Get Ready To Launch

The Company : Virgin Galactic

Virgin Galactic is an American spaceflight company founded by Richard Branson. They are headquartered in California, USA and operate out of New Mexico. Virgin Galactic develops commercial spacecraft and aims to provide suborbital spaceflights to space tourists. 

The Challenge

Virgin Galactic partnered with Under Armour® to design technical apparel for astronauts. Along with this partnership, Virgin Galactic wanted to offer branded Under Armour® product and promotional items available to their employees and staff. Virgin Galactic approached Under Armour® for their advice and direction on a merchandise partner who could: 

• Sustainable Sourcing
• Secure Online Fulfillment Store
• 24 hour quick ship
• No minimums
• Program visibility 
• Okta SSO integration
• Strategic partner for special projects

The Solution 

Avail introduced our team to Virgin Galactic to build a strategy and plan based on their business priorities. At the top of their list was getting their company store launched. We went to work sourcing sustainable products and curating Under Armour® apparel to be featured in their store. 

We identified that a primary use case for the Virgin Galactic store was for employee engagement and appreciation. Using the Okta SSO integration, we were able to offer employees a single code that allowed them to apply a $50 discount on items. At the request of Virgin Galactic, certain departments and users needed the ability to place orders using POs. Our store platform allowed us to segment those users and give them special permissions. 

In addition to their company store, Virgin Galactic also had frequent special events and projects. One in particular being their first commercial launch. This exclusive event was a huge milestone for the company, and it was important that their brand was on-site and included in the day’s festivities. 

The Results

Virgin Galactic continues to use the store platform to reward employees through discounts and gift cards. Their program has grown over the years and they’re using their inventory to service other departments and their initiatives such as new hire kits, retail, and more. Our teams meet every two weeks to review the program’s performance, and continue to find opportunities to grow together.

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