During the pandemic, Corbin Collet, CEO and President of Blu Technology, and April Jennesis, Executive Vice President, developed ultraviolet C (UVC) chamber technology to disinfect face masks, helping their community reuse PPE.
This experience sparked an idea: what if a similar technology could be applied to water? From that point on, they focused on using LED UVC technology to make clean water accessible. And so, Blu Technology was born, offering high quality portable water filtration products and handling all aspects including design, engineering, manufacturing, marketing and sales.
To grow its business, Blu Technology sells its water filtration products online. After building its e-commerce site on the Shopify platform, Blu Technology turned to Shopify’s Marketplace Connect to sell on major marketplaces.
Shopify Marketplace Connect allows Blu Technology to:
- Grow by selling on Amazon and Walmart Marketplace
- Effectively manage market sales as the business grew 258%
- Streamline operations to save approximately 10 person hours per week
- Prevent fraudulent orders and unauthorized resale of its products
Challenge
Since their products are aimed at audiences such as vehicle remodeling enthusiasts, RV owners, survivalists and others, Blu Technology needs to find and meet potential customers where they are. This means making products easy to discover and purchase across a variety of channels, like online marketplaces.
![Blu Technology portable water filter installed in a motorhome](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/blu_tech_blog_rv_1000x423_ec366441-8aaf-4175-9f28-bc0d4171753a.jpg?v=1702508118)
The more a business expands across different channels, the more time it needs to manage and oversee each channel. This not only increases labor costs, but also creates more opportunities for errors.
The more a business expands across different channels, the more time it needs to manage and oversee each channel. This not only increases labor costs, but also leaves more room for error.
From inventory management to order tracking to shipping and more, every detail must be considered to keep business operations running smoothly when selling across multiple channels. When managing such details in different places at the same time, the risk of something slipping through the cracks increases.
Additionally, as the brand grows, the risk of fraudulent activity increases. The potential consequences extend beyond Blu Technology and its brand reputation, putting its customers at risk as well.
Solution
Blu Technology implemented Shopify Marketplace Connect to manage all of its marketplace channels as well as its online store and other key sales channels, directly from Shopify.
Connecting to Shopify Marketplace
Connect to top online marketplaces like Amazon, Walmart, eBay and Etsy. Centralize and sync your product listings, orders, fulfillment, and inventory in real time, all within Shopify.
Shopify is our daily breath. We sell on Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify’s Shop app, as well as a few miscellaneous channels. Everything happens directly in Shopify.
“Shopify is our daily life,” says Corbin. “We sell on Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify’s Shopify app, as well as a few miscellaneous channels. Everything flows directly into Shopify and we process orders directly from Shopify.
With Shopify Marketplace Connect, combined with Shopify Shipping, Blu Technology manages inventory, orders, shipping, channel reporting and more, all from a single centralized hub.
“We estimate that centralizing channel management in Shopify saves us 10 person hours per week,” says Corbin. This allows Blu Technology’s smaller team to spend more time on valuable tasks like product development, marketing, listing optimization and other tasks that drive sales.
“Each [channel] has its own dashboard. But once connected via Shopify, you don’t need to go to Walmart or Amazon Seller Central… everything is there [in Shopify] …everything for the entire business, from shipping to orders and inventory. It’s a complete sequel. —Corbin Collet, President and CEO, Blu Technology
![#1 Blu Technology in Portable RV Water Filtration](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/Blu_tech_brochure_1000x423_9bee49d7-15c7-427f-ad9a-19eb753e03cd.jpg?v=1703186613)
Selling on marketplaces allowed Blu Technology to build and increase brand awareness, but it also opened up the possibility of fraudulent orders. With Shopify’s fraud detection capabilities, the company is notified of potential fraud from its centralized hub and can mitigate much of the risk, as well as investigate suspicious orders in more detail before they are fulfilled.
Results
Since implementing Shopify Marketplace Connect and beginning sales across all channels, Blu Technology has achieved impressive results and streamlined its marketplace operations. With the centralization provided by Shopify Marketplace Connect, the company manages everything from inventory to shipping to marketplaces, all from Shopify.
![Blu Technology Products Listed on Amazon and Walmart Marketplaces](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/blu_tech_blog_marketplace_listings_1000x423_0378f158-a1a3-4195-a2f5-f9d5dab13bf7.jpg?v=1702508572)
In the first quarter, after implementing Shopify Marketplace Connect and optimizing marketplace listings, Blu Technology saw a 3,000% increase in marketplace sales. Additionally, the brand’s increased visibility led to a 500% increase in sales from its online store during the same quarter.
In the first quarter, after implementing Shopify Marketplace Connect and optimizing marketplace listings, Blu Technology saw a 3,000% increase in marketplace sales. Additionally, the brand’s increased visibility led to a 500% increase in sales from its online store during the same quarter. This success continues for Blu Technology, which has seen 258% growth since the hard launch.
Additionally, Shopify’s fraud detection capabilities allowed Blu Technology to prevent over $40,000 in fraudulent purchases in a specific month in which it was targeted.
![Shopify fraud detection alerts on marketplace orders](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0070/7032/files/blu_tech_blog_fraud_detection_1000x423_2d2a08ff-091f-4f23-9ca5-006f206e64f4.png?format=jpg&quality=90&v=1702508541)
Blu Technology continues to grow today and almost 30% of all revenue comes from online marketplaces. On the horizon, the company plans to make its water filtration products available in physical retail stores. With its high-quality products and optimized sales strategies, Blu Technology hopes to make drinking water accessible to everyone.
Blu Technology
Blu Technology is a leader in portable water filtration systems for RVs, campers, and survivors. Passionate about No Dirty Water and hoping to save lives, Blu Technology donates part of its profits to water.org.