BonneGueule: our 2019 results, our 2020 projects with you

Like every start of the year ( 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 ), we share our results with you.

Especially since 2019 was a really busy year! And even trying over the last few months.

But it is also in these moments that we experience strong things, which make us grow and make us love more than ever this path which continues with you, and with our team of which we are so proud.

The 2019 report, here we go! And the 2020 projects too!

Our 2019 report rich in emotions

Continue to upgrade the media 📰

1. The editorial assessment of Benoît, co-founder

2019 was the year of consolidation of Christophe's work and his obsession: creating appointments using recurring formats.

He brilliantly succeeded in his task by ensuring that deadlines were met, particularly on the delivery of the Wednesday evening video!

For my part, it is with regret that I still have not published:

• my article on integral vision applied to clothing . Yes I know, it's very cryptic and that's normal! 7000 words have already been written, but there is a lot of editing and teaching work to be done. Come on, 2020 will be good!

19 pages of new content to publish for 2020!

• the article on the financial accounts of BonneGueule , which should have been published this winter, but I was caught up in the launches. It absolutely must be published in February, I leave myself no other choice. 3000 words have already been written. The accounts have been published... on the other hand!
• the article on the Boom Festival , an "off topic" in the same way as my trip to Mongolia , or the story of Geoffrey's adventures to go to Santiago de Compostela . 1200 words were written… just on choosing the bag for the day.

The micro (nano?) disappointment concerns the YouTube channel, I would have really liked to reach 100k subscribers in 2019, but with 99.8k subscribers on December 31 at midnight, we finally passed the 100k mark just after, at the very beginning of January .

Especially since I'm very happy with the formats we developed for YouTube.

Nicolo's new format, which has enjoyed a great reception.

The two "flagship" contents are Sapristi and Panache throughout the year, and my little Parlons Clothes is starting to pale in the middle... It challenges me in a good way, it's up to me to explore other avenues.

Jordan's format, still so popular.

Geoffrey also made a breakthrough with his episodes on entrepreneurship and the fashion economy , with highly appreciated interventions.

In short, in 2019, there were some great videos, and in 2020, according to Christophe's wishes, things will accelerate!

For my part, exploring slightly different subjects always tickles me a little. For example, I would really like Nicolò to tell about his experience without shampoo or his journey in bodybuilding and nutrition (he has tried quite a few things).

2. The editorial assessment of Christophe, editor-in-chief

“Before taking stock of 2019 for the media, I must salute the human qualities and professional skills of the editorial team, Benoît , David, Jerome , Jordan, Michel, Nicolò and Zack, my predecessor who is signing again on BonneGueule . Thanks to them.

A perfect transition because the 2019 results are largely due to Zack. When I arrived in March 2018, the fundamentals were firmly in place. It's up to me to determine my roadmap in its wake: always advice, still inspiration.

With more articles of all lengths, more tests , more brand sheets , more looks , more videos , more selections of pieces (via the nuggets every Sunday), more interactions (via readers' letters every on Fridays and one live per month).

The last test published by Nicolo, on a confidential brand of pants.

In total, we will have published 273 topics over the year, including 53 launch articles for the brand's clothing, 75 new brand sheets and 58 look sheets .

In terms of audiences, we recorded 4.4 million visitors over the year for 8.7 million sessions. On YouTube, our channel has accumulated 6.6 million views and above all a symbolic figure that makes us very happy: 100,000 subscribers .

This year, we continue with Panache, Parlons Clothes, Sapristi and Geoffrey's videos. Furthermore, VIRAL will make its return this summer, still with Jordan and perhaps his evil double.

Our subscriber curve on YouTube is accelerating, a sign that the new formats are bearing fruit.

All written formats already online are renewed: Nuggets, Readers' Mail, Test, etc.

As for new products, BonneGueule took another look at Fashion Week with Zack's pen.

3. Our challenges for 2020

Objective 2020: to offer you topics every day or almost , with an unchanged recipe based on advice, looks, brands and tests.

And especially this year, we are going to leave the office to return to the boutiques, to the workshops, to meet those who imagine, design, build, manufacture and sell the clothes. And a few other surprises that it's premature to reveal. All this to make you want to come back again and again to BonneGueule.

Personally, the world of clothing was unknown to me before arriving at BonneGueule. I had no idea how exciting this universe could be, to the point of becoming addictive.

As a journalist, BonneGueule is undoubtedly the best place to live this passion, with the best possible team. We will make sure it is the same for you readers. »

More style for our brand 🙌

1. An even stronger clothing brand

We announced it: more distinctive pieces in 2019. And I think we kept our word!

It started with our summer collection of Bermuda shorts and light pants in many Japanese materials.

Our Bermuda shorts in Japanese fabrics were very popular, the sell-out was dazzling, even though we quadrupled the quantities compared to 2018.

Then we continued this fall with this kimono suit and then pulled out all the stops: yak coat, wool and alpaca coat, shearling and a whole variety of knits to keep you warm.

That's what I'm most proud of this year: our entire outerwear range and the breadth of our sweater range. There is something for all tastes, all thicknesses, all colors, in short, for everyone!

But this is accompanied by a delicate effect to manage: price perception. For example, while we released the yak coat and the parka with Kuro at €690, some people think that this is the average price of our outerwear, when that is not true.

Most of our coats are around €400, sometimes more, sometimes less. It's up to us to be vigilant so that we don't think we're a totally inaccessible brand.

We will continue to assert our tastes, with a “techwear” dimension that is both present, but just as “hidden”. For me, the garment that best symbolizes this direction is our French wool bombers from the Tricolor project and with a high-performance insulation (Polartec Alpha) that is completely invisible, a real mix of “rustic” know-how and modernity.

A high-tech insulator is hidden in this photo, can you find it? Bomber jacket and BonneGueule sweater , OrSlow jeans and Buttero sneakers.

When I see the collection plan for 2020, I am very proud, and I can't wait to show it to you , because we are preparing ever more unique and singular pieces. Without forgetting those who want clothes that are easy to wear, and in many circumstances.

Part of what awaits you this year, obviously blurring strategic elements!

We are going to beef up the summer collections a lot, because last year, we were robbed (even though we had almost quadrupled the quantities compared to 2018). For next winter, there will be great thrills again!

(and I insist on this point: we will continue to provide a solid base of winter clothing at affordable prices. There is no question of only having sweaters for €300! The heart of our offer lies in elsewhere under €200, or even under €150)

And in terms of collaborations? At the moment, it is still too early to announce anything.

2. And the women’s capsule?

Ah, this women's capsule. What a surprise ! Never has there been such a quick sell out at BonneGueule.

We had made a big gamble: we were tired of hearing that women were consumers who had no interest in quality, and on the contrary we thought that, like our male customers, they are very curious about the quality of the clothes they buy, and above all, they want to understand it.

BonneGueule women's capsule jacket and shirt.

It was a winning bet beyond our expectations, there was very strong support. We didn't expect such a welcome, it was completely crazy .

For the record, I followed this launch from a mobile home in Brittany, between tying a tie and tying shoelaces, since it was the day of a wedding to which I was invited.

Did this give us any ideas for the future? Yes, but it's still too early to say more...

Our women's jeans, in Candiani selvedge canvas, cotton, linen and a little elastane for comfort, a unique offer for women.

The assessment of Julien, head of collection

“For 2019, my contribution to this review will be short to only draw out the essentials.

As a reminder, our main challenges were as follows:

• Offer stronger creations in terms of style
• Offer more accessories and shoes
• Offer more pieces for summer
• Have more stock depth on risk-taking
• Continue to integrate the technical dimension into clothing without distorting its style
• Improving the fit of denim
• Renew outerwear
• Present to you at least three to four collaborations, the fruits of our meetings
• Offer our clothes in more colors so that you have more choice

It seems to me that we were able to meet them all, apart from the number of collaborations which turned out to be more limited.

I am happy that we were able to achieve this and I would like to express my gratitude to the BonneGueule teams, our managers, our customers, our readers and obviously our partners without whom none of this would be possible.

This year was rich in lessons. I will personally remember the following:

1. Better visibility of our flows

We have had many requests regarding your expectations, particularly in terms of style with risk-taking which have not all received the same reception.

We also increased stock depths and breadth of offering on certain families who needed it.

We also offered more models in colors and this allowed us to see what the real demand was in this area.

Between our new turtlenecks, stronger colors on our coats, we explored new things.

We finally had a fairly accomplished summer collection, which we could consider new in 2019, which may explain the enthusiasm we saw.
When you release a product category that has been little or not well exploited until now in the offering, with products that the majority can understand, success is often quite rapid (summer joggers, Bermuda shorts, tees, overshirts, etc.).

On the other hand, variations of products already made respond to a much smaller audience or in any case necessarily trigger less rapid enthusiasm.

2. A collective spirit during launches

for some of these risks, I'm thinking of the collaboration with Kuro for example , the whole company is committed, to offer a stronger product, with the stress and energy that this implies. The rhythmic end of the year in 2019 required a very big collective effort which I obviously welcome.

The two Kuro parkas , the launch of which mobilized a lot of people internally.

3. A more readable collection

We were able to make our silhouettes and the general style of our offering more consistent. We still have to show this homogeneity on the eshop and in our stores.

Our challenges for 2020

1. Increase awareness of BonneGueule

As explained previously, we have now developed a large number of product categories in the men's wardrobe.
Our objective is not to increase the offer, it would not make sense to make too many products and we would no longer be readable.

We will therefore have to continue to offer products that meet the needs of our customers/readers.

However, some already have what they need in their wardrobe, so we must go further in our style proposition.

2. Strengthen the product team

Particularly on the development/quality part with two objectives:

• Entrust these missions to a person whose job it is and who has all the skills to carry them out successfully.
• Securing the future and anticipating by going further with eco-responsibility logic

The job offer is here for those interested :)

3. Multiply initiatives

This year, we explored local know-how or those steeped in history, and this came to fruition with the launch of our shearling jacket or French wool on the beige bomber released in October, giving a voice to these men and women who deserve it.

We are still talking about this bomber , but it was a strong initiative in terms of a project on French know-how.

They give us the reality of things, the reality that everyone should be able to know in order to make informed choices. In a way, the brand, the product, allows us to talk about fundamental subjects that are interesting for the media.

We also started 2020 off to a flying start with our hand-spun and woven camel wool scarf .

4. Improve our products again and again

This is obviously the heart of the reactor, and we have a lot of things that will happen, for example:

• propose new cuts, particularly on the pants/jeans, because this has been requested a lot from us
• start with new workshops that are even more specialized in the manufacturing of certain products (technical in particular)
• continuing to develop exclusive materials for us, while keeping prices contained, it's always this equation that excites us so much! »

The results of our stores

1. Opening of the second store in Paris, rue Madame 🏬

In 2019, we REALLY wanted to open another store in the region, in addition to our presence in Bordeaux and Lyon.

But on the other hand, we also had our Parisian store which was clearly becoming too small, and we didn't know how to find a solution.

And then sometimes, the universe does things well, and we had this opportunity at 4 rue Madame , and we rushed to open our flagship, pushing our visual identity even further.

We are very happy with the welcome you have given to this store. While everyone told us to be wary of this street, which is known to have little traffic, the first results are beyond our expectations after only 4 months of opening. Again thanks to you !

Obviously, the opening of this store kept us busy, and we had to put Lille on standby during this period.

Our goal: to provide you with a unique in-store experience.

2. Opening a store in the region

We've wanted to open a store in Lille for two years, and that's still the case. The same goes for other cities like Strasbourg, Toulouse, Nantes, Marseille, Aix, Rennes, Nancy...

But we're still waiting to find the perfect location for us (and for you).

For 2020, we promise you, there will be at least one new BonneGueule store! We are not abandoning Lille, and I was even there last weekend to visit new stores. And we very much hope to have good news to announce…

In any case, remember that between the moment we say we are looking for a store in a city and its opening, 6 months easily pass.

We also need to structure the financing of the business to be able to continue opening stores. Even if they allow us to be more profitable than in e-commerce , they still require significant capital at launch, to cover the doorstep, the work and purchase the stock.

Fortunately, we are also in the process of securing funding for BonneGueule for the next few years, we will tell you about it soon.

In any case, creating new stores, always with a soul and a great team, is one of our priorities. So much so that we are specially recruiting a Physical Network Implementation Manager .

Our store plans... maybe soon?

Our customer experience report

1. The change to our IT system 👨‍💻

In September 2018, we changed ERP , in the middle of our collaboration with Norwegian Rain, and it honestly didn't go well, so much so that we had to start from scratch with another specialized company.

So they delivered the new ERP in November 2019, and everything went relatively well.

On the client side, you are not going to see many differences, but know that for us, it is a huge step to be much better structured on this side.

We are well aware that given our size, "IT" projects will be more and more important in the future, and it is for this reason that we have finalized the recruitment of a CIO in January.

Its missions are very broad, for example:

• ensure that physical stores have efficient computer equipment for collections
• review processes and ensure that there is neither too little nor too much
• manage BonneGueule’s IT infrastructure
• manage BonneGueule’s IT security
• manage the choice of new tools, for example a new text editor for the editorial part or a new mailing solution for the e-commerce division

2. The results of Clémence, customer experience manager

“BonneGueule has grown again this year!

To respond to this growth and because it is important for us to maintain efficient Customer Service , we have recruited Camille and Jérome who respond to all your requests on a daily basis!

Because e-commerce at BonneGueule is growing, it is necessary for us to constantly improve your online shopping experience.

To always give you the best answer to each of your questions, we have focused our work on redesigning 3 tools.

Our Frequently Asked Questions section  

Indeed, following the overhaul of our ERP, but also because we are constantly listening to your questions regarding your online purchases, we have reworked its design and content to provide you with the best online purchasing experience. as perfect as possible.

Online chat 

Providing you with an efficient and rapid response is not our only objective! It is also essential for us to provide you with personalized and human service.

Once again this year, our ambassadors (Abdelhamid, Louis, Simon, Marko and Florian) accompanied you via online chat to advise you.

So that they can best assist you during your online purchases, we have reviewed and optimized our chat solution (on web and mobile) for smoother exchanges.

This year we will continue to optimize the solution and train our ambassadors.

2020 projects

Always going further to offer you a great purchasing experience. We have projects in the works:

• Offer you new services on the web and in store
• Always more nice surprises (in your packages and by email)
• Support you further to choose the best clothes (more information and advice online).
• All while supporting our CSR approach as much as possible (surprises and packaging developed around these new issues). 

We are also in the process of reviewing and optimizing our contact form .

By prequalifying your question, our Customer Service will be able to respond more effectively to your various questions, but you will also be able to find links directly to the “Frequently Asked Questions” section etc. to be able to find your answer even more easily. »

Here's a preview of what this form should look like.      

3. And payment in three installments?

Ah, payment in three installments. It's a service that we are proud to offer, and we had developed an "in-house" solution to do it, wondering why more brands weren't offering it.

We quickly understood why…

In fact, as soon as there are special cases, it becomes very, very complicated to manage . An example :

• you buy jeans, a shirt, a coat
• you pay in three installments
• you use a discount coupon immediately
• you return the shirt 2 days later
• then finally, you also return the coat 3 days later

On the business side, it's really complex, because on the deadlines, you have to recalculate them, reimburse the clothes you have returned, decide on what to do with the reduction coupon, etc.

But it is not finished !

There are also all cases where payment in 3 installments is made with a bank card which expires before the last due date. On the customer side, we could say "well it's easy, just don't authorize payment in 3xes if the card's expiry date falls before the last due date!"

This is what we did with our new ERP installed in November 2019, but in fact, it still required a new ERP.

There are also those for whom the card is blocked following theft or loss, etc.

As a result, Camille spends a lot of time and energy calling each particular case to recover the payments due as best she can, with a PayPal payment or a RIB (and she has to manually follow each transaction). The customer still needs to be reachable the first time!

It's painstaking, exhausting work , which takes Camille half a day a week, it's enormous! It's a half day where she can't concentrate on substantive matters.

In short, managing 3x payments is clearly not our job, that had to change, and that's why we are going to use a third-party solution specialized in managing 3x payments.

Behind the 3x payment that we practiced, we took responsibility for all the costs behind it (a 3x payment costs more than a "normal" payment for a merchant). But with the new solution, this will no longer be possible, because obviously, we have to pay our service provider for the technology, its services, and its “turnkey” aspect.

In return, we are also considering offering a 4x payment, to add even more flexibility.

The personal assessment of Benoît and Geoffrey

2019 seen by Benoit

In the 2018 review article, I wrote that it was a year where I went through every possible emotion. For 2019, it was the same thing… but x10!

Seriously, how intense was that…

~Benoît

A simply trying fall/winter season

Fall 2019 was incredibly busy with an increased pace of releases, especially in November and through mid-December. I've had to leave the office after 2 a.m. several times, something I've never done before .

I don't know how many words I wrote in three months, but it's easily several tens of thousands of words...

In these moments, it is essential to know our “oxygen masks”, these things/activities that allow us to recharge our batteries…

In this respect, I must say that bodybuilding helped me a lot and I think that I would have suffered burnout a long time ago if I had not stuck to my 3-5 sessions per week.

The wool - alpaca coat, the last of 2019, the content of which I wrote on the kneecaps.

Such a pace has also forced me to have an increasingly healthy lifestyle : alcohol consumption limited to the minimum. , safe sleep, dinners with friends that don’t last forever, etc.

It was an ordeal that also allowed me to better understand myself and my ability to cope with mountains of work. In fact, I try to ask myself as few questions as possible, to leave myself no other choice than to “deliver”, period.

The launch of shearling: I wrote the article tiredly, but I loved sharing this unique garment, completely made in France, from sheep to manufacturing!

That's just the secret, it's not to consider anything other than the end of the tunnel, which will arrive after a while. There is still a lot to say about “mental toughness” as the Americans say, but that's not the point.

Fortunately, I have a lot of gratitude for having a girlfriend who was very understanding and caring in relation to such a rush, and golden friends to support me, because some are entrepreneurs (but not all).

Besides, 2019 was a year where I had a big “spiritual breakthrough” about the immense gratitude I have towards BonneGueule and those around me, but that is another story, perhaps for the day we open the editorial line on “self-elevation” subjects!

More than ever, I have had confirmation that the quality of your romantic and social relationships has a massive influence on daily motivation.

Being a good CEO/leader/manager

For 2020, one of my main issues is this: managing more complexity, on all levels.

BonneGueule is growing with more and more players (employees, customers, readers) and systems (physical stores, digital platforms, ERP, IT tools, etc.), and the difficulty of making a good decision each time is only increasing.

For example :

• faced with a function on the eshop which is very expensive and not a priority to implement, but which is in high demand by customers, what should we do?
• Faced with those who find some of our articles too long while others would like to see more, what should we decide?
• when two divisions of the company each need recruitment to support them, but we only have the budget for one, what can we do?

In short, we are entering directly into issues surrounding leadership and management. And for me, one of the big triggers in 2019 on this subject is the following: the more you are a “good” person (= who develops internally), the more you become a good leader .

Because as Alexis, founder of the Yaniro coaching firm, would say, “the neuroses of the manager become the neuroses of the company”.

That's why having a managerial position is frankly hard , but it makes you grow a lot, because you have no other choice but to confront your own dark sides inside. from U.S.

In any case, I see it like that: a sometimes tough journey, but a wonderful human adventure, whether internal or with other people. Of course you can't be 100% at the top in your management, but the important thing is to want to progress.

And to best succeed in this managerial challenge, Geoffrey and I decided to start “coaching for managers”, and we turned to Laurent Merlino from Inligo .

2019 seen by Geoffrey

A year in 3 phases, as usual!

Everything goes well at the beginning, and then the tension increases as we get closer to autumn, the big season for stock purchases, low cash flow, months in which mistakes are not allowed. And the deadline for changing the information system is getting closer...

Arrived in September, nothing was going well. It's Indian summer, people are still sunbathing , but orders for sweaters and coats are slow. While we have to pay our bills to the spinning mills and clothing workshops. In addition, the new releases for September are received with mixed reactions. So the cash flow plunges: there are orders, but not enough (the market is then -17% compared to September 2018 ). We squeeze our buttocks, we put on the helmet, and we hang on! What incredible stress...

And then in the last quarter, it’s the outcome. The IT project goes like a letter in the mail , orders flowed in, the following launches were successes. January already? It's okay, we've passed the danger.

~Geoffrey

What we wish you for 2020

2020, year of gratitude?

One of our most precious “assets”, which supports us and helps us make the right decisions, is quite simply our team.

When we saw the tenacity of our team in the face of this exhausting fall/winter, we felt, once again, immense gratitude.

Gratitude to be surrounded by such talented and responsible collaborators, gratitude to be able to count on them in difficult times, gratitude to be surrounded by people better than us in each of their fields.

From this personal experience, in 2020, I can only encourage you to develop your ability to feel gratitude!

~Benoît

Take care of yourself and those you love. Thank, forgive, and share the love that your loved ones or a simple smile gives you!
~Geoffrey