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The experts at Crave pride themselves in “always staying true to their core values and using only the finest designers and materials,” and this dedication is leading this merchant into growing success.
As a part of its multi-channel retail strategy, Crave Maternity has grown to consist of two boutiques in the UK, a wholesale operation serving over 40 independent boutiques across the globe, a direct mail catalogue, and an e-commerce website. The retailer has consistently produced two catalogues per year in order to accommodate their semi-annual collections, one for Autumn/Winter and the other for Spring/Summer.
Most of the shoppers who make purchases from these books are mothers-to-be in their early 30's and 40's who are at all stages of pregnancy. In addition, people looking to purchase gifts for women in that same demographic also tend to be Crave customers. Suitably, the mixture of channels that Crave offers is able to cater to the array of shopping preferences contained inside this large customer base.
Challenges/Goals
- Improve customers shopping experience by providing them with a user-friendly and familiar online shopping interface
- Increase online sales
- Increase number of repeat customers
- Reduce print catalogue costs and environmental consequences
- Increase conversions and lead acquisition
Strategy
Engage
- Provide customers with an engaging and interactive Rich Catalogue
- Position a consistent “shop online catalogue” button on the homepage
Inform
- Make customers aware of the negative environmental consequences that result from the production of printed material
- Send monthly direct marketing emails that focus on the catalogue
- Show product detail with catalogue zoom feature
Convert
- Link directly to product pages
- Click through from catalogue pages to suggested cross-sells and up-sells
Results
- 13% increase in repeat customers
- 280% - growth in online sales
- Decrease in requests for printed catalogues
- E mail list growth of over 300%
In 2004 Crave decided to expand and strengthen its multi-channel strategy, focusing on the overall improvement and enhancement of their catalogue. "Our principal goal was to give better service to our customers. We also wanted to reduce print runs for both the cost savings and the environmental benefit," said Loretta Bridge, Crave's marketing director.
When the retailer hired Screen Pages to reconstruct and design its website, RichFX was immediately brought on board for the online catalogue portion of this endeavor. They came up with a custom strategy, which would engage, inform, and convert Crave's customers in order to reach all of the retailer's goals. "The seamless integration and high level of customization offered by RichFX was unparallel to any other provider," Bridge said. "We had no doubt that RichFX's catalogue platform solution was exactly what we needed in order to stay ahead of our competition."
The transformation of Crave's 64-page print catalogue into an interactive, user-friendly Rich Catalogue took a little over two weeks in time. Upon completion, Crave's online catalogue lived entirely inside the framework of their website. Particularly, the branding of this catalogue was produced to flawlessly match the look and feel of the rest of the site. As is the case for all RichFX online catalogues, shoppers were now able to book-mark and browse pages, zoom in on all page details and browse pages in alternative layouts such as thumbnail view or by spread. Additionally, catalogue pages were linked directly to product pages that featured suggested cross-sells and up-sells.
Other strategic methods used to compel customers to shop exclusively from Crave's online catalogue were online and email marketing. These methods focus on and highlight the online catalogue as a key shopping method. Specifically, monthly mailings link directly to the catalogues though banners similar to the one shown below and usually provide customers with general information on new products, special promotions and sales.
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