Nordicfeel’s influencer collaborations important part of marketing strategy
The tradition of working with influencers is an important part of Nordicfeel's digital marketing strategy and it's continuously synced with their other campaign planning. Julia Bergenstråhle, e-Commerce Manager at the company, sees that long-term collaboration instills credibility:
“We collaborate long-term with a number of influencers – Bianca Ingrosso, Ida Ward, Maja Nilsson Lindelöf, etc. – as we see that these collaborations become more real and credible with time. The better established they are, the better they mature. Similarly, we have long-term collaboration with suppliers and we select appropriate products for our influencers to promote, which they also genuinely like themselves.”
In addition to promoting already existing products, a number of influencers cooperating with Nordicfeel have also themselves developed products that they market under their own brand. Marcus Johansson, Vice President and COO of Nordicfeel tells us:
“Varying kinds of private labels are important since there are so many actors selling beauty products online. Developing our own products is a way to create our own identity and stand out from the crowd. Nordicfeel is already strong in fragrances but it further enhances the category when you develop your own fragrances with your influencers. That's how we build our brand as a destination for fragrances.”
Perfume launch got record number of visits
On September 25, 2020, influencer Linn Ahlborg released her second perfume with Nordicfeel – Hotshot but Hotter. It is the sequel to the highly successful Hotshot, launched at the end of 2018. Julia tells us:
“The launch of Hotshot but Hotter was the result of a close collaboration. Marketing, design and purchasing supported Linn in developing a scent and design concept to represent herself. It really was a product that we developed together. The perfume launch attracted a great deal of attention. It broke records in the number of visits for this type of collaboration and for how quickly it sold out.” Marcus adds:
“When we launched the perfume, the number of visits exceeded Black Friday levels, which is a record for us. The conclusion we draw is that this type of campaign is important. Not only does it mean great sales, but it also generates a buzz before and after the launch. That is perhaps the most important thing for our brands. Again, it's about doing something that not everyone else is doing. It is also something that builds the culture of the company – something that all our employees get behind and involve themselves in. It's not just business as usual. We often pull all-nighters and watch how things develop on our website. We even geared up with hot shots!”
Technology performance put to the test in high-focus campaigns
Their all-nighter was short-lived. Fifteen minutes before the launch, they sent an advance purchase e-mail. After just a few minutes, a third of the perfume sold out. Björn Carling, CTO of Nordicfeel highlights that the launch was also a success from a technological standpoint considering the sites withstood the enormous rush from visitors:
“The challenge of this kind of release and Black Week is that we get visit peaks that we don’t get 98-99% of the time. Suddenly, we have to effectively manage a substantially greater amount of traffic during a concentrated period of time. Not only are we dealing with those visiting the site for the ongoing campaign, but we also have those who are in making other purchases. It is all put to the test. The site needs to load quickly or you risk losing the customer to a competitor. If it's too slow or the customer has a bad experience during their visit, they will go elsewhere.”
Since 2016, Nordicfeel has closely collaborated with Litium, the provider of their digital commerce platform. In cooperation with Litium’s operations department, Björn and his techie colleagues run load and performance tests to ensure that they will manage the levels needed during high-focus campaign peaks like this. In addition to testing, they also need to keep the platform up to date with the latest version and continuously monitor the systems. Björn continues:
“The preparations for ensuring that the technology endures the pressure of Black Week are similar to preparations for influencer launches. The peaks from Black Friday are not as high though since it's become more of a Black Week meaning visits are spread out over a week. Having close contact with Litium is extremely important to us. For things to work 24/7, 365 days a year, there has to be an organization that can support not only our daily work, but also peaks and when the unexpected happens.”
Flexibility and stability – a winning combination
Since Nordicfeel started collaborating with Litium, demands for flexibility have only increased. New functionality and new ways of working mean that the platform needs to be customizable. It is a matter of being on your toes to ensure an optimal user experience. Julia tells us:
“We monitor customer behavior on the site and constantly try to improve the experience we offer our customers. They expect the smoothest, most seamless experience possible, not to mention personalized contents. When customers encounter problems or things that don't meet their expectations, we are at risk of losing them.”Björn agrees and continues:
“What we appreciate about Litium is that the core functionality of their platform is very stable and that Litium themselves are constantly putting great resources into developing it. And, the platform is flexible. Customers can choose to use it as-is, exchange select parts or add services and functionality. In our opinion, this combination is absolutely a winning concept.”
New collaborations with influencers and more brands of their own
Nordicfeel will continue to invest in influencer collaboration. Currently, there is also a major focus on ensuring that new customers attracted to the site by one of these campaigns actually stay and that they continue to have the best possible customer experience. Marcus concludes:
“The next step is to take great care of the fantastic growth we are seeing. We are therefore reinforcing the organization and the systems we work in to ensure that we can take care of our customers in the best possible way. And naturally, we also need to continue to build our brand and strengthen our identity to attract more customers. Having our own brands will continue to be an important part of our strategy. We have a lot of exciting projects in this area that we will be able to tell you more about in 2021.”
