Sizes and shapes. Colors and compatibilities. Materials, dimensions and details. These are just a few of the many considerations brands have to factor in when promoting products online.
Sometimes creating compelling product content is straightforward; many times it’s a complex process. For one manufacturer of custom shower doors and enclosures, transitioning to e-commerce marketplaces required overcoming some particularly complex challenges.
In a recent interview with Rithum, BASCO Digital Marketing Manager Lindsey Simcik discussed just how tricky the process can be:
“Our product has a lot of caveats and variations, and we’re always questioning: How do you prioritize your SKUs that are different because of dimensions? And how do you make a consumer feel comfortable buying this investment?”
After years of focusing on tailor-made products, the company had decided to start offering DIYers a way to discover and buy shower doors online. But helping e-commerce consumers find the right shower doors was neither straightforward or simple.
BASCO certainly isn’t alone in its struggles. The difficulties Simcik mentioned are common issues among brands, whose success often hinges on helping online shoppers drill down to the right products based on highly granular details. But with the right mix of technology and expertise, it’s possible to achieve some exciting growth and expansion goals.
Here’s how the marketing team at BASCO did just that.
Making the transition to Amazon Advertising
When the company first started selling stock SKUs online, the team says it tested Amazon Advertising on its own for a few months before deciding to partner with an agency — a move Simcik says made a big difference.
“There was a high return and it was fairly easy to show the ROI,” she said of working with the digital marketing firm.
Eventually, as the industry continued to evolve at a rapid rate, there came a time when even more specialized assistance was needed.
“As with everything, BASCO was starting to get more sophisticated with other needs of our Amazon business to help us compete,” Simcik said. “We’re always trying to think of what we can do next as our business overall changes, and how e-commerce will play out.”
The team started to look for a more comprehensive solution — one that would not only provide expert guidance for staying ahead of industry trends, but also the e-commerce technology needed to keep pace with constantly-changing consumer expectations.
That’s when BASCO turned to Rithum.
“When we switched to Rithum, we wanted industry knowledge,” explained Director of Marketing Kiersten Jung. “We came to Rithum wanting to know how we could get more competitive with our competition. We wanted someone that would help push us.”
By working with Managed Services for Amazon Advertising, Jung and Simcik said the company was able to get laser-focused on increasing visibility with Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands. For example: Based on the quality of the company’s products and its legacy in the industry, the Managed Services team identified an opportunity to increase visibility by focusing on replacement parts. This, in turn, helped BASCO show up in searches for smaller items — and helped increase overall visibility and sales.
“Rithum has helped from a vendor-ranking perspective,” Jung said, noting that increasing sales of replacement parts helps ensure consumers will remember BASCO for big-ticket projects.
According to BASCO, a powerful combination of automation and manual product campaigns has led to all kinds of bottom-line results. The brand says its advertising cost of sale (ACoS) has dropped from 55% to below 12% since the marketing department started working with Rithum.
“We’re a small team and to run Amazon effectively, there’s just not enough bandwidth within our organization,” Jung said. “I see Rithum as an extension of our e-commerce team.”
Overall sales, meanwhile, have soared by 141%.
“With home renovation products, there’s a seasonality,” said Simcik. “Now, we have consistency to our business.”
Wondering what your company can do to achieve similar results? Rithum Managed Services offers brands and retailers specialized expertise to help drive more sales on Amazon, Google, Facebook and hundreds of other e-commerce channels.
