(Update 25/01/23: Giant has since clarified that, while consumers can still expect to receive a boxed bike at their door, the bikes will be assembled and boxed up by its existing retailer network.)
Giant has become the latest bike brand to sell directly to consumers in the UK while continuing to offer its bike through existing retailers.
The Taiwanese brand will deliver bikes bought online through its website to your door for free for the first time. Instructions on how to assemble the bike will be included in the box.
The existing 'click and collect' option will continue. This allows customers to purchase a bike on Giant’s website and pick it up from their local Giant retailer.
In either scenario, Giant says the local distributor and Giant Rider Support team will be available to give technical support. The change also applies to Giant’s sister brand Liv.
Giant’s move mirrors Specialized's switch, announced in January 2022, from selling solely through shops to selling directly to consumers.
Some smaller brands, such as Lauf, have traditionally relied on the distributor/dealer model to break into new markets, but have now also transitioned towards a consumer-direct model to reach customers online.
The hybrid business model offered by the likes of Specialized, and now Giant UK, still differs from Canyon’s model (arguably the biggest direct-to-consumer brand).
Other than a flagship store at its HQ in Klobenz, the German brand has no bricks-and-mortar presence.
Ian Beasant, managing director of Giant UK, said: “We’re delighted to be able to work with our network of talented independent retailers, offering consumers the advantages of a delivery service.
“The delivery service is an additional tool to support our dedicated network of retailers and offers consumers the modern shopping experience they expect.”
We have asked Giant if and when it will introduce the home delivery service globally.
The announcement follows Giant opening its second brand store in Scotland, adding to the 24 it already runs in England and Wales.
