Muffle Ecommerce - Digital Acoustic Sales
Innovation overview and development
An overview of the digital innovation
Muffle is the leading online multi-brand digital platform suppling acoustic products from over 30 leading brands in the UK and across Europe, Nordics, Middle East, USA and Canada – Muffle is shaping the modern acoustics market and how products are chosen and purchased.
Our ecommerce website offers a huge number of high-quality acoustic solutions from industry-leading brands, allowing us to connect contractors, architects, designers, residential customers, and more with the right acoustic products.
The acoustics market has traditionally been somewhat complex, fragmented, and can often be difficult to find the right product to suit aesthetic, performance and budget but by combining the latest digital solutions and marketing techniques with acoustics and sales expertise, we’re making it easy for both customers and suppliers to do business
How the digital innovation was developed, including effective collaboration, knowledge transfer and partnership along the project team
Muffle was formed in 2019 as an ecommerce store that bridged the gap between supplier and customer.
The Muffle team has since expanded to cover operations, sales, finance, and marketing which has allowed us to provide the very best customer-focused ecommerce website in the acoustics market.
We have constantly developed to give customers and suppliers the best possible experience, by building new processes, introducing new technologies and being creative.
Our aim was always to make acoustics easily accessible to anyone and having expanded from the UK and Ireland to Europe, the Middle East, the US, and Australia, we now offer products across the globe.
We recently partnered with Saint-Gobain who have provided Muffle who are supporting our business in accelerating globally at pace. This partnership has furthered our ability to offer customers better pricing, knowledge, data, and user experience.
Details on the measurable commercial results
Muffle has grown quickly and continues to expand in sales, team members, networking, and more. Since conception, our team has grown from a small selection of team members to a business with 22 employees.
Between our concept phase in 2019 and our first full trading year (2021), our sales have increased by 617.7% and between our first and second year of trading, sales increased by 149.3%. Website traffic has also improved tremendously, increasing by 622.4% since 2020.
How does this innovation improve processes
Our website, which is now backed up by proprietary software, has become one of the largest public databases of acoustic products online. Thanks to custom software, effective processes, and an expert team, it’s easier than ever for both the B2B and B2C markets to source the right acoustic products
Our easy-to-use and easy-to-understand website and team of experts in acoustics, business, marketing, sales, operations, and finance has formed a business and brand that successfully meets the demands of our both customers and suppliers.
Some of the customer benefits we have brought about:
• Extensive product choice
• Transparent and competitive pricing
• Clear acoustic information
• Inspirational imagery and creative ideas
• Simple and easy to navigate website
• High-quality customer service from enquiry to post-sales
Some of the supplier benefits our we have brought about:
• Trained advisors with access to all product info
• Extensive paid advertising and digital marketing
• Effective order processing with automation
• Online customer credit facilities
• International sales opportunities
• Social media promotion
One of the most important challenges we face as a business is the complexities the acoustics market has that aren’t found in most other ecommerce businesses. We may for example have multiple suppliers for one product, we need to offer various sale types (direct online, online via chat, quoting, phone, and trade accounts), and more. Our internal processes and systems mean that we can overcome these challenges and are the leader in our space.
How might this innovation influence the specification
Thanks to the huge database of products that we’ve built up and developed through our software, our website has become one of the largest resources for acoustic products available to the public online. Nowhere else on the web can architects and designers find the same range of products, complete with accurate specifications, pricing, attractive renders, and imagery. It’s never been easier to specify interior acoustic projects.
Creation of novel internal systems to produce eco-innovation
We have a thorough process for onboarding new suppliers that involves ensuring they meet our criteria. An element of these criteria includes the high standards we have for eco products. Making sustainable choices is always at the forefront of our business model which is why we make informed decisions about sustainable products such as glass wool, cork, and other eco-friendly materials. As the internal team has expanded and grown to improve processes and efficiency, our team has more time to ensure informed decisions about products and suppliers are made.