partnership with the Advanced Services team. Being supported by the VTEX team at every stage and in all complex integrations was a determining success factor for us.”
Renato Rodrigues, Ecommerce Manager at Giga Atacado
After 40 days of their ecommerce operation, the company reached 30% more than the established goal. The projections are that conversions, which are already at 1.10%, will continue to grow. The company’s goal is to expand the “Click and Collect” option by offering a drive-thru system in two additional stores by the end of this year. Transforming their ecommerce into a marketplace is also in their plans for 2022.
The architecture of the VTEX platform made the whole process easier, as every ecommerce store is born ready to become a marketplace from the very beginning.
“Our experience with the VTEX platform has been very positive. We have an effective and fast website specifically tailored to meet our customers’ needs.”
André Nassar, CEO of Giga Atacado
