eCommerce Success Story: Showpo. (3)

Something essential to understand why an online store succeeds, while others do not, is comprehending and analyzing its communication strategy, the channels it works with, the tone, the type of interaction with the audience, and the brand's personality...

All of this is what I will talk to you about next. Let´s dive in to uncover the mysteries of Showpo.'s online marketing, and in this way, we will finish this eCommerce success story, which began by discussing its founder and continued with a dissection of its online store.

Before diving into actions and tactics, it is good to take a step back and look with perspective at what segment they are targeting and why.

As you already know, Showpo. is an online store for women's clothing. Their catalog includes all types of garments and accessories (even bridal dresses).

This means that their target audience consists of women within the age range spanning Millennial and Gen Z generations.

Therefore, we are talking about young people with motivations and concerns characteristic of their respective generations (inclusivity, sustainability, ethical consumption...).

Showpo. is a company that has stood out for its vision. When they decided to bet on eCommerce, it was not as widespread as it is today. This clearly shows that there is a pioneering spirit in everything Jane Lu did with her company.

Why do I emphasize their vision?

Because this has directly influenced the channels and supports used in their communication strategy. Being a company that completely ruled out retail, it made the most sense to focus its efforts on digital: search engines and, especially, social media.

We have already mentioned that it is a brand almost entirely tied to the digital world. Years of effort have resulted in a massive community of millions of followers, who increasingly need new stimuli and content to keep their interest and engagement.

This community, as a concept, is very important for Showpo., which is why they also place great emphasis on another essential eCommerce tool: email marketing campaigns.

As we have said, these are primarily social media and email. However, each of these channels and platforms is used with a different objective. This is the real key and what you can apply to your own project.

Essentially, social media is used to showcase products, convey vision, generate interaction with customers, build empathy, and humanize the brand. Meanwhile, email is primarily a more overtly promotional tool.

It seems like something that is inevitably becoming outdated. In fact, many new companies are hesitant to include it in their mix of digital media, but the truth is that it still works better than many believe.

Let me remind you that this brand started operating in 2010, at a time when Facebook was the top platform.

Today, they maintain a respectable community of over 1,300,000 followers. Why give that up?

In terms of content, they alternate about 50/50 between product images (with integrated links) and female-oriented memes, which help strenghten rapport with their target audience.

As is often the case in the fashion segment, and especially in women’s fashion, Instagram is key within an eCommerce marketing strategy.

The content is a bit different from what you will find on Facebook, as they opt for product images and videos that, in this case, combine with many collaborations with micro-influencers, generating effective endorsement.

Almost two million users see Showpo.'s posts, stories, and reels on Meta’s network.

In line with what they do on Instagram, they also manage their TikTok profile. In fact, they recycle many of their reels into TikTok posts. It is a way of maximizing resources while understanding that these networks cater to different audiences.

However, consistent with what we see on other platforms, they always find a unique twist that justifies their use. On TikTok, the brand appears more human, showing the relationship between the team, introducing the CEO in her daily life...

Yes, you read that right, Showpo. uses Pinterest, and they do quite well with it. It is a network that has become somewhat forgotten for many brands, but it still has a good number of fans (especially female fans, as women are the most loyal Pinterest users).

What do people consume most on Pinterest? Essentially, anything related to inspiration, décor, DIY, and, of course, fashion.

That is exactly the approach they have taken with their strategy, creating multiple boards where they post various outfit and clothing options, thematically organized for parties, summer looks, weddings, Coachella-inspired outfits, and red carpet looks for festivals...

If social media is important for capturing attention, Showpo.'s strategy would not be complete without email marketing to build loyalty and stimulate conversion with existing customers.

In fact, they work with different strategies, such as transactional emails. For example, this cart recovery email, which I really like because it uses an attractive product photo and recommends similar or related products.

A very direct message.