5 Brands Boosting eCommerce Right Now

With consumers sheltering in place, foot traffic to brick-and-mortar businesses has come to a halt. One source of opportunity if you’re looking to tap into marketing budgets that remain? Brands betting on eCommerce. Many marketers are focusing on reaching consumers shopping online, funneling ad dollars into campaigns designed to drive virtual traffic to their websites. We’ve hand-selected five such companies to focus your prospecting on, with details on who should approach based on recent new business triggers.

This piece continues our focus on brands who represent prime sources of sales opportunity in a challenging economic climate. You can also check out 10 brands surging digital ad spend for another crop of advertisers going against the grain.

5 Brands Boosting eCommerce

1. Lululemon

Athleticwear brand Lululemon started redeploying ad dollars to digital channels in order to drive eCommerce performance; per its recent earnings call, overall same-store sales rose 20% during the holiday quarter, with digital sales surging 41%. In light of the global pandemic, Lululemon temporarily shut down all its retail locations in North America. More people are shopping online because of the virus, and the company expects this trend to stick; CEO McDonald called it the “new reality of retail.” Lululemon’s popularity should continue rising since Americans are still working out and doing yoga at home, as well as lounging in casual athletic clothing.

Lululemon’s target demographic consists of millennials and Gen-Z (female skew), along with Gen-X. Considering its focus on digital media, you may also want to offer paid social, OTT and/or podcast ad spend; the company pulled out of OOH and print in 2019, per Kantar.

Agency & martech readers – since we haven’t heard of any roster changes after Lululemon hired its first chief brand officer, Nikki Neuburger, earlier this year, keep reaching out for work, especially if you can offer digital and/or social media management services. ICR and 180LA respectively handle PR and creative duties.

Note: Lululemon is headquartered in Canada, so you might want to familiarize yourself with its Anti-Spam Law (CASL) before reaching out.

2. Thousand

Urban bike accessory company Thousand selected OutsidePR as its new PR AOR; the agency will target both outdoor performance and consumer lifestyle media while focusing on Thousand’s mission rooted in sustainability and safety.

This shift closely follows Thousand’s hire of growth head Cameron Hendrick in December 2019.

This company’s urban focus and sustainability mission lead us to believe its target demographic consists of outdoorsy Gen-Z and millennials. Since consumers can still go out and bike alone despite the global pandemic, Thousand may continue advertising amid it. Upcoming work will probably promote the eCommerce channels through which fans can buy the company’s biking helmets, gloves and other gear. Thousand currently utilizes social media, digital display and micro-influencers. Focus pitches on how you can support the company’s aggressive growth plans.

Agency & martech readers – PR AOR hires often precede other agency reviews, so reach out soon to see if you can secure creative, digital and/or media partnerships.

3. TRX

In March 2020, training product and workout program company TRX completed the CMO search we first reported in October 2019, filling the role with Colleen Morris, former food division general manager at Bell-Carter Foods. Since Morris is TRX’s first CMO, to the best of our knowledge, we expect strategic shifts under her leadership.

TRX provides safe and healthy ways people can build their home gyms, and it made its preeminent professional education course, TRX Suspension Training Course, virtual and free of charge via Zoom in April 2020 in order to reach more consumers who are working out at home due to social distancing. Its digital display spend increase and focus on inclusivity – much of its messaging promotes the idea that its products are options for anyone – lead us to believe its target demographic primarily consists of Gen-Z and millennials. TRX tends to target athletic individuals, but it will soon also target training professionals, for whom it is revolutionizing its online ecosystem.

Agency & martech readers – we do not think TRX has any agency partners yet, so reach out soon for potential work under its new CMO.

4. e.l.f. Cosmetics

Cosmetics brand e.l.f. remixed the TikTok campaign that debuted February 2020 in order to boost COVID-19 awareness. The new video promotes hand washing and social distancing; creative agency Movers+Shakers developed it. The focus of this campaign on helping others will appeal to e.l.f.’s Gen-Z and millennial target demographic. The video is only available on the @elfyeah TikTok channel.

e.l.f. was already focused on its eCommerce business and should continue to be as consumers switch to ordering products online. Many companies will start spending less on marketing as a result of the global pandemic; however, e.l.f. may not due so since many Gen-Z and millennials are stuck at home with nothing to do and choose to spend their time experimenting with makeup. As of now, e.l.f. is focused on promoting the safety of its team and fans instead of trying to outright sell to them, which will appeal to these generations.

5. Masonite

Effective March 2020, Masonite hired its first CMO and SVP, Jennifer Renaud, who formerly served as Vertiv’s VP. We expect to see strategic shifts under her leadership.

Masonite’s Q4 2019 earnings call revealed the company is focused on product service and quality, innovation and marketing initiatives to boost channel demand; unfortunately, the company has not yet announced its response to the global pandemic.

Masonite targets builders, remodelers, architects and homeowners of all ages and offers interior doors, entry door systems, wood stain kits and flush doors. Right now, its focus is mostly on homeowners; execs in its earnings call mentioned they want to “be top-of-mind when consumers are considering a project that includes doors.”

Adbeat reports out of the estimated $28.8k Masonite spent on digital display ads since March 2018, $27.2k (94%) was spent after March 2019. It also spends in OOH and print, per Kantar.

The rise in digital display spend leads us to believe the company is especially targeting Gen-Z and millennials, and spend on this channel may continue increasing as consumers stay home and turn to DIY projects to pass the time.

Agency & martech readers – we do not know of any current agency partners for Masonite, so reach out soon to secure work under its new leadership.

If these appeal to you, there’s way more where these came from. Get a complimentary trial of Winmo to discover budget-owners, buying trends, and target demographics for top-spending brands, including Direct to Consumer companies, online retailers, and other marketers making eCommerce a priority.