A Story of Success: How One Boutique Found the Perfect Online Marketing Solution

Small business owner Kristi Moss opened the doors to KRISTI BOUTIQUE (KB) in July 2012. The 27 year old describes her store as a women’s lifestyle boutique. It is located five miles north of Pittsburgh in the small community of Aspinwall. KB boasts the largest denim bar in the city and offers personal and private shopping as well as a loyalty program.

The need.

There is no doubt KB has a lot to offer, but the business was missing one key to its success – an online marketing solution. Kristi knew she had to find a way to easily and effectively reach her store’s large demographic, but who could get the job done?

“When KB opened, the idea of online marketing was overwhelming to me,” said Kristi. “However, I knew it was important. I knew it was the best way to communicate with my customers.”

The challenges.

In her search for the perfect online marketing solution, Kristi consistently came across the same challenges. The content available was generic and inflexible, not allowing Kristi to represent her business the way she wanted. Also, the solutions were hard to use and required a lot of time, something a small business owner does not have. Lastly, when Kristi had a question or wanted advice, the support system was lackluster or non-existent.

“As a small business, I felt pushed aside,” said Kristi.

The solution.

After encountering the same challenges time and time again, Kristi finally stumbled upon the perfect online solution for her business in SnapRetail. She met and started chatting with SnapRetail’s CEO, Ted Teele, during a weekly yoga class. After learning that Kristi was a small business owner, Ted told her all about his solution. Within a matter of days, she was a SnapRetail member.

“At first I was skeptical of a new marketing solution. I tried them before and didn’t have success,” said Kristi. “But I signed up for a trial of SnapRetail, saw immediate results and, at that point, there was not a question in my mind I that needed to become a member.”

The benefits.

SnapRetail allows Kristi to represent KB the way she wants. The ready-to-use but easy-to-edit content can be personalized or used as is. The friendly and approachable content is aimed at building relationships and loyal customers.

“Our number one goal at KB is to make our customers feel comfortable and SnapRetail helps me accomplish that,” said Kristi. “I am having a conversation with my customers and sharing something interesting. The content inspires me to think about more than a sales pitch.”

Kristi loves how much time she saves with SnapRetail. If she has time to plan ahead, she uses the drag-and-drop Calendar feature to plan a whole month, all while relaxing in front of her television at night. Or, if she has to plan on the fly, she can do so in a matter of minutes.

“It is so easy to use. Last week I got in new inventory, took pictures using the SnapRetail phone app, uploaded the images and sent the email all within a matter of 25 minutes,” said Kristi. “I sent the email at 2 p.m. and had customers coming in that night to purchase the products I just promoted.”

SnapRetail measures the results of all of the marketing Kristi sends. Her email open rates have increased from 20 percent with other email marketing solutions to 40-50 percent with SnapRetail. She also likes that she can reach a different subset of people by communicating via social media.

“The email and social media marketing is so easy in SnapRetail that it enables me to have something going on in my store all the time,” Kristi said. “It’s really paying off.”

Kristi appreciates the support from her dedicated marketing consultant (MC). Her MC keeps in contact with her once a week to answer any questions, brainstorm event ideas and give feedback on the success of past email and social media campaigns.

“My MC is wonderful,” Kristi said. “She keeps tabs on what I am doing and is there to help me whenever I need it.”

The success.

As a SnapRetail member, Kristi saves money and time, improves her sales and makes and maintains relationships with her customers.

“It just makes sense. It is very easy to use, looks great and you will see results,” said Kristi. SnapRetail has made a tremendous impact on my business.”

 

Contributed by Liz Bolen, the marketing coordinator for SnapRetail, a ready-to-use online marketing solution that helps independent retailers engage and sell to customers using email and social media. She has a background in marketing and event coordination, earning a bachelor’s degree in communication rhetoric from the University of Pittsburgh. For more information please visit snapretail.com.

Photo Credit: Kristi Boutique in Pennsylvania | Photo provided by SnapRetail with permission to use.