ABOUT THE BRAND
Snuggling into success
Even if you’ve never heard of The Oodie, you’ve probably seen it. The plush cross between a blanket and a hoodie has swept across the country (and probably your Instagram feed). It’s all about enveloping you in a comfort so soft, fluffy, and warm that it feels like a marshmallow hug.
Besides its flagship product, the brand sells other cozy leisurewear and accessories for men, women, and children.
The Oodie launched its app in July 2023 and saw real results with minimal effort. To paraphrase the brand’s CRO and Growth Manager Matt Stenning’s words, they were looking for a new channel to help drive new revenue—and they found Tapcart.
THE CHALLENGE
Expanding from a single SKU to new product categories
The Oodie has dominated the wearable blanket category since its launch in Australia in 2018. Now that it has seen success in Australia, the US, and the UK, it is slowly expanding its product offerings.
The team hesitated initially, but the idea for a mobile app came back around for a few reasons.
Why the brand's team was looking for a mobile app:
- Create a new effective communication channel
- Reach new people and stay top-of-mind
- Move their current customers to new product categories
- Replicate strong results they’ve seen from other brands
The team’s biggest concern was why they should put resources into building an app when they’re mostly a single-SKU company. Few customers purchase more than a few Oodie™ Originals for themselves and their families.
Matt’s biggest question: Why would customers bother downloading an app to make a single purchase? He’s the first to admit that an app doesn’t make sense—and yet, it just works. Since launching the app, they’ve generated revenue and new opportunities for the retention team. They’ve put together a business plan that was immediately validated by the app—and there’s still room for improvement.
In Matt’s words, “The return that we’re getting from the app is high enough that those concerns need to be worked out, rather than used as the excuse for us not to do something or not expand not to continue.”
“The biggest challenge is always trying to find something that's going to create a level of growth that is going to be big enough to be cared about by the wider group. We're highly successful in our paid media strategy, our influencer strategy, and whatnot, and that gets a lot of love and care from the wider company because it pushes volume. In trying to explore the next levels, new audiences, or new channels, we’re trying to find something that proves itself quickly enough to get picked up as something to put more time and value into.”
Matt Stenning, CRO & Growth Manager
With the launch of new products into adjacent categories, the brand was looking for ways to continue moving customers through the sales cycle without overspending.
“How do we do that at an efficiency rate without having to spend on more ads to the same people that already know us. That was probably one of the things that brought us to Tapcart in the first place—an additional messaging channel for us as a business as well.”
The brand is also driven by a desire to try new things—never having lost that startup mentality.
“We will try stuff, we will break things, and we have broken things,” said Matt.
With that spirit, they went headfirst into building the mobile app with Tapcart. Since moving from a primarily single-SKU company, customer retention is nowhere near the net new customer rate. With the app, they see retention and revenue opportunities. Matt is all about trying to explore the next levels, new audiences, and new channels.
THE SOLUTION
A lean launch strategy outperforms the team's expectations and quickly validates the app’s ROI
With a push toward retention in the upcoming year—The Oodie launched its app with Tapcart in July 2023.
They timed the mobile app release with the launch of their Barbie™ licensing deal. To start with a bang (in pink, of course), they launched the hoodie collection on The Oodie app 24 hours before it went live on the site.
The only marketing for this successful launch? Two emails and one SMS message.
Since the initial launch, they’ve found that driving app downloads is quite organic. They see a lot of value in running app exclusives with unique offers, like the 24-hour early-access collection drop, because it makes the app feel like a separate VIP ecosystem.
Yet, the best app download driver (and the easiest activation) has been a simple web banner on their mobile website. It’s a set-it-and-forget-it marketing tactic, and they supercharge it by adding app-only incentives, like first-time discounts.
“We didn't really think an app would be great for us because we lean heavily into a single SKU. Our returning customer rate is okay but nowhere near as our net new customer rate. Downloading an app for a single purchase doesn't make sense. But we are seeing success."
Matt Stenning, CRO & Growth Manager
Matt and his team’s mentality has been, “How much can they do with the least amount of work?” As it turns out, it’s a lot.
THE RESULTS
Every dollar works harder with The Oodie’s app and the app performance leads the team to invest more in 2024
The Oodie customers aren’t sleeping on the brand’s mobile app.
They’ve had over 200,000 installs between its launch in July 2023 through the end of the year.
The app has a 134% higher conversion rate (CVR) than the website—and a 37% higher average order value (AOV).
“We have unlocked new levels of revenue and net new revenue,” said Matt.
As the CRO and Growth Manager, Matt is highly focused on AOV and CVR improvements. He leverages external funnels, a strategy that increases profit per visitor and significantly enhances the overall efficiency of ecommerce operations. This approach directly impacts the bottom line by optimizing the brand’s resource allocation and maximizing the return on every dollar spent.
“I'm a CRO. So anything that increases the CVR and AOV is important. Looking at the app performance analysis for the year, and we're seeing a 134% increase in CVR. That's a number that's not hard to be excited about."
Matt Stenning, CRO & Growth Manager
Plus, the gross merchandise value is 193% higher than the web. This metric showcases the app’s effectiveness as an incremental sales and marketing channel. With the brand’s successful implementation, the app has the superior ability to reach, engage, convert, and retain customers more effectively than the website.
These numbers were so good that some people on the The Oodie team were even in disbelief. But a quick look at the Tapcart dashboard told the true story. According to Matt, “our CVR on the app is like 134% better than all that. And every time I try and quantify that in like team meetings and what like the like, the question is, are you sure about that? I'm like, well, yeah, I'm sitting here looking at the data. It is legitimately is that much higher.”
One surprising and important statistic: 75% of app customers are net new. This surge of new customers showed Matt and the team that new customers will download the app, even with a primarily single-SKU company. The app does more than sell to repeat customers—it expands the brand’s reach.
With an 81% retention rate and a 50.6% push opt-in rate, the brand is set up for a big retention push in 2024. This level of engagement gives Matt and the team that additional communication channel they initially sought. They can leverage the app to streamline their marketing efforts and target customers with personalized offers and updates with push notifications.
But they haven’t even fully tapped into the apps’ potential. Matt knows they can unlock more potential with push notification best practices. “It’s a quick message-to-purchase time frame. Maybe sending it out when people are actually purchasing would be more beneficial,” said Matt.
Since push notifications lead to quick purchases, Matt plans to test pushes later at night when customers are more likely to shop as soon as they receive the push notification. And since the app is a separate ecosystem, the team can run app-only styles and discounts. This year, they plan to move beyond running the app like a carbon copy of the website. Matt and the team will give it the time and effort that the app has proven it deserves.
“[The data] is the main thing the people I'm reporting to care about. They don't look at the app and say, “It looks pretty, or the functionality is great…” But they like that the AOV and CVR are so much higher. And they were impressed that revenue was actually 19% of total revenue.”
Matt Stenning, CRO & Growth Manager
Ready to wow your customers with an elevated mobile experience?
ABOUT THE BRAND
Snuggling into success
Even if you’ve never heard of The Oodie, you’ve probably seen it. The plush cross between a blanket and a hoodie has swept across the country (and probably your Instagram feed). It’s all about enveloping you in a comfort so soft, fluffy, and warm that it feels like a marshmallow hug.
Besides its flagship product, the brand sells other cozy leisurewear and accessories for men, women, and children.
The Oodie launched its app in July 2023 and saw real results with minimal effort. To paraphrase the brand’s CRO and Growth Manager Matt Stenning’s words, they were looking for a new channel to help drive new revenue—and they found Tapcart.
THE CHALLENGE
Expanding from a single SKU to new product categories
The Oodie has dominated the wearable blanket category since its launch in Australia in 2018. Now that it has seen success in Australia, the US, and the UK, it is slowly expanding its product offerings.
The team hesitated initially, but the idea for a mobile app came back around for a few reasons.
Why the brand's team was looking for a mobile app:
- Create a new effective communication channel
- Reach new people and stay top-of-mind
- Move their current customers to new product categories
- Replicate strong results they’ve seen from other brands
The team’s biggest concern was why they should put resources into building an app when they’re mostly a single-SKU company. Few customers purchase more than a few Oodie™ Originals for themselves and their families.
Matt’s biggest question: Why would customers bother downloading an app to make a single purchase? He’s the first to admit that an app doesn’t make sense—and yet, it just works. Since launching the app, they’ve generated revenue and new opportunities for the retention team. They’ve put together a business plan that was immediately validated by the app—and there’s still room for improvement.
In Matt’s words, “The return that we’re getting from the app is high enough that those concerns need to be worked out, rather than used as the excuse for us not to do something or not expand not to continue.”
“The biggest challenge is always trying to find something that's going to create a level of growth that is going to be big enough to be cared about by the wider group. We're highly successful in our paid media strategy, our influencer strategy, and whatnot, and that gets a lot of love and care from the wider company because it pushes volume. In trying to explore the next levels, new audiences, or new channels, we’re trying to find something that proves itself quickly enough to get picked up as something to put more time and value into.”
Matt Stenning, CRO & Growth Manager
With the launch of new products into adjacent categories, the brand was looking for ways to continue moving customers through the sales cycle without overspending.
“How do we do that at an efficiency rate without having to spend on more ads to the same people that already know us. That was probably one of the things that brought us to Tapcart in the first place—an additional messaging channel for us as a business as well.”
The brand is also driven by a desire to try new things—never having lost that startup mentality.
“We will try stuff, we will break things, and we have broken things,” said Matt.
With that spirit, they went headfirst into building the mobile app with Tapcart. Since moving from a primarily single-SKU company, customer retention is nowhere near the net new customer rate. With the app, they see retention and revenue opportunities. Matt is all about trying to explore the next levels, new audiences, and new channels.
THE SOLUTION
A lean launch strategy outperforms the team's expectations and quickly validates the app’s ROI
With a push toward retention in the upcoming year—The Oodie launched its app with Tapcart in July 2023.
They timed the mobile app release with the launch of their Barbie™ licensing deal. To start with a bang (in pink, of course), they launched the hoodie collection on The Oodie app 24 hours before it went live on the site.
The only marketing for this successful launch? Two emails and one SMS message.
Since the initial launch, they’ve found that driving app downloads is quite organic. They see a lot of value in running app exclusives with unique offers, like the 24-hour early-access collection drop, because it makes the app feel like a separate VIP ecosystem.
Yet, the best app download driver (and the easiest activation) has been a simple web banner on their mobile website. It’s a set-it-and-forget-it marketing tactic, and they supercharge it by adding app-only incentives, like first-time discounts.
“We didn't really think an app would be great for us because we lean heavily into a single SKU. Our returning customer rate is okay but nowhere near as our net new customer rate. Downloading an app for a single purchase doesn't make sense. But we are seeing success."
Matt Stenning, CRO & Growth Manager
Matt and his team’s mentality has been, “How much can they do with the least amount of work?” As it turns out, it’s a lot.
THE RESULTS
Every dollar works harder with The Oodie’s app and the app performance leads the team to invest more in 2024
The Oodie customers aren’t sleeping on the brand’s mobile app.
They’ve had over 200,000 installs between its launch in July 2023 through the end of the year.
The app has a 134% higher conversion rate (CVR) than the website—and a 37% higher average order value (AOV).
“We have unlocked new levels of revenue and net new revenue,” said Matt.
As the CRO and Growth Manager, Matt is highly focused on AOV and CVR improvements. He leverages external funnels, a strategy that increases profit per visitor and significantly enhances the overall efficiency of ecommerce operations. This approach directly impacts the bottom line by optimizing the brand’s resource allocation and maximizing the return on every dollar spent.
“I'm a CRO. So anything that increases the CVR and AOV is important. Looking at the app performance analysis for the year, and we're seeing a 134% increase in CVR. That's a number that's not hard to be excited about."
Matt Stenning, CRO & Growth Manager
Plus, the gross merchandise value is 193% higher than the web. This metric showcases the app’s effectiveness as an incremental sales and marketing channel. With the brand’s successful implementation, the app has the superior ability to reach, engage, convert, and retain customers more effectively than the website.
These numbers were so good that some people on the The Oodie team were even in disbelief. But a quick look at the Tapcart dashboard told the true story. According to Matt, “our CVR on the app is like 134% better than all that. And every time I try and quantify that in like team meetings and what like the like, the question is, are you sure about that? I'm like, well, yeah, I'm sitting here looking at the data. It is legitimately is that much higher.”
One surprising and important statistic: 75% of app customers are net new. This surge of new customers showed Matt and the team that new customers will download the app, even with a primarily single-SKU company. The app does more than sell to repeat customers—it expands the brand’s reach.
With an 81% retention rate and a 50.6% push opt-in rate, the brand is set up for a big retention push in 2024. This level of engagement gives Matt and the team that additional communication channel they initially sought. They can leverage the app to streamline their marketing efforts and target customers with personalized offers and updates with push notifications.
But they haven’t even fully tapped into the apps’ potential. Matt knows they can unlock more potential with push notification best practices. “It’s a quick message-to-purchase time frame. Maybe sending it out when people are actually purchasing would be more beneficial,” said Matt.
Since push notifications lead to quick purchases, Matt plans to test pushes later at night when customers are more likely to shop as soon as they receive the push notification. And since the app is a separate ecosystem, the team can run app-only styles and discounts. This year, they plan to move beyond running the app like a carbon copy of the website. Matt and the team will give it the time and effort that the app has proven it deserves.
“[The data] is the main thing the people I'm reporting to care about. They don't look at the app and say, “It looks pretty, or the functionality is great…” But they like that the AOV and CVR are so much higher. And they were impressed that revenue was actually 19% of total revenue.”
Matt Stenning, CRO & Growth Manager
