Mar 04, 2010

E-Commerce Case Study: The Evolution of Two Sites

The Exclusively Weddings Web site was first launched in 1999. It included basic functionality that supported brides-to-be by providing an easy online shopping experience for all their invitations, favors, ceremony and reception accessories, and bridal gift needs. 

Since that time, it has evolved through several upgrades, implemented in order to compete within the marketplace while maintaining a consistent brand position.  The latest upgrade was developed and launched in October 2009. We:

Refreshed content and creative presentation;
Upgraded key personalization functionality and user-experience interfaces;
Created opportunity to maximize search engine optimization through embedded metadata and tags.

These efforts in aggregate, the improvements in the look and feel, and the ease of shopping resulted in increased site traffic of approximately 20 percent since launch, an approximate 10 percent shift in revenue from paid marketing efforts to organic and a 100bps improvement in conversion rate. There was also improvement in image presentation, as well as the ability to cross-sell and up-sell other categories. The platform that was developed provided a strong template from which additional sites could be created. 

From this came the development of ePersonalized Gifts. The business concept was born from identifying an opportunity to maximize the existing core competency around customization of products, extend the life cycle of Exclusively Weddings customers after the wedding date, and create fourth-quarter sales.

The template was enhanced to best reflect the brand position of ePersonalized Gifts through the creative presentation. The site skin was made more colorful to reflect the personality of the brand, which is fun and stylish.

Social Media Marketing Strategy  
The social media strategy for Exclusively Weddings is evolving, with the first efforts focused on gaining fans on Facebook and followers on Twitter, which we began using in the fall of 2009. Our focus has been engaging our community through constant communication and commenting. This may be specific to an offer we are serving up, or it may be in response to a comment made by a follower on our products or services. 

In order to gain fans and followers, limited-time promotions have been established. In early November, we sent e-mail promoting sign-up as a Facebook fan in order to be entered to win a $150 Exclusively Weddings gift card. This campaign garnered approximately 2,300 new fans.

We also engage in our Facebook community through running weekly treasure hunt contests whereby fans are asked to identify a product that is presented as a closely cropped image. The intent is not only to engage but also to drive traffic to the site, as readers have to go searching for the product. This has been very successful based on building relationships with brides as well as communicating our authenticity as a credible wedding resource.

Further engagement is being developed through an on-site contest. The contest is focused on brides-to-be sharing their engagement stories, with the chance to win 10 prizes—including a bachelorette party. The kick-off for the contest included media releases and banner postings on associated wedding sites. The initial exposure with existing e-mailable customers and prospects resulted in more than 200 entries. The contest has been live for approximately five weeks and we have received more than 450 story submissions. The winner will be announced the first week in April, in which time we plan to further our social media efforts by developing site content that will:

Educate: Reinforce our expertise within the wedding space by developing and posting content that is original and relevant, including how-to articles;
Share experiences: Engage and build relationships by encouraging active dialogue;
Inspire: Along with relevant content, post storyboards, images that inspire and provide ideas to the brides-to-be.

Along with community building, these efforts will lend themselves to SEO improvement.

Posted By: Linh Calhoun