Case Study: How Salesforce Marketing Cloud Helped an Online Business Gain More Sales and Customer Satisfaction

Introduction 

Customer experience is the new battleground for online businesses. With so many options and alternatives available to customers, online businesses need to differentiate themselves by delivering exceptional and memorable experiences to their customers. How can they do that? What's the way for them to employ data and AI in creating and delivering messages and offers that suit their customers individually? 

How can they manage and coordinate their marketing activities across different channels and devices?  

In this case study, we will explore how Salesforce Marketing Cloud, a leading platform for digital marketing, helped an online retailer boost its sales and customer loyalty by using data, AI, and automation. 

Decoding the Complexities of the Online Retail Challenge 

The online retailer that we are focusing on in this case study was based in New York & was struggling to increase sales and improve customer satisfaction. Their main challenge was that they had a low conversion rate, meaning that only a small percentage of their website visitors actually made a purchase. They also had a high customer churn rate, meaning that many of their customers did not return to buy from them again. They realized that their marketing campaigns were inefficient and ineffective, as they were not reaching the right customers at the right time with the right message. They were wasting time and money on sending generic and irrelevant emails and ads to their potential and existing customers, resulting in low engagement and loyalty. 

However, the online retailer faced several challenges that hindered its growth and profitability, such as: 

• Low sales: Despite having a large and diverse product catalog, the online retailer struggled to increase its sales and market share in the highly competitive online fashion market. The online retailer’s average order value (AOV) and conversion rate were lower than the industry average, indicating that the online retailer was not able to effectively attract and retain customers. 
• High customer churn: The online retailer faced a high customer churn rate, which meant that many of its customers did not buy from them again or switched to other retailers. According to Investopedia, customer churn rate is the rate at which customers stop doing business with an entity. The online retailer’s customer retention rate (CRR) was below 20%, which was much lower than the media and professional services industries’ average retention rates of 84%1.  
• Inefficient marketing campaigns: The online retailer relied on traditional and generic marketing campaigns, such as email newsletters, banner ads, and social media posts, to promote its products and offers. However, these campaigns were not personalized, relevant, or engaging for the online retailer’s customers, resulting in low click-through rates (CTR), open rates, and response rates. The online retailer also lacked a clear and consistent marketing strategy, as it did not segment its customers, track its marketing performance, or optimize its marketing budget. 

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Online Retail Objective 

One of the main challenges that online retailers face is how to stand out from the crowd and attract loyal customers in a saturated and competitive market. Online shoppers have many options to choose from, and can easily switch to another brand if they are not satisfied with their experience. Therefore, online retailers need to deliver personalized, relevant, and engaging marketing campaigns that can capture the attention and interest of their potential and existing customers, and motivate them to make a purchase and repeat it. 

To improve the shopping experience, it is essential to have a smooth and easy-to-use website interface. Having effective customer service options and solving problems quickly can help to establish trust and loyalty among customers. Moreover, using data analytics and insights to learn about consumer behavior and preferences can help to customize products and services to suit their changing needs, creating lasting relationships and brand loyalty. 

The Solution: Salesforce Marketing Cloud 

To achieve these objectives, the online retailer partnered with Concretio, a Salesforce marketing cloud consultants. Concretio helped the online retailer to implement and customize Salesforce Marketing Cloud to suit its specific needs and goals. Concretio also provided training and support to the online retailer’s marketing team to use the Salesforce Marketing Cloud effectively and efficiently. 

Some of the key features and benefits of Salesforce Marketing Cloud that the online retailer used were: 

• Email Studio: By creating and sending email campaigns that matched the customers’ preferences, behavior, and journey, Concretio assisted the online retailer. Experts at Concretio also enabled the online retailer to divide its customers into various segments, such as new customers, loyal customers, inactive customers, cart abandoners, and more, and deliver them relevant and timely email messages, such as welcome emails, loyalty emails, reactivation emails, cart recovery emails, and more.  
• Journey Builder: The online retailer was helped by Concretio to create and manage customer journeys, which are personalized and automated workflows that lead the customer from awareness to loyalty, through different channels, such as email, mobile, social, and web. The online retailer was also helped by Concretio to use data and insights from Salesforce Marketing Cloud and other sources, to adapt and launch the customer journeys, based on the customer’s preferences, behavior, and journey.  
• Mobile Studio: Concretio team of experts helped the online retailer to create and send personalized and relevant SMS and push notifications to its customers, based on their preferences, behavior, and journey. Concretio also helped the online retailer to segment its customers into different groups, such as new customers, loyal customers, inactive customers, cart abandoners, etc., and send them targeted and timely SMS and push messages, such as welcome messages, loyalty messages, reactivation messages, cart recovery messages, etc.  
• Advertising Studio: With Advertising Studio, Concretio produced and administered ads on multiple platforms, such as Google, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The client also used Advertising Studio to link their customer data and segments with their ad platforms, and send tailored and coherent ads through various channels and devices. 
• Social Studio: Concretio helped the online retailer to create and manage its social media presence and engagement across different platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. Concretio also helped the online retailer to listen and respond to its customers’ feedback, queries, and complaints on social media, and to monitor and analyze its brand sentiment, reputation, and influence on social media.  

Check out another amazing blog by Concretio here: How to do a Successful Salesforce Marketing Cloud Personalization Implementation 

The Results: Higher Sales and Customer Satisfaction 

The online retailer achieved remarkable results by using Salesforce Marketing Cloud with the help of Concretio. The online retailer saw significant improvements in its key metrics and outcomes, such as: 

• Conversion rate: The online retailer increased its conversion rate by 25% by sending personalized and relevant messages to its customers based on their preferences, needs, and behaviors. 
• Customer churn rate: The online retailer reduced its customer churn rate by 15% by creating omnichannel and seamless customer experiences across different channels and touchpoints. 
• Marketing ROI: The online retailer enhanced its marketing ROI by 35% by using data-driven and intelligent marketing solutions to optimize its campaigns and improve its performance. 

The online retailer also received positive feedback and reviews from its customers, who appreciated the personalized, timely, and consistent messages and offers they received from the online retailer. The online retailer increased its customer satisfaction and loyalty, which led to more repeat purchases and referrals. 

The Verdict 

This case study demonstrates how leveraging data-driven insights and personalized marketing powered by Salesforce Marketing Cloud solutions can revolutionize the e-commerce industry. By collaborating with Concretio Firm, this online retailer broke free from the constraints of low growth and achieved remarkable results. Their journey shows how any retailer can adapt to the changing needs and preferences of online shoppers. 

The advantages of using Concretio Salesforce solutions, including Salesforce Marketing Cloud implementation alongside customer segmentation, product recommendation, and campaign optimization, are demonstrated in this case study. These solutions empower retailers to create engaging and relevant customer experiences, ultimately boosting customer lifetime value, retention rates, and conversion rates.