Background
Rave Coffee is a well-established speciality coffee brand known for their high-quality beans and commitment to fresh, ethically sourced coffee. While primarily a B2C business, they had an existing B2B channel that was growing in popularity and importance. They were looking to revamp their wholesale - which is where we come in…
The challenge
Before adopting SparkLayer, Rave Coffee's B2B operations relied on a now outdated setup, which was cumbersome and lacked flexibility. They reached out to SparkLayer while navigating complex operational challenges due to their legacy B2B system that was difficult for their wholesale buyers to use.
The system had significant limitations and required manual work to manage pricing, ordering, and customer groups, resulting in inefficiencies and a high administrative burden. Their wholesale customers faced difficulties in navigating the platform, which resulted in abandoned purchases and inconsistent order processing.
Rave Coffee also had to grapple with pricing complexities. The business had multiple customer segments, each requiring different pricing structures and discounts. Managing these variations within their previous framework was both time-consuming and prone to errors, leading to inconsistencies in pricing across different customer accounts. Additionally, without a streamlined system, adjusting price lists and implementing discounts based on customer tiers became an arduous process.
Another major challenge was order management and stock control. Their system did not offer the flexibility to enforce minimum order values, special pricing rules, or pre-order capabilities at a customer level. Furthermore, their internal teams had limited visibility into real-time stock levels, making it difficult to provide accurate availability updates to customers.
To scale their B2B operations effectively, Rave Coffee needed a dedicated B2B solution that would not only improve the user experience but also simplify back-end processes, automate pricing management, and enhance stock control. They decided to prioritise an improved wholesale experience and created a separate B2B storefront that could allow for a more tailored approach.
The solution
After evaluating a range of options, the team chose SparkLayer to revamp their B2B store. Having prior experience with SparkLayer, their eCommerce Manager, Danny Guevara, knew it would offer a seamless transition without heavy development costs.
“From our point of view, why we moved and why I see so many people could use SparkLayer as opposed to (others) is the ease of use. It's a lot easier to use SparkLayer than to set up and develop (others)”, Danny Guevara, eCommerce Manager.
Rave Coffee quickly made use of our automated price management system, simplifying the handling of multiple pricing tiers, including discounts for different customer groups. Their previous price brackets were established to manually offer bespoke pricing, and SparkLayer has streamlined and automated this process for them.
The business also established minimum order values to ensure operational efficiency and increased ROI on their wholesale orders. The business can now offer customised payment methods for different customer groups, which they’re able to manage all from one place.
SparkLayer’s Sales Agent tool has enabled the internal team to better assist customers with their orders, offering an enhanced experience. It’s been quickly adopted and has sped up order placement and management. This functionality also allows the Sales team to make quick adjustments to pricing and discounting via our in-line editing, ensuring accurate customer pricing and a tailored experience.
The results
By implementing SparkLayer, Rave Coffee have been able to boost their customer service at every stage of the B2B journey. Not only did the business experience speedy onboarding and early buy-in from their internal teams, their end customers were able to get up and running quickly with minimal disruption.
Being able to offer customised pricing, payment methods, and order rules means the team provides a truly bespoke service. On top of the end customer experience, Rave Coffee are also better able to mitigate risk and encourage desired purchasing behaviours due to these order rules.
Through establishing customer groups and B2B price lists, Rave Coffee have seen a positive knock-on effect on their operational efficiency. Overall, they’re in a strong place for sustainable growth and scalability with a dedicated B2B platform and top-tier wholesale functionality.
What's coming up at Rave Coffee
Rave Coffee looks set for an exciting 2025 having already launched four new coffees this year as well as a new VR collection. The collaboration between Raw Material and Rave Coffee allows for an immersive experience where you get to explore the landscapes and culture behind the coffee you’re drinking through their VR headsets.
This collection is all about Colombia, allowing you to head to La Aurora estate to see how they process the hard-to-grow pink bourbon varietal, to the hub of experimental coffee at El Fénix, or to the mind-blowing beauty of Risaralda region - all without leaving your sofa. With more upcoming roasts and a collaboration with the wildlife charity, Tusk, it’s set to be a Rave-filled year for the coffee world.
"We went with SparkLayer because we wanted something that worked - and worked fast. We didn't want to invest a ton of hours in development… That's why it was the best solution. I knew that SparkLayer would be set up quickly and had all the tools there already; we didn't have to do much around it. In terms of setting it up with the team and getting buy-in from the team, it was a pretty straightforward decision" ~ Danny Guevara, eCommerce Manager
Explore more
To learn more about Rave Coffee, their product range, and the story of their brand, visit their website.
To see how SparkLayer works with Shopify, you can explore via the links below: