Mallo’s seamless expansion into the European market

With bold expansion goals, Bazaar Group have gone global. Securing investment in 2021, their target was the European furniture market. By establishing a manufacturing and distribution hub in Hamburg in 2022, Bazaar was poised for action.

Working with a third-party branding company, they set sail producing a new brand targeting a European audience. A plan was now in place and all that was left was to create a website to support their new journey.

IDHL has been Bazaar’s tech partner of choice for the past three years, so when this latest venture was announced, we knew we had what it takes to help them succeed. Thanks to our delivery of their previous sites and in-depth knowledge of their brand, Bazaar recognised we were the right agency to take their new brand, Mallo and its range of product brands including Icon and Veeva, international…

Leading the way in "feel-good" furniture, Mallo offers a distinctive collection of designed and crafted soft seating products. Elevating any home or garden space, their products serve as social conversation starters.

Our goal was simple: create a site that would accurately reflect Mallo’s identity and ethos, while showcasing that all-important feel-good factor.

In collaboration with Bazaar and their branding company, we initiated an in-depth discovery process in March 2023. With a comprehensive brief and new brand assets in hand, we embarked on developing a website for their latest venture: Mallo. With their great value proposition and a meticulously-crafted blueprint, we were well-equipped to create a site ready for success.

Throughout our discovery we included several key experts from Pinpoint including our Director of eCommerce strategy, ensuring we were providing the relevant expertise every step of the way. During this process, we ran extensive UX research and workshops. Targeting a new audience in different countries meant that understanding their user expectations and how people might interact with a website differently was vital.

From the get-go, we removed assumptions from the table and used the discovery period to delve into what a European market wants and needs from a website. As a new foray for the team, Bazaar were entering the market as newbies in the space. This meant incorporating trust signals and creating brand awareness was key in the design phase.

In our discovery process, we ran multiple tests and services, including:

• Lightning demos – As a starting point for the new sites design direction we explored and discussed the visual design ideas the business admired whilst leveraging the new Mallo brand guidelines.
• Stakeholder interviews – Interviews were conducted with the senior management team at Bean Bag Bazaar to understand what was driving the project, what the goals were for the project and what success looked like to them. It was important to connect with the senior management team to understand the strategy behind the sites and focus the team on the success criteria.
• EU UX research – Drawing on our experience with international markets and completing desk research, it was vital for us to recognise the nuances of the German and French markets. Understanding the target consumer audiences, identifying challenges, and getting familiar with the competitors was imperative. We also highlighted areas to boost the chance of success and avoid obvious obstacles.
• An eCommerce 360 review – Looking at over 200 individual data points, our eCommerce 360 review allowed us to benchmark the existing UK site against their competitors and inspiration sites. This provided valuable information into the areas to prioritise, providing more of a focus when creating impactful designs for the new sites.

In addition to the challenge of launching two sites for new markets, Bazaar aimed to expand their Icon and Veeva brand product ranges. Our design approach prioritised scalability, ensuring the websites could seamlessly accommodate future product expansions as we began our work.

Upon completing our work, we presented Bazaar’s team with our recommended design and build concepts for their new Mallo sites in Germany and France. With their approval secured, we commenced the frontend builds, seamlessly integrating them with their existing Magento platform and middleware systems.

View the websites:

• Mallo Germany
• Mallo France

"IDHL's professional and dedicated team proved to be an invaluable partner in the successful launch of Mallo Home, a new retail brand aimed at penetrating the competitive German and French markets for beanbag and soft seating categories. They provided us with strategic guidance to navigate the challenges of cultural differences and stiff competition, leveraging their expertise in e-commerce optimisation and web development to establish a strong foothold for Mallo Home.“

Dan Pinchard, Sales and Marketing Director

Handing over our key findings, the team at Bazaar felt buoyed by what would be possible within their European expansion. Stakeholder interviews helped to bring senior executives closer to the project and provided us at Pinpoint with insights into their expectations and goals. Armed with this information, Bazaar and team Pinpoint both understood what was expected and how to achieve these.

Using the findings from the eCommerce 360, we had a clear vision for the future of their sites and ensured we left space for innovation further down the line.

Peak is one of the most valuable times of year for brands in the eCommerce space, so we needed to launch their EU websites before peak trading began. Completing their design and builds within six months, we went live in time for them to make the most of peak. 

"From website design and optimisation to strategic guidance, Pinpoint demonstrated professionalism and dedication that ensured the smooth execution of our Mallohome.de & Mallohome.fr websites. The tangible results achieved underscore the effectiveness of their web-centric approach. We have confidence in our continued partnership with Pinpoint as we further optimise and expand Mallo's online presence, driving growth and success in the online retail landscape of Germany and France.“

Dan Pinchard, Sales and Marketing Director