Luke Battiloro is no stranger to outrageous achievements, and today, we will be learning how to build a successful business in the midst of the economic uncertainty that was 2020
Luke Battiloro took on the challenge of being one of the first people to sell alcohol online and managed to come up on top! Leaving any of his potential competitors back in the dust and marveling at his triumphs.
So, make sure to stick around till the end and learn a little as Luke Battiloro shares his hard-won strategies for building a successful e-commerce business in 2021.
Hello! Please tell us a little bit about yourself to start us off.
Luke Battiloro: Hello. My name is Luke Battiloro. I’m the founder and CEO of Vavoom Vodka, which is a Vodka brand that is on the higher end of the spectrum.
Before I got into alcohol, I was pretty deep into other industries though. The first thing that comes to mind were dietary supplements, which were all the rage back in the early 2010s. And another big one would be CBD, which me and a close friend of mine got heavily involved with back before it was ever even popularized.
Can you tell us a little bit about Vavoom Vodka?
Luke Battiloro: Well, if we’re talking about the nitty-gritty. We developed Vavoom Vodka with the word beauty in mind — and all the connotations that word is associated with. This meant that we made sure to use only the highest ingredients to produce one of the smoothest Vodkas available in the market today. Along with specially handcrafted glass bottles from Milan that we chose to really push that image of ‘beauty’ and grace that we were looking for.
A message that goes hand in hand with the movement that our company is passionate about. Which is encouraging and empowering people to become more ‘beautiful’ — whatever that may mean for them.
Okay, now turning towards more technical aspects for a bit. Can you tell us a little bit about how you’ve built a successful e-commerce business?
Luke Battiloro: When it comes to e-commerce businesses, one of the more important things is definitely marketing. That’s pretty straightforward. You can have the best of everything, but if there’s no one looking for it, then you better believe that you’re not going to be selling anything. This is one of the things that I’ve always prioritized, especially as someone who used to work strictly as a marketing producer — creating leads for other businesses. For that, finding the right sales channel is another thing that you keep an eye on. You can probably expect some level of success by marketing your products through as many channels as you can. But some sales channels definitely deserve a little bit more attention based on how well it’s doing.
Also, make sure that you’re prepared when the customers start coming. Customer Service can really make or break your e-commerce business, so make the preparations needed to meet their expectations. And, above all else, try to set up achievable goals. Don’t stress yourself out too much — try to stick to what is realistic in terms of revenue and your total business structure.
What aspects of your e-commerce business did you find yourself prioritizing last year? And, how has that changed your plans moving forward?
Luke Battiloro: Last year, with COVID and all the repercussions that came along with it, being able to ship goods was one of the biggest challenges that many companies in the alcohol industry dealt with. Suffice to say, it had almost everyone struggling. Not just when it came to delivery speed but also in making sure that all packages were insured for up sales.
The big e-commerce companies didn’t make things any easier on us either. With Amazon and Amazon Prime, people got used to things like next-day shipping and they were not happy about having to wait 7-10 days to get what they ordered. New Direct-To-Consumer companies have been cropping up in China as well, selling things at incredibly cheap prices, which some customers go for, despite the 2-3 weeks shipping delay. So, like an e-commerce business in the midst of 2020, you had to balance both of those things — providing quality products at a good cost and shipping them express —to make it out on top.
What is one tool that you think that those just getting started with their own e-commerce business should use?
Luke Battiloro: Shopify is a good one. Especially if you’re looking to get the ball rolling. That may sound a bit biased coming from a Shopify partner, but I don’t know that there are many who can argue against my reasoning in this case. Shopify is undeniably one of the best software for building up an e-commerce business on your own, after all. It’s highly intuitive and highly effective.
What marketing tactics have you been using lately to increase your conversion rates?
Luke Battiloro: For my business, I’ve found that creating urgency has been highly effective at getting us sales. Because our Vodka is on the higher-end, price is definitely one of those things that our customers are concerned about. And, with quick flash sales that are over in two to three hours, we’ve been able to entice a lot of customers that may be a little hesitant in making a purchase.
How about brand reputation? How have you built up your brand to be one that your customers can trust?
Luke Battiloro: Ah, this one is definitely all down to customer service and reviews. Reviews for getting the customers foot in the door, and excellent customer service for making sure that they actually stay with you.
And for our last question of the advice section, what is one thing that you’ve learned recently that you think that other e-commerce brands may find helpful?
Luke Battiloro: Don’t forget the little guy! I think it’s easy to get lost in the promise of those big agencies, with their guarantees and their long work histories. But, they’re not going to be able to do everything for you. And as a third-party entity, remember that they will never truly be working 100% for your interest. So, don’t forget the people that are actually on your side. The people that have been working with you this whole time, and who stand to benefit from all your victories — not just theirs, like most agencies prioritize.
Thank you very much for joining us for this interview! Before we end things though, should any of our readers be interested in learning more about you, where would they be able to find you?
Luke Battiloro: While I’m not the most active in social media. I do have an Instagram account that I keep up to date with stories and the like. It’s just as much for me as it is for the people who want to know the man working behind-the-scenes. So, if you want to check it out, just look up @lukebattiloro on Instagram!
