Wunderkind Success Story: Elvie

Victoria Harvey, Senior Global CRM Manager, Elvie: Okay. Because I never know whether I should be Vicky or Victoria.

Speaker 2: You can be Vicky if you want.

Victoria Harvey, Senior Global CRM Manager, Elvie: When I was younger I thought I was Vicky Victoria, didn't really get it. When I started, there was limited CRM, we were just using MailChimp, basic integration. I came in to scale up that, grow the function. So one of the first jobs I did was look at a proper CRM platform that we could start using and actually have our data all in one place. And then yeah, it's been growing from there, and we are a scale up so we've actually seen huge growth in the last three years. So the CRM activity has had to really match that.

Roselle Forman, Global Brand Manager, Elvie: I'm Roselle, I'm the Global Brand Manager at Elvie within the breastfeeding category. So I primarily work on global product and brand strategies. I also work on launching global brand campaigns and new product development. So Elvie was founded in 2013 and it really came about as a lack. Because there was a lack of awareness and a lack of availability for products for women within the healthcare space. So at the time, technology and healthcare were really two industries that were created and led by men. So what Elvie did was create unique bespoke products that were for women, that were designed with women at the center. We've launched into two categories, which is the pelvic floor space and the breastfeeding category. And our mission is to really empower women through radical female first technology. So we're a taboo- busting brand and we're not afraid to talk about topics that are related to women's health, that are really going to lead women's health in the right direction. So the Elvie customer is essentially all women who are looking for a really smart, innovative technology that's going to help improve their lives.

Victoria Harvey, Senior Global CRM Manager, Elvie: The technology that we were using allowed us to identify new users on site. We were sending trigger emails, but they definitely weren't doing what they needed to. I think the expectation and the revenue that they could bring, it just wasn't working hard enough for us. So understanding how we could improve that using a different type of technology was really key. We also have a custom- built website, so obviously you would expect that to give us a lot of flexibility but in reality, developing stuff in- house to use onsite is quite a long process. And I think it's often better to use a provider who can integrate with or can integrate seamlessly with your website, who is best in class. What Wunderkind does and what it offers in that area is really important. We know how important first party data is, and with all of the changes that have been made over the last few years, we needed to really make sure that we had that fully covered. If we're able to get that directly from our site from users visiting our website, then that's the best place to start. Being a relatively newish brand, we've thought of ourselves as a startup for some time. And also the fact that we, up until a few years ago, we only had two products, relatively not expensive but premium products. It meant that the focus was very much on acquisition, acquisition is expensive and we know that the cost of paid media now is skyrocketing. So we needed to think outside the box on how we could be more cost- efficient and also start nurturing our leads to, I guess, gather that first party data, which we know is imperative for remarketing.

Roselle Forman, Global Brand Manager, Elvie: So I feel like Wunderkind is really developing and helping us develop that first party data. And that is really important because when we think about, we have multiple products that women are going to be interested in. And so our acquisition is great, but how do we keep informing our customers and talk to people who are interested in the brand, but then also interested or can benefit from the products? And so really that is where Wunderkind's come in terms of helping us build that database and that first party data, which is super important as I'm sure that you're aware and everyone is aware that the digital space is changing. And we need to be more savvy to be able to speak to our consumers on a more personal level.

Victoria Harvey, Senior Global CRM Manager, Elvie: So it was really key for us to make sure that we could kind of take control of the marketing and focus our efforts on not just optimizing that initial conversion piece, but really understanding how retention plays a bigger role in the marketing that we're doing. And we're doing it in a way that is keeping the customer happy and knowing that we do have a loyal base in this far as our customers are loyal, they're advocates, even if they've only bought the product once, we know that they will shout about it because we want to be a brand where we can really liberate women and be that taboo busting brand. From day one they've really taken control of the whole process and done the heavy lifting, so it's been relatively easy to get set up. In fact, most of the delays were on our side. I mean, even the first month or two, we saw results that were way, way above what was expected. And coming out of that four month trial, we are actually seeing a nine X return. So the revenue that we were expecting to cover over 12 month period, we've kind of hit over half of that within the first four months. So really, really good results.

Roselle Forman, Global Brand Manager, Elvie: Yeah, it's all about personalization, it's looking at our customer journey. And when you think about personalization and what the customer wants, they're expecting to be able to know where they're at in the journey. And I feel like Wunderkind really supports us to be able to speak to our consumer where they're at within that customer journey.

Victoria Harvey, Senior Global CRM Manager, Elvie: So we launched a new feature on our app called Pumping Rhythms that allows breast pump users to actually personalize how they breast pump. So it's not just one or two settings, it's much more than that.

Roselle Forman, Global Brand Manager, Elvie: There's only been really one pumping rhythm, which is a suction pattern. And when we speak to women and we really listen to what are the challenges that they're going through, is there's a lot of different pumping and breastfeeding journeys. Not one size fits all, and one pumping rhythm on the market is really not going to cater to everyone's needs. And so last Friday as part of World Breast Pumping Day, we launched our smart rhythm pumping, which is offering existing Elvie mums and new prospective Elvie mums the opportunity to use three brand new unique pumping rhythms that are really personalized to their goals. And so that's anywhere from being able to manage their milk output to using a slow and gentle rhythm in case they're suffering from pain or mastitis. Or it's for women who are experiencing more of a heavy flow and let down. So through their app, they can really personalize their pump to suit their goals and their needs. And so Elvie once again is revolutionizing the category, it's leading and redefining the category. And it's really making sure that women have access to the most smart, innovative tools possible.

Victoria Harvey, Senior Global CRM Manager, Elvie: And Wunderkind have actually helped us with that launch, we went live on Friday. And they have actually set up some bespoke overlays that only show two specific segments of customers so that it is more around that product offering instead of just giving them an incentive to sign up, which is what we've done up until now. This is more around learning more about the new feature and actually the personalization that Elvie offers and how that breast pumping experience differs from others. We've also added in a banner into our triggered emails so that at the point of purchase, if they receive a triggered email, let's say they've abandoned their cart, it's another reminder as to how Elvie is different. And I don't think we would've been able to do that without the support of the team and their advice based on what other clients have done before. We decided to go in with a slightly different tactic to what we'd done previously. So we actually started to focus on our lead generation much earlier than we had previously. So we came up with a strategy that utilized both Wunderkind's onsite overlays and identification technology with our own paid media lead generation activity.

Roselle Forman, Global Brand Manager, Elvie: With Black Friday, as Vicky said, but within Black Friday, our lead generation campaign was really successful. It was the longest lead campaign that we had run for Black Friday, and we saw really great results from that. So that was probably our key highlight.

Victoria Harvey, Senior Global CRM Manager, Elvie: We are actually getting far more leads than we had ever done in the buildup to Black Friday. So it meant that when we went out with our initial activity, our launch email for early access, we were able to send to the biggest list that we'd had ever for a Black Friday event. And we saw really good results. Particularly in the UK actually, which was surprising, we'd always seen better results in the US. But I think the combination of tactics worked really well for us. The crucial value is return on investment, so right now with the economic climate that we're in, everyone wants to make sure that they're getting the best return possible. So understanding our ROAS and how we can improve it, Wunderkind has really done that for us. The proof is in the results, and that's been great for us to sell it into the business. We don't have to invest too much of our time, yet the return that we are seeing is way above what we would've expected. And it's great to have a partner that happy to have on board, and you don't have to remind the business why you're using it. In terms of revenue, we are already seeing that outperforming what had initially been proposed. I feel like we are going to go way over the targets that we'd kind of put down on paper. I think for me, the lead element and the focus on first party data is really key. Obviously revenue is important, but knowing as a brand what that ongoing engagement can do and that community element can do for the brand is really key. Where I think we're estimating to hit close to a hundred thousand leads, additional leads within a year, and we're already above halfway to reaching that and it's been five months into the partnership, so that's a really good sign. And I think knowing that that's just an additional byproduct of the partnership on top of what we are getting with the additional retargeting is really important. What's important is to listen to what advice Wunderkind are giving because they know their stuff. Wunderkind are doing what they're doing for a reason, and it sometimes can seem a bit daunting to start using a platform that's sending out emails every 24 hours after someone's signed up. But there's a reason we're doing that, and I think it's just to trust them and to trust the process of optimization. Testing everything and working as a team, and I guess they are an extension of the team. At the end of the day we're still investing, it's still costing money, but we know that that is giving us the best return and that's going to have a long- term impact with the economic climate.

Roselle Forman, Global Brand Manager, Elvie: So there's a lot more to do within women's healthcare and health space and we're only just beginning. And this space, as a brand, Elvie's really revolutionized the breastfeeding category and the pelvic floor category. But there's so much more to do and it's a really exciting time to be in fem tech because we're seeing other brands and other companies revolutionize different industries. And Elvie's journey, really only just beginning.