Challenge

EXALT’s journey started when they re-platformed to the newest Shopify Online Store 2.0 theme and subsequently hit a wall with their reviews provider, Trustpilot. They needed a review solution fully compatible with Shopify's new theme and capable of integrating with their other marketing tools.

Because Trustpilot automatically publishes all reviews to trustpilot.com, EXALT didn’t have a grace period to comment on reviews and provide their signature customer service.

EXALT knew reviews would drive customer acquisition rates and establish brand trust. They also knew having a loyalty program would retain the new shoppers they worked to acquire. The brand initially started with different plug-ins and pop-ups before realizing they needed a more robust, customizable loyalty solution to fulfill their customers’ needs.

On top of searching for reviews and loyalty solutions that support a unified customer journey, EXALT also needed new ways to engage their customers outside of traditional emails. Originally using their ESP’s built-in SMS capabilities, they noticed some notable shortcomings when setting timelines for campaign automations, subscriber collection tools, and overall cross-product interactions.

Solutions

A new and growing brand, EXALT found the right plan for their business size and challenges with Yotpo’s self-service plans: Reviews Prime, Loyalty Gold, and SMS Growth.

With Yotpo’s advanced review moderation, EXALT can answer customer issues directly and provide hands-on one-on-one customer support. Gone are the days of automatic review publishing with no customer service oversight. Charlie and Dan directly rectify any grievances themselves, making their shoppers feel seen and often converting what could have been unhappy customers into dedicated, loyal ones.

“Many of our Yotpo reviews mention us [as] ‘the boys’ and rave about our wonderful customer service model that Yotpo has enabled us to create, “ says Charlie.

When it came to EXALT's more posh customers, simply offering a discount coupon wasn't enough to prompt a purchase. By offering generous rewards to loyalty members, EXALT dramatically increases their positive sentiment and retention among customers.

“10% of sales goes back into loyalty rewards. We wanted to be generous with our customers to show them how much we care,” says Charlie. EXALT capitalized on product synergies when they built out their rewards program and rewarded customers for writing a review, uploading a photo or video review, and signing up for SMS.

Charlie and Dan were initially hesitant to embrace SMS marketing, as they worried that sending too many marketing messages across channels might overwhelm customers. But, after some in-depth research and comparing open rates between SMS and email, they knew SMS was the right choice for the brand.

“We do whatever Yotpo recommends because of [their] expertise in the industry and D2C as a whole, so when it was time to switch to Yotpo SMS, it was a no-brainer,” says Charlie. To maximize retention, EXALT uses the Post-Purchase Sign-Up feature to turn new shoppers into SMS subscribers. They also send SMS reminders for photo sharing and reward balances to keep shoppers engaged throughout the buying cycle.

Results

Switching from Trustpilot to Yotpo’s platform approach has brought EXALT’s customer journey full circle: from acquisition to retention and engagement.

Yotpo’s Google Ads and SEO optimization features allow shoppers to see what other customers are saying about EXALT’s products, including rich snippets and their noteworthy 4.87 average star rating. By choosing a Google certified partner, EXALT is now able to improve organic traffic and engagement, boosting acquisition from new customers with enhanced search results.

Retention is also a major concern for most brands, but not for EXALT. Their product quality, hands-on customer support via review commenting, and effective loyalty strategy are reflected in their retention rate. On average, a D2C brand’s retention rate sits around 20% to 30%, while EXALT’s is around 85%. In addition, 60% of their repeat purchasers are loyalty redeemers, demonstrating how appropriately rewarding shoppers reduces churn and turns first-time shoppers into avid brand loyalists.

Engaging with your customer at the right time in the right way is vital, and Yotpo SMS & Email empowers EXALT to do just that. Driving 39x ROI with customized SMS flows, EXALT is excited to keep building their SMS strategy and continuing to make those personal connections with their shoppers.

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