ALI Bebé: A new phase of growth

Today we share the success story of Ali Bebé, an ecommerce platform dedicated exclusively to baby products. Their extensive offering includes a wide range of items from various brands, addressing all the needs of caring for and raising little ones (home, bath, feeding, play, outings, and travel), along with the latest innovations in childcare and children's fashion and accessories for children up to 8 years of age.

Rocío Padín, the website administrator for Ali Bebé, and Wilson Alba, Head of Technology at Rolige, a PrestaShop Expert certified agency based in Mexico, discuss Ali Bebé and how PrestaShop has helped them establish themselves as a leader in their sector in Spain.

History: From brick-and-mortar to ecommerce

Ali Group is a family-owned business rooted in Galicia, committed to permanence.

Their story began in the 1970s when the family opened a small neighborhood store in Narón, A Coruña, offering a diverse selection of household products, toys, and baby items.

In the 1990s, Ali Group expanded its facilities by relocating to the Gándara industrial park in Ferrol and adopted a market segmentation strategy by launching three specialized physical stores: Ali Bebé, Ali Juguetes, and Ali Hogar.

As a result, Ali Bebé was established in 1992 as a business focused exclusively on baby products. Since then, it has become the largest retail space for childcare and baby clothing in Spain, boasting over 3,000 square meters and an additional 3,000 square meters of storage to provide immediate delivery service.

Creating the online store

Initially, Ali Bebé operated a modest PrestaShop store that gradually grew across Spain, particularly in Galicia. Years later, the pandemic provided a significant boost as their sales, like many other ecommerce businesses, soared. Their key advantage over other childcare stores was having ample stock during a critical time when brands halted distribution.

This increase in order volume and the capacity of their storage facilities to meet this rising demand drove them to expand their sales nationwide.

At the same time, they recognized that to support their business's growth, they needed to enhance the online store and incorporate new functionalities.

Collaboration between Ali Bebé and Rolige

Rocío and her team reached out to several agencies before choosing to collaborate with Rolige.

For Rolige, this project represented an opportunity to expand their reach by entering a family of stores: Ali Bebé, Ali Juguetes, and Ali Hogar in the Spanish market, marking their first official store in Europe.

Project scope:

The first custom development in PrestaShop involved a comprehensive auditing and analysis effort by Rolige aimed at eliminating an intermediary platform developed by an external provider. This platform linked their ERP with the onlinestore and caused numerous maintenance issues. Ali Bebé needed to integrate their ERP directly with the online store, requiring a fast and reliable connection to ensure real-time stock synchronization.

Following this initial custom development, Rolige has introduced and continues to work on other improvements, such as:

• A specialized hosting service that allows for increased server resources upon request during high-traffic periods.
• Development of a mobile application that mirrors the look and feel of the store, available on iOS and Android.
• Adaptation of native PrestaShop modules to meet their specific needs, such as gift registries, a concept similar to wish lists, where expectant parents can share gift suggestions with family and friends.
• An upgrade to the latest stable version of PrestaShop with a visual refresh of the store.
• Implementation of a platform that integrates multiple communication channels, including email and WhatsApp, utilizing AI.

"The technical challenge of directly integrating their ERP and eliminating intermediaries was the starting point for a collaboration based on efficiency, trust, and a long-term vision. Since then, we have conducted audits focused on performance optimization and structural SEO, in addition to implementing our mobile app, which has allowed us to expand their sales channel to Android and iOS devices. With Ali Bebé, we have aligned technology and business, improving critical processes and laying the groundwork for scaling their digital ecosystem."
Wilson Alba, Head of Technology at Rolige.

Notable achievements in numbers:

• A vast catalog with 12,752 active products
• Traffic increase: between 35% and 41% annually since 2021
• Growth of new users: between 40% and 60% annually since 2021
• Returning users in 2024 (compared to 2023): a 44.3% increase.

Other keys to Ali Bebé's success

Great logistical capacity, speed, and transparency

They ship throughout the Peninsula within 24 to 48 hours, thanks to their substantial storage capacity, enabling agility in delivery.

They maintain a transparent shipping price policy, prominently highlighting the minimum amount for free shipping on their homepage, and they also guarantee order returns.

Excellent customer service and social proof

One of their major strengths is providing exceptional customer service, rooted in a culture of direct and personal interaction.

This personalized and approachable service translates into a high retention rate. In 2024, this represented a 44.3% increase compared to the previous year.

Regarding social proof, they receive outstanding ratings on external platforms, achieving a score of 4.9 out of 5.

A dedicated blog

Their blog focused on motherhood, which they update regularly, serves as a valuable resource for attracting traffic and reinforcing their brand image. The published articles provide useful, relevant, and up-to-date content. Each article acts as a new entry point to their website for potential customers, improving their organic positioning and establishing them as experts in the sector, thereby generating trust and credibility.

Conclusion

The case of Ali Bebé illustrates how a Galician family-owned business has successfully transitioned to the online world, adapting to new market demands without losing its essence. Thanks to their clear strategy, the support of a robust infrastructure, and collaboration with a specialized agency like Rolige, they have positioned themselves as a leader in childcare in Spain.

They currently have concrete IT improvement plans, including updating their version of PrestaShop and expanding their business into Portugal to continue establishing themselves as a solid and prominent brand in the baby industry.