Before amika could start to address the pandemic’s impact on shopper behavior, they needed to finalize building a solid DTC foundation. It was necessary to balance the new e-commerce goals with the importance of their salon and retail partnerships, specifically Sephora. NetElixir focused on using Google search ads to analyze the impact of core-brand terms, limiting potential conflicts while still driving return. We ensured amika can co-exist with these partners while driving profitable revenue. As the year progressed, NetElixir continued to implement a test-learn- grow approach to help amika stay competitive with retail partners. Across Google search ads, NetElixir expanded responsive search ads to include ‘free samples,’ ‘free shipping,’ ‘free returns,’ and the rewards program, allowing Google to display the best ad to consumers.
On the customer side, many shoppers had discovered the brand at one of amika’s retail partners or Amazon. NetElixir helped amika curate a full whole brand experience online, incentivizing shoppers to buy directly. NetElixir segmented Google search brand campaigns into two groups, prospecting and retargeting. We then approached each audience differently, adding specific ad copies focused on discounts for new shoppers, launching rewards for returning shoppers, and testing the impact of using ‘official amika site’ to improve the click-through rate. NetElixir also layered in Google audience targeting solutions, further driving sales for both shoppers discovering the brand via search and shoppers who were deliberating a new purchase.
As a new DTC brand, amika did not yet have the same brand equity as some of their competition. Online sales would naturally grow with the increase in brand awareness. NetElixir identified YouTube as a solution that would increase awareness, helping more people discover amika as a brand. Our YouTube advertising targeted both relevant in-market and affinity audiences. Specifically, we focused on driving traffic to newly launched products to drive both discovery and deliberation. From March 2021 to June 2021, we drove over 800k views and a watch time of over 538k minutes.