How Velocità Doubled in Size and Accelerated Online
Alexandre Estefano details how e-commerce, Fiber masks, and WhatsApp transformed the business during the pandemic.
A swift transition to e-commerce and strategic moves during the pandemic allowed running retailer Velocità to double in size. Alexandre Estefano details how digital channels, inventory management, and WhatsApp sales powered the chain's expansion.
Velocità’s journey to consolidating its presence in sports retail reached a decisive turning point through the expansion of its digital channels and strategic management during the Covid-19 pandemic. When Alexandre Estefano joined the company as a partner in 2014, the brand already had nearly two decades of market experience and strong authority among performance runners, but it faced the typical scaling limitations of specialized brick-and-mortar retail.
To break through the niche barrier and reach runners beyond the immediate radius of its São Paulo physical stores, the company invested in e-commerce and social media. This move enabled the brand to build a broader audience more efficiently than rapid physical store expansion would allow. As a result of this early investment in technology, digital marketing, and email marketing, Velocità's e-commerce already accounted for around 40% of total revenue shortly before the onset of the 2020 health crisis.
The pandemic response and sales breakthrough
With the mandatory closure of street commerce in 2020, the established digital infrastructure allowed operations to continue without interruption. At a time when customers were seeking safe alternatives to keep exercising outdoors or on treadmills, the store found a powerful sales catalyst: Fiber sports masks.
Despite ad restrictions imposed by major marketplaces and advertising platforms at the time on health-related products, strong organic demand pushed shipping volumes from an average of 20 to 30 daily orders to between 150 and 200 orders per day. This surge required an immediate restructuring of the chain's entire logistics and operational workflow.
Inventory strategy and physical expansion
Going against the grain of most retailers—who canceled supplier orders amid uncertainty—Velocità kept its annual purchasing schedules and acquired batches discarded by other retailers from brand suppliers. This decision ensured deep inventory when demand for running gear surged.
When physical stores were allowed to reopen with reduced hours, retail locations were fully stocked, enabling them to capture strong customer demand. This dynamic also led to a permanent adjustment in street store opening hours, shifting definitively to 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM.
WhatsApp sales and omnichannel balance
Another structural change was integrating physical store teams into sales via WhatsApp. The company adopted corporate tools to organize chat workflows, enabling sales associates to use downtime between in-person shoppers to provide remote consultations, announce product launches, and close sales remotely.
By the end of the pandemic period, the chain had doubled in size, expanded its brick-and-mortar footprint from three to five locations in São Paulo, and established a balanced business model in which online operations and physical stores split the company's total revenue equally.