Peter Sheldon — October 23, 2017 When it comes to digital, Jonathan Bradbury, Munchkin’s Director of Global eCommerce, likes to keep it simple. “In digital, there’s so much out there that can overcomplicate things. You can lose sight of what’s really important,” he said. At Shop.org, Bradbury revealed the simple strategies that have led to the success of Munchkin’s digital business. These are their four tried and tested strategies for growth…
1. Drive Balanced Upper Funnel Visibility
Find the right paid search balance. “Work within your budget and drive search results to your products,” said Bradbury. Munchkin struck a good balance by driving search results to products with branded and non-branded keywords, and targeting the right customer.
Take advantage of data. Predictive marketing technologies have emerged to help companies of all sizes collect, process, analyze, and interpret data to drive actionable insights. Bradbury encouraged the use of ultra-targeted, programmatic technologies to target consumers, focusing on location, device, and timing to grab their attention.
Focus on the right device. 84 percent of smartphone shoppers use their device while shopping in-store. Bradbury suggested capturing customers with ‘micro moments’: “They’re not just shopping, they’re looking. Make sure you have a mobile-optimized site and messaging.” Munchkin delivered ads about product launches to ultra-targeted audiences and directed consumers to the store nearest to them with a “Get Directions” CTA.
Focus on the right locations. 82 percent of consumers use search engines as their first research tool in-store. “Make sure you’re represented there with the right message,” said Bradbury. Munchkin used targeted, non-branded search keywords and leveraged video search results to differentiate their products from their competitors’.
Focus on the right timing. “If we look at our phones 150 times a day for 177 minutes a day, that means you have one minute to capture someone’s attention.” Bradbury added, “You have to make sure you have the right message, at the right time, to the right person.” Munchkin found success by geo-targeting consumers located near, or in, a partner’s store and offering them a coupon.
2. Maximize Mid-Funnel Visibility of Your Brand
Optimize onsite search tactics. Selling on Amazon is important to Munchkin’s business. The higher the rank on Amazon, the more your products are viewed and purchased–raising your ranking even more . Bradbury said that if you’re not on the first page organically, you should invest in the self-service paid mechanisms on Amazon to boost your products.
Use remarketing to extend your audiences wherever they are. According to Bradbury: “Product page ads are really good for cross-selling and for capturing traffic that is on a competitor’s product page.”
3. Create Innovative Content to Convert the Consumer
Generate excellent content. “Now that you have the customer’s attention, make sure that all that effort, time, and money spent to get them isn’t wasted. You want to make sure you’re converting them.” Bradbury suggested keeping it basic: use images, content, cross-sells, and formatting. Provide options. Include social, video, and reviews to help them validate their decision more quickly.
Make it easy. Munchkin was experiencing a high return rate on one of their products: baby gates. Customers were forgetting to measure the gate openings. Luckily, the solution was easy. Munchkin took the thinking out of the purchase. Now, when the consumer shops this product, they see all the size options, encouraging measurement. Since implementing this solution, Munchkin has experienced double the sales and half the return rate.
4. Cultivate Your Best Customers
Turn buyers into advocates. Happy consumers will advocate for you if you ask them, said Bradbury. Munchkin increased customer advocacy with rewards programs. Now, if a Munchkin customer refers a friend or leaves a product review, the brand rewards the customer with store credit or free product.
Give customers value. Reward every interaction. Munchkin provides incentives to drive engagement and conversion: Bradbury recommended providing incentives wherever the consumer is interacting with your brand, like offering free shipping in exchange for an Instagram post. “It encourages people to create high-quality content, and increases followers, engagement, and sales.”
Set it and forget it. Use trigger emails to feed continued engagement.“Retention is easier and cheaper than acquisition,” says Bradbury. “Make sure you’re doing the basics there.”
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