Needless to say, the Covid-19 pandemic shaped the business landscape of 2020. Many businesses generating most of their income through brick-and-mortar stores suffered in lockdown periods and had to review their digital strategy.
Consumers shifting to online stores during the pandemic period also increased the competition in this area. Brands working in this field had to revise their strategies in order to cope with increasing competition.
D&R: From Physical Stores to Online
D&R; is one of the most important department store chains in Turkey selling books, music, stationery, toys, and souvenirs. Being one of the most important brands in culture and entertainment in Turkey, D&R provides an enjoyable shopping experience to its customers since 1997.
The first Covid – 19 case in Turkey was seen on 11 March 2020. On 30 March 2020, 30 major cities quarantined. During that period, most of the physical stores closed down and the shopping practices of Turkish people have started to shift to digital channels.
D&R responded that developing crisis immediately by increasing their investments in digital channels and collaborated with ReklamStore.
What did We do?
“Stay home” was the global message during that period and we followed the hype. We produced textual and visual content about life at home. We published that content on affiliate channels through banners and newsletters.
Along with ongoing discounts, we offered special discount coupons to visitors.
What We Had?
All our tactical approach paid out well and we have seen a remarkable revenue increase in digital channels of D&R.
Compared to 2019 there was an increase of 37% of visitors, a 29% increase in the number of transactions, and a 9% increase in shopping cart size. As a result of all these observed increases, the revenue obtained has increased by 40%.
On the other hand, the bounce rate on the D&R website decreased by 6%. It has also been observed that the users spend more time on the website. The average session duration per user increased by 31% and the number of pages visited increased by 10%.
Tolgar Şaşmaz, digital marketing manager of D&R commented on that success:
During the pandemic, we have seen that correct communication, correct use of images, correct sales campaigns, and correct targeting are important to keep users on the website. One of the most important factors that helped us achieve this success was working with an agency that could quickly answer any questions we asked, and we could qualify as our teammate.
Credits
Tolgar Şaşmaz – Digital Marketing Manager @D&R
Ahmet Mataracı – Senior Account Manager @Reklamstore
Idefix: Stronger in Competitive Times
Idefix, established in 1999 is one of the pioneer online brands in Turkey selling cultural and entertainment products like books, music, art materials and toys.
Competition in e-commerce increased during the pandemic, as consumers moved from stores to online stores. Idefix has taken extra steps to cope with the increasing competition.
What did We Do?
For Idefix, we focused on the home theme in our text and visual content. We continued “stay at home” themed communication on affiliate channels through home pages, banners and e-newsletters.
What We Had?
Compared to 2019, Idefix achieved a 58% conversion increase, a 50% increase in the number of transactions, and a 30% increase in the average shopping cart size. As a result, Idefixe’s income increased by 95%.
Idefix’s remarkable achievement has been to achieve a conversion rate above the industry average. While the average conversion rate of the industry increased by 14% compared to the previous year, the conversion rate of Idefix increased by 58%!
Tolgar Şaşmaz, digital marketing manager of Idefix said: “We have once again seen the importance of determining the right product categories, correct campaign and communication during the pandemic period.
In this success, our agency’s account manager who is following broadcasters intensively and managing them well is huge.”
Credits
Tolgar Şaşmaz – Digital Marketing Manager @Idefix
Ahmet Mataracı – Senior Account Manager @Reklamstore