Unlocking the secrets of successful Direct-to-Consumer businesses
- 3 brand examples to boost your online sales
- 2 actionable tips for quicker results
- 1 special surprise
E-commerce trends & models
Newsletter #38 - 3 e-commerce trends to stand out in Q1 2024
May 16, 2024
Hello!
What a week! The D2C Academy has just celebrated its second anniversary and surpassed 10,000 subscribers!
Whether it's your first time reading (welcome 👋🏻) or you've been with us from the start, thank you for being a part of this adventure 💙
I've been focusing on preparing the next newsletter with Paco from the Meta Ads agency Adsteroid.
I’ve discovered some incredible formats and strategies, and I can’t wait to share them with you.
Launch date: Thursday, 27 June 💌
In the meantime, I’ve done a bit of research and I'm sharing 3 e-commerce trends that stood out to me this quarter to inspire and help you stand out ✨
🛸 Dive into Immersive E-commerce
Already seen on the Drake Related website late last year, Walmart is now adopting this trend to target Gen Z and Gen Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024 🙃).
With Walmart Realm, the American brand offers its customers three immersive shopping experiences inspired by Pinterest Predicts trends:
- 🪼 "So Jelly," an underwater immersion with aquatic creatures.
- 👩🏻🚀 "Go Chromatique," a metallic and futuristic space journey.
- 🏜️ "Y'allternative," a mix between the western The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly and Coppola’s Dracula.
The site was developed by Emperia, also behind L'Occitane Greenhouse, who believe the key to success is "to offer customers something they've never seen before."
A successful bet, as it’s visually stunning: shopping experience, user-generated content, gamification, loyalty programs... Everything is there, or almost, to keep us connected and encourage us to place orders.
Moreover, according to Shopify, e-commerce sites with 3D content can increase their conversions by an average of 94%.
If this trend interests you, be careful not to overdo it, as it might slow down your site (and frustrate your users) or miss a more traditional audience.
📱 Before completely overhauling your e-commerce...
...try a marketing campaign in immersive reality! This format is used by Taylor Swift and Les Secrets de Loly to promote their travel kits 🧳
🙂 Add Emojis to Your Visuals to Boost Your Ads’ ROAS
That’s what the Meta team from the marketing agency Pilothouse claims.
This hack worked well for CPAP.com, a medical device brand (essential but not exactly sexy, you might say).
By adding airplane emojis to their ad for a travel respiratory assistant, the brand increased its ROAS per click by 48%.
The Recipe for the Creative:
- 📸 A well-centred product photo,
- ✏️ The offer displayed in bold to capture users' attention,
- ✈️ A flurry of airplane emojis to add a playful touch and direct towards the product’s use. So simple it seems almost obvious (and much cheaper than an immersive campaign).
If you want to try it, the Pilothouse team recommends starting with 3-4 versions with the same product and title, but with different emojis.
Once you’ve identified the winning version, you can test with new titles or apply the method to other products.
✈️ Leveraging Emotional Experiences to Boost Your Sales
Although not planned at all, we remain within the travel theme.
As we discussed a few months ago, 62% of consumers expect brands to commit to causes they care about 💙
This vision of experience is at the heart of BARK’s strategy, a brand of food and products for dogs 🐶
A prime example, the brand enlisted Girl Scouts to sell their Bark Boxes door-to-door (you know, the kids who sell 🍪 and collect badges like Russell in Up).
A channel based on experience that reportedly brought the brand over $20M in revenue this year.
To go even higher, the brand recently launched BARK Air, the first airline designed for dogs' comfort before their owners.
Price of the journey: $8,500.
An amount that didn’t deter owners as within a few days, the brand had sold over $1M in tickets (even before the first flight took off) and received over 15,000 destination requests.
In terms of marketing, BARK Air’s Instagram account accumulated over 120k followers in a few months and the brand announced having gathered over 4 billion impressions.
👀 Little hack to keep an eye on the most inspiring brands
I use the investor platform Seeking Alpha to track the performance and strategies of brands like Bark or Warby Parker.
To go further...
The D2C Academy is also a Blog 📰
Twice a week, Cathy shares the success stories of the most beautiful brands and their strategies to develop your e-commerce 🛍️
Here are our 3 most popular articles this month ⤵️
- Top 10 omnichannel brands to follow in 2024
- Warby Parker's $669M Impact: How They Inspired Many Copycats
- Jonak: A Shining Example of Omnichannel Success
I hope you enjoyed this newsletter!
See you on 27 June for the special edition with Adsteroid to discover 3 exclusive ad formats to test and boost your ROAS ☄️
See you soon,
Julie
E-commerce Expert @ Bigblue
Marketing
Newsletter #37 - 3 frameworks to engage your community through storytelling
May 2, 2024
Hello!
What if a captivating story was the key to your brand’s success?
Mastering the art of storytelling is a foolproof (and free) way to differentiate yourself and build a loyal and engaged customer base:
- 68% of consumers are influenced by a brand’s story when making a purchase.
- 55% remember a story better than a list of facts.
- 92% prefer advertisements that tell a story.
But how do you tell great stories and unite your tribe around a memorable narrative?
To help you structure your narrative, I’ll break down 3 popular storytelling frameworks and apply them to the journeys of Gymshark, Veja, and Horace ✍🏻
1️. The Man in a Hole - Horace
One of the most beloved frameworks in cinema and literature, it's the basis of classics like "The Lord of the Rings" or "127 Hours" 🧙🏻♂️
In a nutshell:
- Comfort Zone: The hero leads a stable, trouble-free life.
- Trigger: An event disrupts this stability and leads to a crisis.Crisis: The hero is tested and must overcome several challenges.
- Recovery: They eventually manage to overcome these obstacles...
- Better Place: ...to find themselves in an even better situation.
This is what it looks like for Horace 🧼
Founded in 2015 by Marc Briant-Terlet and Kim Mazzilli, Horace is a French brand of natural and effective skincare for men.
- Comfort Zone: Unable to find clean skincare products suitable for their needs, Marc and Kim decide in 2015 to launch their own cosmetics brand.
- Trigger: To stand out in the market, they decide to develop their own product formulas rather than distributing them under a white label. Problem: the lab that supports them tells them it will take more than a year and a half of development.
- Crisis: Marc and Kim patiently wait and focus on the brand (especially its storytelling). Meanwhile, they distribute competitors' products to test the market. Despite everything, they managed to sell their first product: a toothbrush 🪥. Although the brand finds its target audience, they don’t have the means to finance production.
- Recovery: Marc contacts business angels and secures his first round of funding. Demand grows quickly, thanks to a clear promise ("helping all men feel good"), effective marketing, and products developed with their community. Their sales skyrocket, and Horace goes through successive rounds of funding to expand their ranges, grow their team, and develop omnichannel.
- Better Place: Today, Horace is recognised as a leading men's skincare brand in France. Their products are sold online (e-commerce and marketplace) and in retail (+20 own stores and hundreds of points of sale). The brand continues to expand internationally with a store opening in London at the end of 2023 and hopes to surpass the €100M revenue mark in a few years.
🎤 For more details...
I was largely inspired by an episode of the French podcast Le Panier. In the same vein, I highly recommend listening to the interview with Anna Brightman, the founder of the amazing cosmetics brand Upcircle.
2️. No Easy Way - Veja
The ultimate rollercoaster story, a true ride of ups and downs. This framework is used in films like "Rocky" or "Slumdog Millionaire" 🥊
In a nutshell:
- Problem: The hero identifies an initial challenge or problem to solve.
- Early Success: Their early successes give them hope.
- Setback: A major obstacle complicates their situation and leads to a crisis.
- Crisis: The hero reaches the peak of their difficulties...
- Recovery: ...and doubles down to overcome all obstacles.
- Better Place: They ultimately triumph and find themselves in a stable, often much better, position.
This is what it looks like for Veja 👟
Founded in 2004 by Sébastien Kopp and François-Ghislain Morillion, Veja has become, in 20 years, the French reference for responsible and ethical sneakers.
As Sébastien explains in an interview with The Good Goods, "Veja was built over the long term, with patience. Nothing is linear."
It is very difficult to summarise Veja's story in just 6 steps, but I'll try to give you a condensed version:
- Problem: In 2003, while auditing factories in China, Sébastien and François are struck by the contrast between catastrophic production conditions and the utopian marketing of brands. With only €5,000 in their pockets and no fashion experience, they decide to deconstruct and rethink sneaker production.
- Early Success: They visit cotton and rubber factories and cooperatives in India, Brazil, and the Amazon. A first prototype is developed and presented at the Who's Next trade show in 2004. The success is immediate, and they sell over 5,000 pairs (mainly at Bon Marché and La Samaritaine)—which they still have to produce!
- Setback: Since all the sneaker components need to be created and then assembled, their production time is over five months. The shoes finally arrive in stores and sell out in a week.
- Crisis: To meet its commitments, the brand produces in 5 months, which quickly creates a shortage and raises a new challenge: educating consumers. Every day, the brand faces new production challenges, quality problems, and even the fire of all their cotton stock in 2008.
- Recovery: Customers eventually receive their pairs and embrace the brand. Their notable achievement: managing to reach and unite a community 100% organically! Since 70% of the cost of a sneaker is usually spent on advertising, Veja chose to allocate this budget to its production costs.
- Better Place: After launching its retail business with major distributors in 2005, Veja is globally recognised for its transparency and ethics. Its pairs are available online and in physical stores almost everywhere, and in 2023, the brand generated €300M in revenue.
📖 For more details...
The brand is very aware of the importance of transparency, so it publishes everything about its journey and production stages on its website.
3️. Rags to Riches - Gymshark
The "Rags to Riches" framework is the perfect example of a success story. It can be found in works like "Cinderella" or "Billy Elliot" 🩰
In a nutshell:
- Hidden value: The hero comes from a simple, modest background, with no particular predisposition for what they are about to experience.
- Trigger: An idea or event changes everything.
- Struggle: The hero redoubles their efforts to overcome the challenges they face to achieve their goal.
- Success: Their efforts finally pay off...
- Deserved recognition: ...and the hero receives the recognition they deserve.
This is what it looks like for Gymshark 🦈
Founded in 2012 by Ben Francis and now valued at over $1 billion (🤯), Gymshark is a leading brand in the sportswear industry.
- Hidden Value: At 17, Ben Francis gave up his dream of becoming a professional footballer and wasn't doing well in school. He decides to join a gym and becomes passionate about fitness. He spends his free time training, especially with YouTube videos, while studying informatics and working as a delivery driver at Pizza Hut.
- Trigger: Unable to find functional and aesthetic fitness clothing, he quickly perceives a need. With a friend, they invest all their savings in a sewing machine and start making their own clothes in his parents' garage.
- Struggle: The beginnings are tough - Ben juggles between his studies, his job, and developing his brand. To get it off the ground, he focuses on influencer communities and pays fitness YouTubers to promote his products in their videos.
- Success: Gymshark's popularity and sales quickly explode thanks to its strong online presence and Ben's ability to unite his community, especially around recurring events like pop-ups or challenges. In 2018, Gymshark moved out of its parents' garage and opened its first office. That same year, he was named in Forbes' 30 Under 30 Europe list. Since then, their sales have grown by an average of 62% yearly.
- Deserved Recognition: Today, Gymshark is a major player in the sportswear industry. Ben Francis has received numerous awards, including a prestigious MBE from Prince William in May 2023. The brand also opened its first flagship store in London in 2022.
📖 For more details...
If you're interested in Ben Francis's journey, here's the link to his appearance on Steven Bartlett's The Diary of a CEO podcast. Very inspiring.
Thanks for reading this far!
I hope these stories have inspired you and that these frameworks will help you (re)invent your brand story and connect deeply with your community 💬
See you soon,
Julie
E-commerce Expert @ Bigblue
E-commerce trends & models
Newsletter #36 - 3 successful examples of brands launching in retail to inspire you
April 18, 2024
Hello !
This week, I read that 71% of consumers still prefer to shop in-store rather than online.
Contrary to popular belief, the retail era is far from over, and despite the economic context, many brands continue to open physical stores.
In this edition, I share my three favourite recent brand switches to retail and the lessons I've learned to help you choose the best sales outlets 🛒
1️. Typology’s Corner at Printemps Haussmann
The French cosmetics brand, established in 2019, has just launched its first permanent physical sales space in the iconic Parisian department store.
With retail sidelined during the COVID era, their flagship products were sold exclusively online until November 2023!
After a three-day retail crash test with the "La Serre Typology" pop-up in Paris, Typology decided to invest in Printemps with a space reflecting its responsible, no-frills values.
Designed in collaboration with the Norwegian agency Snøhetta (also behind the amazing Beijing's city library), the 33m² corner is made of aluminium to echo the brand's packaging, and their pop-up uses seaweed-based materials.
This step marks a significant moment in the brand's history, as explained by founder Ning Li (also co-founder of Myfab.com and Made.com):
It just felt like the right call, per our first principle of brand building (we will execute a project only if it makes our brand more desirable).
✅ The 5-steps checklist before launching in retail
☑️ Ensure your product is a good market fit
☑️ Entering retail can be financially draining; display financial stability with positive cash flow and minimal debt.
☑️ Control your Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC) and avoid being driven solely by marketing.
☑️ Ensure your logistics can keep up
☑️ Market validation: Opening pop-up stores can help test the market before a broader expansion - Adopted by Typology whose pop-up slots were sold out in hours!
2️. Jacquemus Opens New Restaurant-Boutique in Saint Tropez
The fashion designer recently announced on Instagram his return to gastronomy with the upcoming opening of "A beach... a restaurant and a shop..." in Saint Tropez.
Not a surprising move from the designer known for his unique approach of brand experience, having previously launched two pop-up restaurants in 2019, Citron and Oursin 🍋
A growing trend among brands, similar to Ralph Lauren's Ralphs Coffee or Louis Vuitton's Parisian café.
For a more affordable inspiration, consider the Swedish children's food brand Muru Baby, and its first gourmet restaurant... for babies 👶🏻
Starting from the observation that 95% of parents wouldn't eat what they serve to their children, the brand came up with the idea of offering a gourmet menu made from their products, cooked by a Michelin-starred chef ⭐️
3️. Balzac Paris' Ever More Responsible Adresse
Not exactly recent, but...
Driven by the desire to offer sustainable and desirable fashion, Balzac Paris has strengthened its retail presence by opening its first own-brand store, 'The Adresse.'
After starting with pop-ups and corners in department stores (the famous market validation stage 😉), the brand opened its first venue in September 2022 that truly reflects its universe and "Always More Responsible" commitments:
- The leopard print, a key pattern of their collection, features throughout.
- A second-hand space, Le Kioske, where customers can drop off items they no longer wear before they go online.
- A repair service similar to the recently inaugurated Veja General Store in Paris.
- Locally sourced raw materials like wood and ceramic.
- Regular events, like their recent 'Second Life' partnership with the children's clothing brand By Bambou.
Since then, the brand has not hidden its desire to expand, and it even opened a new store in Lille last week!
📦 Bigblue is THE logistics partner for omnichannel brands
Since 2018, we've been transforming logistics into a growth lever. Over six years of adapting to market changes and brand needs, we've developed Europe's most efficient, customer-centric B2B and B2C logistics solution. And this is just the beginning! To learn more, speak directly with our experts ⬇️
Request a free quote for your omnichannel logistics
Thank you for reading this far, I hope these successful brand implementations inspire you for a (future) retail expansion project 🙌
As always, if other formats have recently caught your eye, feel free to let me know!
See you soon,
Julie
E-commerce Expert @ Bigblue
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Marketing
Newsletter #35 3 Impactful Marketing Campaigns to Engage Your Audience
April 4, 2024
Hello !
62% of consumers expect brands to stand for causes close to their hearts 💙
Not only does this lift spirits, it's also an excellent way to make a memorable impact and build strong connections with your audiences.
To inspire you, I've identified 3 impactful marketing campaigns to strengthen your connection with customers and boost your sales ✨
1️. Free Therapy Sessions During VTC Rides with Heetch
In 2024, 20% of young French people are affected by depression.
Facing this reality, Heetch, a ride-sharing app offering chauffeur-driven car services, recently launched the "First Conversation" campaign.
This initiative aims to raise awareness about mental health and encourage dialogue on this critical issue.
During the Easter weekend, psychologists and foundation ambassadors took the wheel to offer free consultations to passengers.
After the ride, customers received a notification via the Heetch app inviting them to continue the discussion on a listening platform.
To extend the impact of this initiative, Heetch also announced plans to train its drivers in active listening in the coming weeks.
2️. Improving the Daily Lives of Families with Autistic Children Like Zapato Feroz
In 2023, Zapato Feroz sold over 200,000 pairs of children's shoes almost exclusively through pre-orders and in limited quantities.
Each launch is a success: their collections sell out in minutes, and customers will wait hours online to access the sale.
However, this sales model is not compatible with the daily lives of some families, particularly those with children affected by autism spectrum disorders.
In Andalusia in 2021, 1 in 70 families was affected. To ensure every child can have their pair, Zapato Feroz launched the Mamis Infinitas program 🧡
Families can register to access sales early or even co-create shoes tailored to their specific needs.
And since visualisation helps autistic children learn, the brand also provides small illustrated guides to help them learn daily life skills.
📦 Relying on Logistics to Sell Well in Pre-Order
Relying on scarcity marketing is a great way to engage your audience and build a lasting community... provided you ship their eagerly awaited orders on time! Zapato Feroz can count on Bigblue to ship the thousands of pairs sold at each launch within 24 hours.
Request a Custom Quote 🚚
3️. Boosting Your Career Over a Coffee Break with LinkedIn
While 86% of young professionals in the UK are open to new opportunities this year, they are the least confident generation about their professional futures.
To help them improve their workday and make sense of their careers, LinkedIn created the "LinkedIn Know-How To Go" coffee truck last February ☕️
Active Gen Z people in London and Manchester had the chance to meet LinkedIn experts over coffee and benefit from their advice on:
⭐️ Landing your dream job,
💆🏼♀️ Thriving in your role,
🥇 Standing out and accelerating your career.
The mobile van format was also adopted by Les Secrets de Loly during the My Hair My Power Tour in 2023 🚚💖
Thank you for reading so far, I hope these campaigns inspire you to (who knows?) launch your own impactful marketing operation 🙌
In our next edition, we'll dive into the top three retail switches of Q1, offering fresh inspiration for your strategies.
As always, if other formats have caught your eye recently, feel free to let me know!
See you soon,
Julie
E-commerce Expert @ Bigblue
Conversion rate
Newsletter #34 - 3 trends from the States to improve your checkout and boost your sales
March 21, 2024
Hi !
In 2023, a study by the Baymard Institute revealed that 70% of online shopping carts are abandoned.
That's equivalent to $18 billion in unrealised sales annually for e-commerce brands.
Every detail of your payment process is crucial to turning your visitors into loyal customers.
That's why, in this edition, I'm sharing 3 strategies from the best American DTC brands to energise your AOV and boost your sales 🇺🇸🚀
1. Recommend products right to the end of the process
Why limit upselling to the cart when you can also offer products at the final payment step? 💸
This approach, adopted by Batch, specialists in CBD gummies and oils, is slowly making its way to France, notably seen at Respire.
This feature is primarily available for Shopify Plus users.
Alternatively, the app Limespot allows for upselling across your site, including payment, thank you pages, and even the infamous 404 page!
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Imagine upselling during delivery
It's possible thanks to Bigblue's Recommended Products feature, displayed on the order tracking page. In one month, one of our clients generated nearly 800 qualified site visits effortlessly 💸
Generate a free quote here 👈🏻
2️. Incorporate customer reviews at the payment stage
Although brands are full of ideas to enrich their customer journey with UGC and other reassurance elements, almost none display them at checkout.
Yet, social proof is key to reassuring your visitors and encouraging them to purchase.
This insight likely motivated Loop Earplugs to display its Trustpilot reviews on its payment page.
Why mention a Belgian brand in an edition focused on American brands, you ask?
In 2023, Loop Earplugs reported more than €126.5M in revenue and generated over 60% of its sales in North America.
It's worth taking a look at their site for inspiration for your brand 👀
Tools to customise your checkouts
Shopify apps like Rebuy or Checkout Plus allow you to customise your payment pages with almost anything, such as:
⭐️ Customer reviews
🏆 Awards and distinctions
📲 Links to your social media
☎️ Contact information
📦 Reassurance banner
3️. Apply discount codes in the cart
66% of consumers are ready to place an order if they have a discount or voucher even without an initial intention to purchase and 24% admit to spending more than planned.
To boost your conversion rate and average order value, include a field for entering codes directly in the checkout, like Yellow Beauty 🌼
Your customers can then see the final price after discounts and add items without leaving your site 🛒
Ideal for maximising the impact of your promotional campaigns and improving your shopping experience 💝
Leverage the potential of coupons for customer returns
Maximise your revenue with Bigblue's Store Credit, encouraging exchanges for vouchers. One of our clients avoided over €11K in refunds in just one month!
Generate a free simulation here 👈🏻
Thank you for reading so far; I hope these strategies help maximise your AOV!
Feel free to write to me with your feedback on these tips or the newsletter in general 🫶
See you soon,
Julie
E-commerce Expert @ Bigblue
Conversion rate
Newsletter #33 - 3 Science-Backed Strategies for Conversion-Optimised Product Pages
March 7, 2024
Hi !
I recently stumbled upon these mind-boggling stats:
- Every day, we're bombarded with over 1200 advertising messages.
- 34 million TikTok videos get posted daily.
- More than 720,000 hours of video content hit YouTube every single day.
With all this overload, knowing how to organize and deliver information effectively is key to grabbing prospects' attention and beating the competition.
So, in this edition, I'm sharing 3 science-backed strategies to supercharge your product pages and ramp up those conversions 🧠
1️. Highlight Your Product's Sales or Views
Why does it work? 🧠
We're naturally inclined to follow others: 95% of us imitate, while only 5% initiate.
Plus, our brains love numbers—they help us make sense of things logically.
So, views and sales figures are solid social proof for consumers because they show a product's popularity and quality.
How to do it? 💡
Start by showing the number of views, then move on to sales as they pick up.
Depending on your sales volume and product type, you can test different time frames (today, this week, over the last 90 days, etc.).
🚨 High numbers can be overwhelming because they're hard to digest. If you've got loads of views, focus on showcasing your sales.
3 Shopify Apps to Boost Your Social Proof
- Nudgify to display sales and views on your product pages.
- FOMO to announce each new sale made.
- Hey! to create a sense of urgency with a limited stock counter.
2️. Ditch the Technical Jargon
Why does it work? 🧠
Which cover would you choose ➡️ the one "made from soybean fibres with a 3D multilayer creping" or "soft, warm, breathable, and fluffy"?
Obviously, the second one is because humans are instinctively wary, even suspicious, of the unknown.
Using technical vocabulary can frustrate your customers and leave them with an unpleasant memory.
Conversely, clear and understandable descriptions generate a positive impression and make your message more memorable and convincing.
How to do it? 💡
Ditch the technical and scientific terms and use simple language to describe the product benefits.
Instead of discussing the "pentanol, glycerin, or citric acid" in your shampoo, explain how it "gets rid of dandruff while leaving hair soft and shiny".
🔎 Be transparent to convince your customers.
Ensure key information on your product pages is above the fold (customer reviews, short description, add to cart button, etc.). Clearly state your delivery times to reassure them and boost your conversions (or use Bigblue's Fast Tags for a more precise date 😉).
3️. Adjust the Model’s Gaze According to Your Product
Why does it work? 🧠
The direction of your models' gaze influences your sales:
- An outward gaze favours product identification and imagination.
- A direct gaze marks a separation between the model and the viewer but increases the message's credibility.
How to do it? 💡
Opt for photos where your models aren't looking directly at the camera to evoke positive emotions.
If you aim to convey precise information (features, prices) or evoke negative feelings, go for a direct gaze towards the camera.
PS: If you prefer solo product photos, ensure they're centred or facing the centre for easy reading.
Two last tips before leaving
- Use videos or GIFs if your products promise an experience (fashion, holidays, etc.).
- For functional products (dishwashers, tools), static images are enough.
Thanks for sticking around 💙!
Hope these tips help you rack up more sales!
And hey, don't hesitate to let me know what you think or keep me posted if you've tried them 😊
See you soon,
Julie
E-commerce Expert @ Bigblue
Conversion rate
Newsletter #32 - 3 Tips and Examples to Boost Your Conversions with Pop-ups
February 22, 2024
Hello !
Too many brands lose sales by hesitating to integrate pop-ups on their site.
Often perceived as "intrusive" or "outdated", they showed an average conversion rate of 11% in 2023 💥
Figures that prove their effectiveness... as long as they are used correctly!
To reconcile you with pop-ups, I share 3 tips and examples to unlock their full potential and increase your sales.
PS: We are more than 4,500 in this newsletter! Whether it's your first time reading (welcome 👋🏻) or you are already a regular, thank you for your trust 💙
1️. Ask instead of imposing to capture more emails
No one likes to act under coercion.
Instead of forcing your visitors to give you their email address, why not simply offer it to them?
A technique adopted by Puissante with its two-step pop-up that first asks the visitor if they are interested in a promotion before presenting the form.
A clever and non-intrusive approach that allows them to reach a conversion rate of about 5%.
When and how to deploy your pop-ups?
To maximise their impact, you can activate them under certain conditions:
- An exit intent
- A specific time
- On scroll
- On click...
Tools like Wisepops or Nosto help you to create targeted campaigns, based on various criteria (URL, traffic source, location, CRM data, etc.).
2️. Ensure a flawless customer experience, everywhere
Nothing is more frustrating than seeing the total of your order increase due to unexpected shipping costs or poor currency conversion.
If, like Skims (Kim K's brand), you target an international clientele, use your pop-ups to guarantee an optimal user experience across the globe 💡
You can, for example, take the opportunity to list your reassurance arguments (delivery times, minimum order, returns, etc.) and thus eliminate any unpleasant surprises.
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How did Smartworkout expand internationally as fast as Skims?
The resistance band brand now ships more than 50% of its orders abroad. Thanks to express deliveries, it quickly conquered the European market, ensured by several warehouses and Bigblue's carrier network. Discover the secrets of their success here 👈🏻
➡️ The world is mine
3️. Gamify your message to increase your engagement
Last September, Mr. Beast's Feastables brand raised 2M clicks in an email 🤯
Their recipe? A challenge, rewards, and good copywriting allowed them to double their engagement and improve the health of their email address.
Adopt this approach for your pop-ups by varying interactive formats:
- Wheel of fortune
- Mystery gift
- Scratch card
- Quiz...
The tool to gamify your pop-ups
Amped offers a wide selection of interactive and customisable pop-up templates.
Thank you for reading this far 💙
I hope these tips are useful for improving your pop-ups!
As always, feel free to share your feedback 😊
See you soon,
Julie
E-commerce Expert @ Bigblue
Conversion rate
Newsletter #31 - 5 Steps to Crafting the Ultimate Hero for Your Landing Page
February 8, 2024
Hello !
For a long time, I believed design was the absolute key to a high-performing landing page.
Yet, even with spot-on aesthetics, 80% of users won't go past your Hero if it doesn't precisely meet their needs.
So, fine-tuning your message above the fold is very important for effectively converting your prospects.
To help you optimise your campaigns, I'm sharing 5 essential ingredients for crafting the perfect landing page Hero 🦸♀️
The best part? 🍒 This method applies to all your marketing materials, from pop-ups to static creations!
1. A headline that clearly defines your offer
It's the first thing your visitors will see, so it'll need to clarify your offer right away.
But finding the perfect formula for writing an engaging headline can be tricky.
To stay focused, I favour three approaches:
- The streamlined message 🌬️
If you're offering a unique product or service, try to describe it in the simplest way possible.
Example: "Pineapple tells you who the best agencies are" from Pineapplelist.
- Address your customer's biggest objection 🙅♀
️If offering a range of products or services, go for a compelling hook instead. To do this, you might counter your customers' main objection. Example: "The dating app designed to be deleted" from Hinge.
- Own your niche 🥇
If you have numerous competitors, could you convince your customers that your offer is THE ultimate solution? Example: “The World's Best-Smelling Sunscreen” from Vacation.
2️. An explanatory subheading
Your subheading should be an extension of your headline.
This is the time for you to explain to your visitors how your offer works or to present your product in more detail.
Again, Pineapple is the perfect example ⬆️:
Subheading :
No one has the data we do—we've interviewed thousands of founders to learn which agencies they rely on. We match you with the best in growth, design, and content.
3️. An image that speaks a thousand words
The illustration should help your prospect understand what you're offering without needing to read the headline.
For this, opt for simple and evocative images that ideally show your product in action 🎬
Example: MyObvi uses before/after images of its clients to promote the results of their weight loss supplements.
Boost your conversion opportunities with video
Videos can increase a landing page's conversion rate by an average of 86%. You might opt for:
- A GIF like Minisocial,
- A lottie (animated image) like at Stripe,
- User Generated Content embedded with tools like Join Stories.
4️. Social proof to immediately reassure
92% of customers trust a brand more if their peers recommend it.
Ratings, reviews, testimonials, partner or media logos, awards: all these proofs are fail-safe ways to bolster your credibility.
For instance, Javy displays its +5,700 TrustPilot reviews under its headline.
Boost your conversions by 25% by displaying the estimated delivery date
Like the brand ULTI, reassure your customers at the point of purchase and boost your conversions by 25% thanks to Bigblue's Fast Tags.
➡️ Try on my product page for free!
5️. A Call to Action that stands out
It's the final stretch! 🥵
Most brands settle for basic CTAs like "Sign Up", "Start Trial", or "Buy".
However, customised CTAs have an average conversion rate that's 4 times higher!
I suggest you try three types of more effective CTAs:
- The "Call to Value" CTA ✨
The idea is to reflect the promise of your headline in your button.
Example: Replace "Buy our moisturiser" with "Reveal your skin's radiance".
- The objection-busting CTA 🏓
Anticipate your prospects' objections by adding a few words to your CTA.
Example: Instead of "Sign Up", try "Test for free for 1 month".
- The email-capturing CTA 🎯
If you need information from your prospects, please don't discourage them with a too long form.
You could follow Netflix's example of simplifying the sign-up process to the max to grab the email.
Customers are then directed to a page to complete their account setup.
Thanks for reading all the way here 💙
I hope you find these tips helpful. As always, feel free to give me your feedback to improve this newsletter 🫶
See you soon,
Julie E-commerce Expert @ Bigblue
