Ein guter Plan 35% YoY sales surge despite the pandemic

Ein guter Plan’s primary goal for 2020 was to maintain steady sales throughout the year, despite their peak season beginning in August and reaching its height in November and December. They sought to avoid significant drops in sales during the off-peak months.

The challenge was further heightened by the pandemic, which introduced uncertainty in consumer behavior, particularly for non-essential items like books and calendars. It was crucial to adapt our strategies to navigate the unpredictable market conditions while also keeping the CPO under control during slower months, ensuring that profit margins met client expectations.

We began by refining our digital campaign setup, initially focusing on the lower funnel, with an emphasis on sales and remarketing. As our strategy evolved, we developed comprehensive cross-stage campaigns that targeted users at the awareness and interest stages of the funnel. We crafted a robust sales funnel, where users who interacted with our ads were added to remarketing lists and guided through the conversion process across various channels.

To better connect with our audience, we reimagined our creative strategy, incorporating more human-centric content, such as visuals of hands holding the books and subtle movements to emphasize the personal and relatable aspects of Ein guter Plan’s offerings. Our messaging also addressed the stressful times we live in, underscoring the importance of mindfulness in challenging moments.

In addition to our primary channels, Google and Meta Ads, we expanded our campaign portfolio to include Bing Ads, particularly focusing on Ecosia, an alternative search engine used by many Germans, especially in Berlin. We also experimented with Pinterest Ads to engage users at the upper stages of the funnel, complementing our overall strategy and reaching a broader audience.

• We executed a comprehensive campaign strategy across multiple platforms, including Google, Facebook, Bing, and Pinterest. Our Google campaign combined search-based strategies targeting specific keywords such as “achtsamkeitstagebuch” and “achtsamkeitskalender,” with Dynamic Search Ads (DSA), dynamic remarketing, and shopping campaigns to maximize reach and relevance. On Bing, we mirrored this keyword-focused approach, particularly targeting Ecosia users to align with local preferences.
• For Meta Ads, we utilized Lookalike Audiences derived from customer data and implemented advanced remarketing campaigns. These campaigns specifically targeted users who had engaged with the website, added products to their cart, or initiated the checkout process without completing their purchase. On Pinterest, we reinforced our content strategy by tapping into the latest trends within the mindfulness niche, using visually compelling ads to engage users at the top of the funnel.
• The campaign timeline was strategically planned to build momentum leading into Ein guter Plan’s peak season, with ongoing monitoring and optimization to swiftly adapt to any changes in market conditions due to the pandemic.

• During the peak season (September-December 2020 vs. 2019), Ein guter Plan achieved a 35% Y0Y increase in global sales despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.
• Facebook Ads proved exceptionally effective, with online purchases growing by 60% YoY, making it the fastest-growing channel and outperforming Google Ads.
• The conversion rate on the webshop improved by 31 percentage points YoY, surpassing the industry benchmark of 3%.
• The add-to-cart rate increased by 3 percentage points, reflecting enhanced engagement and purchase intent.