How Ribble Cycles future-proofed a 130-year-old brand through digital transformation, with Matt Lawson

CDO Matthew Lawson’s playbook for ecommerce success: own your data, stay true to your brand, and never stop iterating.

Legacy doesn’t always mean lagging.

Ribble Cycles—founded over 130 years ago—could have easily rested on its reputation. Instead, under the leadership of Chief Digital Officer Matthew Lawson, the UK-based bike brand has become a case study in digital transformation done right.

On The Ecommerce Toolbox: Expert Perspectives podcast, host Kailin Noivo sat down with Matthew to unpack how Ribble is blending ecommerce innovation with brand heritage to scale sustainably in an increasingly competitive online environment.

Here’s what ecommerce executives can learn from Ribble’s journey.

1. Build from the inside out

“The mantra I’ve always followed is: if it’s core to your success, do it in-house."
— Matthew Lawson, CDO of Ribble Cycles

Too many brands outsource critical digital functions—like paid media or website development—and lose their grip on performance.

At Ribble, digital channels (Meta, Google, TikTok) and ecommerce platform development are managed internally. That means the team can move fast, course-correct in real time, and ensure every touchpoint reflects the brand's values.

Lesson for execs: Don’t just monitor performance—own it. Build in-house capabilities around mission-critical functions. Agencies can accelerate, but they can’t anchor your culture.

2. Let brand essence guide digital strategy

Digital transformation shouldn’t dilute what makes your brand special—it should amplify it.

Matthew’s top advice for legacy brands entering ecommerce? “Understand what made your brand great in the first place. Then let that uniqueness come through in your digital experience.”

In other words: tech parity is real. Anyone can launch a Shopify store or run Meta ads. Your edge lies in the how—the brand story you tell, the product experience you deliver, and the consistency across channels.

“What makes you different isn’t the tools—it’s how you communicate your brand through them.”
— Matthew Lawson, CDO of Ribble Cycles

3. Ditch the silver bullet mentality

There’s no single tool, platform, or redesign that will unlock overnight ecommerce success.

Matthew calls this out directly: “Stop looking for the magic SaaS that’ll solve everything. Real growth is in the grind—the marginal gains, the daily optimizations, the iterative wins.”

Instead of waiting for a ‘perfect’ relaunch, Ribble’s team focuses on constant experimentation. Conversion rates, UX, creative performance—it’s all under the microscope, all the time.

Lesson for execs: Be obsessed with progress, not perfection. Empower teams to chase 1% improvements every week.

4. Use first-party data to outperform the algorithms

In a privacy-first world, traditional paid media strategies are less effective. Algorithms aren’t as smart as they once were—and you can’t rely on third-party cookies to find high-value customers.

Ribble’s response? Build proprietary machine learning models that score customer quality based on session behavior, not just clicks. These scores are then piped back into Google and Meta to improve campaign efficiency.

"Anyone can buy traffic. We optimize for quality—because not all sessions are created equal.”— Matthew Lawson, CDO of Ribble Cycles

It’s a sharp reminder that your best data lives in your own ecosystem. Use it.

5. Invest in culture before you scale

Digital transformation is a team sport. And Matthew’s approach centers on grassroots team-building—hiring passionate people who align with the brand and giving them the freedom to move fast.

“I’m an enabler. My role is to hire smart, motivated people and get out of their way.”
— Matthew Lawson, CDO of Ribble Cycles

It’s not just about culture for culture’s sake. It’s about resilience. In-house teams are invested. They stay when it’s tough. Agencies? Not always.

Lesson for execs: Want speed, accountability, and innovation? Build a team that believes in the mission—and has skin in the game.

Final word: Don't just go digital. Go deliberate

Ribble Cycles didn’t succeed online by accident. Their digital maturity stems from deliberate, repeatable decisions that any ecommerce executive can learn from:

• Own your data and your channels
• Let brand purpose drive strategy
• Prioritize people and process over tools
• Trade silver bullets for marginal gains

In short: go deep, not wide.

Listen to the full episode below!

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