The last few months have been challenging, forcing companies across all sectors to rethink their business models. At MB&F this involved finding new ways to stay close to clients without being physically present since 24 out of their 27 points of sale were closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Offering customers an e-commerce option has become an essential part of the mix but they are doing that with a twist. Today, MB&F has announced its new e-commerce concept.
About a year ago MB&F relaunched the e-shop for its MB&F M.A.D. Gallery in Geneva, featuring their MB&F + L’Epée 1839 table clocks and other kinetic sculptures from the M.A.D.Gallery artists. Even though the traffic and sales on that channel significantly increased over the last months, the wristwatches were not offered on the platform.
Therefore, adding their Horological and Legacy Machines was the logical next step. However, rather than launching a conventional e-shop featuring its entire collection, they will be offering a selection of just a few references, for limited periods of time on a rotation basis. With that being said, right now they are offering for sale the HM10 Bulldog, launched at the end of March and the just-released LM101 MB&F x H. Moser.
Now for the twist, their e-shop selection includes pieces from their retail partners. Here again, our approach is not to offer the entire inventory of their partners, but carefully-selected pieces —typically the last remaining piece of a specific reference. In this case, the HM3 Frog in titanium sold by Westime and unfortunately sold out. Those pieces, although promoted on the e-shop, are sold in full transparency directly by their retail partners to the final customer and their e-shop acts as an additional sales channel for their partners, with MB&F taking no extra commissions or fees on those sales.
The new e-commerce platform will continue to sell all the M.A.D. Gallery stuff including the Mechanical Art, all the time art pieces including all the MB&F L’Epée 1839 clocks, the fine art photography from artists like Fabian Öefner and Frédéric Müller among others, kinetic design sculptures, and books and goodies.
For the MB&F new E-shop click here.
