DRAMATIC GROWTH AT BITCADE THANKS TO ONLINE REVAMP BY SUPERB DIGITAL

Turnover and profits at a manufacturer of retro arcade machines have jumped dramatically in 2020, following an online overhaul carried out by a team of Bristol digital marketeers.

As of the end of October, Bitcade has enjoyed 370 per cent annual revenue growth, with website inquiries trebling and substantially improved conversion rates, after a 12-month programme by online marketing agency Superb Digital.

Initially set up by managing director Jack England in 2017, Bitcade started life on a mission to build the best customer arcade machines in the business.

The company initially made simple two-player gaming cabinets but it has since branched out into coffee table machines, pinball tables, DIY kits and hand-held emulators. It is currently based two factories spanning 7,500 sq ft factory in Oldbury-on-Severn, Gloucestershire.

Although enjoying consistent and manageable growth during its first two years, Bitcade’s weak search engine presence was holding it back.

In September 2019, Jack engaged with Paul Morris, managing director of Superb Digital and, following a year of working together, the business is now thriving.

Aided by the pandemic, which forced many people to spend large amounts of time at home, sales at Bitcade have surged.

The company has grown staff numbers from two to six to cope with extra demand, and the company has also moved into larger premises.

Superb Digital, which has a core team of six based at Spike Island in Bristol’s Harbourside, has provided a wide range of digital marketing services for Bitcade since the end of 2019.

The agency’s work includes a new mobile responsive website with web-friendly content, a campaign of pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, regular blog content and a search engine optimisation (SEO) programme.

“I can’t thank Paul and the team enough,” said Jack. “The work Superb Digital have done has been fantastic and it’s enabled Bitcade to go to the next level.

“There’s not much positive to have come out of 2020 but as a business we’ve been lucky that more people are discovering, or re-discovering, a passion for arcade gaming as they spend more time at home, either as a break from work or because they’ve been on furlough.

“I hope this growth in popularity of retro gaming continues. We’ll see where the business goes next but we’ve got a great platform from which to aim for even bigger things.”

Paul has been working in the digital industry since 2000 and set up Superb Digital in 2014.

“Bitcade has been one of our big success stories of 2020,” he said. “Their machines are things of beauty – a combination of the retro and the ultra-modern. It was clear there was an opportunity to grow the business and we were delighted to help.

“Thanks to lockdown, sales surged throughout the summer despite the pandemic and its economic fallout. This has put Bitcade in a powerful position for further future growth.

“We’ve particularly enjoyed their appreciation of the importance of increasing their digital marketing budget as revenue climbs in order to sustain and build on growth.

“It is by approaching the relationship as a partnership that we are able to do our best work. Bitcade’s growth is a testament to this and is a huge 2020 success story for Superb Digital.”