Leandro Aguilar is one of the founders of Imperio Relojes, a very popular ecommerce store that retails watches. Founded in 2018, the new company is based in Spain and Argentina, focusing predominantly on Spanish speaking markets.
The online store mostly retails watches for men and children, along with smart watches and fitness trackers across a variety or brands like Weide, Naviforce and Curren.
Thankfully, Leandro was able to answer a few of our questions regarding the watch industry and his business.
Leandro, what was the motivation behind starting Imperio Relojes?
I am a fan of watches and I have been doing businesses online since a couple of years. This time I wanted to combine 2 of my passions into one. That’s why I decided to create an online store for selling watches. The number of online sales is rising every year and it doesn’t seem to stop. We sell mainly watches for men and children. We have in our store either classical watches and smartwatches too. Having an eCommerce store is a big challenge and requires a lot of learning on technical tools. This is a big challenge where digital marketing and consistency is the key to success.
What were some of the initial challenges you faced in the early months of operating?
In the first months of operating, we needed to focus on having our store working properly, creating marketing campaigns and delivering the right message to customers. Having everything organized requires a detailed plan with steps to follow and the consistency to keep things moving. Knowing how to track our client’s action on our site was something new for us. It is very important to understand what is behind the data we have in order to take the right decisions.
Are there any big changes happening in the watch market? And if so, how is your business accommodating them?
The watch market is expanding. The latest trends show that people prefer more smartwatches. We sell both, classical watches and smartwatches. People still buy (and will for sure) classical watches because of their traditions and elegant style. Smartwatches are modern timepieces that people more interested in technology tend to buy. A smartwatch is more than a watch for the simple reason that let us be connected with the Internet and with our phone, and receive on real-time news and alerts.
In your first year, which products or product lines have been the most popular with customers?
In our store customers buy both classical watches and smartwatches. However, recently there has been a trend to buy more smartwatches and fitness trackers. People want to stay connected all the time and that is the reason to buy these technological gadgets. The price range for smartwatches goes from $ 15 USD up to $ 200 USD approximately.
Are there any long-term plans to expand to other areas of Europe or the U.S?
Currently, our main market is the Spanish-speaking regions, that is Spain and many countries in Latin-America. As our business growth with the time we would expect to expand to other regions as English-speaking countries. In order to that we should consider translating pages and creating a new blog.
Are you looking at expanding your range to include other products beyond watches and fitness trackers?
Yes, we are thinking about adding accessories like bracelets with different designs and styles. This kind of products and be a great combination with watches.
What do you think is the key to creating a successful ecommerce business and what do you think makes your business model so effective?
Having an eCommerce business requires a lot of knowledge on different areas. From technical skills to copywriting and advertisement. The key to success is based on consistency and patience. We have great knowledge of marketing and that is one of the things that makes our business model effective. We connect with influencers who promote our brand, in addition, we do advertisements that deliver the right message to potential customers.
Thank you Leandro for sharing your thoughts with us!
You can follow up with Leandro Aguilar at https://imperiorelojes.com