Friday 12 July 2013

Marketing the 'merchants of joy'

With more than 118,000 Facebook likes, 1,700 Twitter followers, hundreds of Pinterest pins, a dedicated YouTube channel and Google+ posts, Moonpig has a lot of people buzzing about its personalized greeting cards and gifts for every occasion. For users on the go, iPhone and Android apps provide the ability to be creative on Moonpig at any time, from any place.

Moonpig is one of several businesses owned by Photobox, a mobile- and social-savvy marketer. Photobox itself has more than 25 million users, and applies big-data analysis to help understand what customers want (and when). The company calls its businesses 'merchants of joy' because of the focus on mass customisation of personalised products such as greeting cards and photo gifts that bring back happy memories of special occasions.

Among its social media marketing initiatives, Photobox is testing Facebook Audiences as a way of targeting people who are planning a special occasion--people such as engaged couples, for instance. These and other tests are key to identifying approaches that engage targeted customers and encourage repeat purchases.

'Only 4.5% of the card market is online so far, and about 40% of the photo market' observes Photobox chief exec Stan Laurent, who sees huge potential for growth in the future. What's next? Laurent expects an avalanche of orders for personalised cards and gifts within a few weeks, after the new royal baby arrives.