Maximizing Global Sales for foodspring during Black Week
117%
uplift vs. control group on pre-announcement communications
46%
uplift vs. control group on main Black Week campaign
20.8%
revenue attributed to CRM during Black Week
The Challenge
Peak seasons, such as Black Friday, have transformed from retail phenomena into global shopping extravaganzas, presenting unparalleled opportunities for businesses to enhance sales and deepen customer engagement.
Originally rooted in the US, events like Black Friday, along with Cyber Monday, Christmas sales, and end-of-season clearances, are pivotal times when retailers offer substantial discounts on their offerings, captivating a worldwide audience.
A robust Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategy emerges as the cornerstone for navigating these frenetic periods successfully. Marketing teams meticulously prepare well in advance to develop a comprehensive user journey that leverages CRM insights to maximize sales efforts. This preparation includes deploying exclusive early-access deals for customers, crafting targeted promotion emails, and implementing a strategic post-purchase engagement plan. These initiatives are designed to not only capitalize on the immediate sales opportunities but also to strengthen long-term customer relationships.
By integrating key CRM practices, companies can effectively manage the surge in consumer interest, ensuring a seamless experience that fosters loyalty and drives significant sales uplift.
foodspring wanted to stand out from its competitors in that worldwide sales week, by preparing and delivering an impactful CRM strategy across 6 markets to capitalize on the exclusive deals available on their website during that time.
We delivered a sequence of communications before Black Week to build momentum and throughout the sales period, giving us time to assess the results and adapt our send-outs as needed. This flow was personalized based on users’ goals (losing weight, building muscle, holistic health), localized for each country (ES, IT, DE/AT, FR, UK), and also adapted to the availability of products and discount rates in each market.
Hypothesis
By offering a tailored series of emails, tailored to each user and market, we could capitalize on the Black Week momentum and increase sales generated by CRM.
Goals:
- Generate 60% of the Q4 CRM revenue during November
- Generate 15% of total revenue from CRM channels
The Solution
The setup
We designed 10+ emails to create a tailored user journey, while maintaining CRM health metrics in a healthy range. Most users received up to 5 emails for the Black Week period.
The flow started with a Black Friday Week Pre-Announcement (see pic below), to generate enthusiasm ahead of the sale. We followed by promotional emails during the Black Week, highlighting at least 3 products with unique discounts per markets, and personalized for the users’ goals. Before the end of the Black Week, we sent other communications to play with urgency, nudging users to get the deals before it’s too late thanks to on-point, engaging copywriting.
We used canvases to be able to be more efficient in our personalization, along with liquid logic to create content that would change depending on the users’ country, language, and goal.
Black Friday is a cornerstone of our eCommerce strategy. With careful planning, personalized content and clear messaging, we were able to drive excitement and re-activation amongst our consumer base.
Katherine Sparshatt — Senior Manager eCommerce, foodspring
The Results
- Reached the November Monthly Target (103,7%); 76% of the Q4 OKR.
- Best day YTD and Second best in the history of foodspring (total sales).
- 20,8% of the revenue came from CRM during Black Week.
- Pre-announcement generated a 116.8% uplift vs. the control group
- Black Week main campaign generated a 46.07% uplift vs the control groups
- Bounce rate: 0.02% / Unsubscribe rate: 0.3%
The learnings
Learning #1: Differentiation through Dynamic Content
During peak seasons, the digital landscape becomes highly competitive. Our strategy focused on differentiating our communications to capture customer attention effectively. We ensured our copywriting was not only engaging but also infused with a sense of urgency to prompt action. Additionally, we incorporated GIFs in our emails to add a dynamic and visually appealing element. This approach helped our messages stand out in crowded inboxes, making a memorable impact on our audience. Using a countdown can also be beneficial.
Learning #2: The Power of Pre-Announcements
We discovered that pre-announcing our sales had a significant positive impact on revenue. By capitalizing on the anticipation and excitement leading up to the event, we were able to warm up our customers to the upcoming deals. Our pre-announcement communications needed to be clear and strategically direct customers to areas that maximized their interest and potential spend. Similarly, offering exclusive deals to your most loyal customers before the general sale is proved to be effective, reinforcing their value to your brand and enhancing revenue.
Learning #3: Prioritizing Long-term Engagement
Peak seasons offer an excellent opportunity to not only boost immediate sales but also to re-engage former customers and strengthen long-term relationships. We tailored our outreach to churned users by personalizing content based on their previous shopping preferences, demonstrating our understanding and value of their individual needs. This strategy not only contributed to immediate sales uplift but also rekindled relationships with lapsed customers, fostering long-term loyalty.
Learning #4: Minimizing Lost Sales through Abandoned Cart Strategies
An integral part of our peak season strategy involved addressing the issue of abandoned carts. By implementing a dedicated flow to engage customers who had not completed their purchases, we significantly reduced lost sales. This effort was crucial in achieving our sales targets and demonstrated the importance of a holistic approach to customer engagement, ensuring that potential sales were not left unaddressed.
Learning #5: Balancing Email Frequency with Health Metrics
During peak seasons, increasing the frequency of email communications can be an effective strategy to capture attention amidst heightened competition. However, it’s crucial to balance this with vigilant monitoring of health metrics to ensure ongoing effectiveness and deliverability. By paying close attention to bounce rates, unsubscribe rates, and adhering to a sunset policy, companies can maintain the overall health of their email campaigns. Adjusting strategies based on these signals ensures that increased communication does not adversely affect customer perception or engagement, thereby safeguarding long-term CRM success.
“foodspring is a German web-based e-commerce D2C company, serving 6 different markets across Europe. They are enthusiastic nutritionists, sports experts, and athletes. Their goal is to develop the most natural and innovative foods of our time. No matter whether this is all about sports nutrition, functional foods, or superfoods – we take food to a whole new level. Every one of our products has its promise of quality. Best ingredients are processed sustainably to maintain the nutritional value.”
Client: foodspring
Website: https://foodspring.com
Services: CRM / Retention / Engagement