How Matter is revolutionising the traditional agency model

Matter Design & Digital (Matter) delivers end-to-end Digital Commerce solutions that span from branding, BigCommerce shops to omnichannel fulfilment solutions. Their notable recent clients include Gillette, Wittner Shoes, The Upside, Tradelink and Pillow Talk. We sat down with Nigel Poole, Director of Matter to understand how Matter is evolving to continue to win, retain and grow with clients.

Digital retail needs are evolving, and so are the client expectations on agencies

Just delivering multi-region eCommerce shops was no longer enough

Multi-currency and localised websites are now table stakes for any digital agency. It was no longer enough for Matter to stand out and win clients. They needed to offer a truly differentiated service that helps their clients stay a step ahead of their competitors.

“Our clients needed supporting systems to know how they will fulfil the demand from their eCommerce stores, alongside their physical store network. They wanted to automate this all the way through to their ERP and accounting systems.”

Shift away from projects, towards a value-based partnership model

Matter found their clients were not just looking for project delivery but wanted ongoing access to high-performing digital talent and teams. It is incredibly difficult for clients to build this capability in-house. However, Nigel and his leadership team have invested deeply in their team and culture to enable his teams to be high-performing.

“Clients are looking for a long-term partner, not just an agency delivering a project. They want someone who can go on a growth journey with them.”

Matter reinvents the digital agency value proposition

End-to-end Digital Commerce solution from branding through to international payments

“We’re constantly innovating on our projects to find new ways to help our clients. Our services are unique because of this. We help our clients build Digital Commerce systems that span from the store, the CRM, omnichannel fulfilment to global payments with Airwallex.”

Matter is about delivering tangible value for their clients, beyond just the eCommerce store. Partnering with Airwallex gave the team and their clients a better way of managing their money globally that previously was not possible.

“Businesses have systems to manage their inventory, we see Airwallex as the system to manage their money. Airwallex is now part of our strategy to optimise our clients’ global purchasing and payments. It is something that any modern agency will naturally be recommending as part of the usual technology stack.”

Airwallex’s no monthly fee model made it easy for their clients to say yes to, in contrast to other software subscriptions. Matter now had a simple, but powerful foreign currency account solution that was also easy to set up and could deliver benefits in days, instead of weeks.

Matter demonstrates its own commitment to innovation by using Airwallex for their own team expenses and global payments. Having employee cards has saved hours for Nigel and his team. Airwallex empowers the right people to make needed purchases quickly, without the approval bottlenecks.

“We’re excited to use Airwallex as part of our day-to-day way of doing business.”

Value-based partnership model for on-demand access to high performing teams and digital talent

“The role of the digital agency is transforming from just delivering projects, to proactively providing strategic advice for our clients on better ways of working. We have won deals because we take a more personal approach. Our clients want to partner with high-performing teams, rather than just an agency to deliver a project,”

Matter has won over clients with their value-based partnership approach, dedicated client success teams and investment in high-performing teams. Their value-based approach to partnerships means no lock-in contracts, reinforcing the idea of a mutual partnership with their clients. Their team has also expanded to include strategic thinkers. People who can deeply understand how the business operates, lead strategic conversations outside of the scope of an eCommerce website and identify valuable opportunities for clients.

“Our goal is to be indispensable to our clients. We do that by creating good value on an ongoing basis. We don’t lock our clients into long-term contracts. This keeps us on our toes to deliver value, and allows our clients to stay in control of the partnership.”

Building global market knowledge through international projects 

“We’ve been actively doing projects in the US and other markets as part of our strategy to expose ourselves first-hand to new learnings, concepts and markets,” said Nigel.

As Matter builds out their international experience and footprint, Airwallex continues to be the team’s choice to transform the way clients move and manage money globally.

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