Supporting a leading NZ soft furnishings business to expand their reach into Australia

About the business

Our client is an established name in the soft furnishings industry in New Zealand, with a heritage spanning over 80 years. Dedicated to sourcing, designing and innovating textile products, the business has carved a niche for itself with high quality, sustainable fabrics. The company’s ambitious goal was to expand its footprint, particularly focusing on the Australian market and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce channel, aiming to grow from $15M to $50M in revenue over the next five years.

The Challenge

Despite our client’s strong reputation in New Zealand, breaking into the Australian market and establishing a B2C platform required a strategic overhaul.

Two new flagship brands had been developed, however the client was unsure of how to launch them in market and set them on a pathway for growth.
The business was reliant on a personal selling model, with very few other channels active in the market.
The existing marketing team was inefficient and sales and marketing efforts were disjointed.
Data was fragmented across multiple systems making insight-driven decision-making difficult, hampering efforts to effectively nurture the retailer network.

The Customerit solution

Customerit’s work began with a comprehensive review of the client’s operating market, current marketing function and business plan, followed by:

Foundational customer research

Provided insights into consumer and retailer behaviours, needs, and attitudes, providing critical data to base strategic marketing decisions on.

Go to market strategies for two brands

Defined market positions, buyer’s journey mapping and comprehensive channel and communication plans were developed and launched for both of the company’s flagship brands to target distinct segments of the market.

Transitioned the business from purely B2B sales to B2B and B2C model

Boosted brand awareness by building a strong organic online presence, supported by digital marketing campaigns to drive sales with direct customers, with a focus on the Australian market.

Drove retailer engagement with a revamped loyalty program

Partner programs were introduced for both retailers and trade customers, ensuring sales and marketing were aligned throughout the buyer’s journey.

CRM implementation and integration with ERP platform

Streamlined sales processes, enhanced inbound marketing efforts and build a foundation for internal business intelligence.

Increased marketing capability

The marketing team was restructured, with capability developed internally and a Marketing Manager recruited to boost efficiency and accountability.

The Outcome

The strategic initiatives undertaken by Customerit yielded substantial results. Our client not only achieved double-digit growth in market penetration in Australia but also laid a solid foundation for its direct-to-consumer e-commerce channel. The strategic program, informed by in-depth customer insights, opened up conversations with new customers that our client had been chasing for years. Tactical campaign performance also improved, with our client securing 2600% return on investment from a single sale using our targeted plan.