Spanish clubs are looking connect with and to be closer to the growing fanbases they have around the world. With an increasingly international audience for LaLiga, visibility in local markets can be the key to winning new followers.
With this in mind, Real Valladolid and Girona FC have made moves to ensure that distance is no longer an obstacle when it comes to buying club merchandise. By striking deals with Amazon, they have opened dedicated online stores where fans around the world can get hold of shirts, accessories and more, extending both brands into target markets and supporting international development strategies.
¡Buenas noticias! ¡Acuerdo con Amazon para vender online en España los productos oficiales del Real Valladolid!
— Real Valladolid C.F. (@realvalladolid) November 4, 2019
https://t.co/DDtObLO40V#pucela #RealValladolid pic.twitter.com/dZYMhdK8Bc
A brand positioning boost for Real Valladolid
In the Real Valladolid store, visitors can find home and away shirts, training kits and other merchandise. The club expects Amazon’s worldwide profile to add to the presence that it is already building worldwide, while allowing fans to make purchases in a comfortable, quick and secure way.
The current collaboration between Amazon and the LaLiga Santander club is a medium-term one that will be reviewed periodically. “We need time to assess the results, at least until the end of the current season,” the club said. “But the strategy behind the deal covers two main parts. One is the association with one of the world’s main online vendors and the other is to do with brand positioning at a national, European and worldwide level.”
Girona FC and the importance of e-commerce
For Catalan side Girona FC, the decision to partner with Amazon is the latest step in a wider mission to put the fan at the centre of a revamped e-commerce experience.
Tots els productes del Girona FC en un sol clic a la botiga oficial d'Amazon
— Girona FC (@GironaFC) November 15, 2019
Oferta del catàleg complet dels productes oficials del club i entregues en un i dos dies a diferents països europeus.
INFO https://t.co/OMoIThdbCt#GironaFC #OrgullGironí pic.twitter.com/KzTB8u1q2R
“One of the interaction points that the club had to improve was the shopping experience in our online store,” said business transformation director Gustavo González.
“We had to simplify the shopping experience, make it unique and optimize deliveries to improve the consumer experience, enhancebusiness capacity and increase sales, in addition to increasing the visibility of the club."
Having opened the store officially at the end of 2019, the club is already looking ahead to new developments in this area. “The concept of e-commerce is much broader and plays an important part of the club's commercial vision,” González noted. “We are committed to offering all our services and products through our entire ecosystem of digital applications, such as the app that we will soon be launching. This includes buying tickets, shopping in the online store, ordering products from the bars with at-seat delivery or booking tours of the stadium.”