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Visualsoft kicks off first ever football club website for Middlesbrough FC

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July 30, 2020 | 3 min read

eCommerce expert enters the sports retail market with a team close to home

North East based eCommerce agency, Visualsoft, has scored its first-ever ecommerce website for a sports club, with the launch of an all-new site for Middlesbrough FC.

Visualsoft drew on its substantial experience across retail and fashion websites to develop the site, which is the source of all official merchandise for the club. Shoppers can purchase a range of kit, sporting equipment, fashion garments, homeware, souvenirs and gifts.

Middlesbrough FC chose Visualsoft’s Enterprise+ Shared Success service, which incorporates ongoing marketing services across search engine optimisation (SEO), conversion rate optimisation (CRO) and social media, as well as the website build, hosting and maintenance.

The new website will receive four comprehensive health checks every year, and has been provided with custom integrations with RSS - a sport-specific omnichannel retail platform and Sports Alliance, a set of CRM and personalisation tools to help clubs nurture supporter relationships.

Supporters will also be delighted with the addition of the shirt personalisation feature later this year, which allows fans to customise their kits with sleeve patches, names and numbers so they can proudly display their club support, tailored to their exact requirements.

The Shared Success model is a commission-based solution, whereby Visualsoft’s fee is based on a small percentage of online sales generated by the new site. In return, Middlesbrough FC enjoys a wide range of platform and performance-based marketing services.

David Duke, COO at Visualsoft, said: “Sports retail and football clubs are a new market for Visualsoft and we’re thrilled to be moving into this area – the fact that Boro is a local club to Visualsoft’s headquarters is the icing on the cake!

“The opportunities for online marketing to drive website traffic are really special in the sports sector because you’re working with a really loyal fan base, and of course there are regular matches and player signings to drive engagement. Sporting clubs are really starting to take online marketing and ecommerce seriously, recognising that they are powerful ways of simultaneously driving interaction and generating new revenue sources. We’re hoping that this will be the first of many partnerships with football teams and other sporting clubs.”

Jo-Ann Swinnerton, head of retail at Middlesbrough FC, said: “Visualsoft really understood what we were trying to achieve in terms of reaching out to our fans, making the most of the great relationship we already have and generating new lines of revenue through online sales. The company has a really dynamic and creative approach to ecommerce, and is helping us find new ways of driving traffic to the website, as well as generating sales once those browsers arrive. We’re looking forward to continuing working with Visualsoft in the months and years ahead.”

Web Development Football Ecommerce Digital Marketing

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