Founded in 1972, Argos is a UK catalog retailer serving the United Kingdom and Ireland through multiple shopping channels. In its 50-year history, the store has undergone many changes and now serves as a popular shopping destination with over 130 million customers annually. Argos is the fourth most popular online retailer in the UK, generating over $5.2 million US dollars in sales as of 2021. This case study explores how Argos’ marketing strategy adapted from its humble origins as a catalog retailer to a retail giant using an omnichannel strategy. Table of Contents > A journey through the history of
SUPERDRY Case Study: The Marketing Strategy Behind One of the Top UK Clothing Retailers
SUPERDRY is a renowned clothing company based in the United Kingdom and was established in 1985. The company offers casual clothing inspired by classic American styles and Japanese graphic design fused in a uniquely British way. Popular with celebrities including Idris Elba and David Beckham, SUPERDRY is a fast-growing brand offering a distinctive look. The company has grown significantly in the past decade, from £237 million in 2011 to £610 million in 2022, reaching a high of £872 million in 2018. To continually expand, the company takes advantage of its omnichannel retail strategy. In this piece, we will learn how the
Screwfix’s Marketing Strategy: The story behind the largest UK Trade Tools & Hardware Retailer
Screwfix started out in 1979 as the Woodscrew Supply Company. Since its origins, it has grown substantially and is now one of the most well-known hardware retailers in the United Kingdom. In 1999, the company was acquired by Kingfisher, PLS, and is part of a network of 1.400 stores. Its growth has stemmed from efforts to build a great workplace culture and a strong marketing strategy. Since 2015, Screwfix has been recognized with multiple awards for its dedication to quality and service as well as its commitment to its employees. But it takes more than quality and a decent workplace
ALDI’s marketing strategy: The key growth ingredients of the FMCG titan
A giant in the UK’s grocery industry, ALDI prides itself in selling the most economical quality items. Over the past decade, ALDI’s marketing strategy has aimed at aggressive growth globally, trying to ensure everyone has nearby ALDI stores or a nearby ALDI supermarket. This mindset has helped the company become the third-largest grocery brand in Australia and has placed it on track to become the third-largest in the U.S. by the end of 2022. This ALDI case study will dive into ALDI’s marketing strategy and analyze its eCommerce page to help other companies learn about marketing strategies for supermarkets and
The Ocado marketing strategy: How it reached the UK TOP50 retailers list
When Ocado entered the grocery delivery market at the dawn of the millennium, the landscape was quite different. In 2000, the company consisted of three employees in a single room, thinking of how to respond to an emerging trend of consumers shopping online. In the company’s early days, this business model was new, but Ocado’s marketing strategy propelled them to become the U.K.’s largest online grocery platform. The company now makes about 183 deliveries per van per week, providing citizens across the U.K. with groceries and other essentials. But Ocado didn’t grow overnight. They didn’t turn a profit until 2015,
Sainsbury’s Marketing Strategy: Becoming the Second-Largest Supermarket Chain in the UK
The name “Sainsbury’s” is familiar to people across all demographics and age groups in terms of quality and affordable grocery shopping in the United Kingdom. Rising from humble origins in the 19th Century, Sainsbury’s long-term growth remains one of the biggest success stories in the UK business world. It is the second-largest supermarket chain in the entire United Kingdom, overseeing more than 1,400 locations found all across the country, employing 117,000 workers, and holding 16% of the total supermarket sector. Given the company’s success, any business manager seeking to expand his or her operations would benefit from an in-depth look
ASDA’s marketing strategy: How the British supermarket chain reached the top
ASDA is one of the largest and most famous retailers in the UK. Currently, it serves more than 18 million customers every week across its 600 stores. The British empire leverages machine learning, an omnichannel approach to retail, and now-iconic lines to meet emerging needs. In other words, the ASDA marketing strategy includes many cool tricks that can make a company stand out and get a competitive edge. Resuming our favorite case studies and brand stories, the purpose of this detailed analysis is to benefit other retail businesses with both inspirational and instructive marketing gems. So without further ado, let’s
IKEA: The omnichannel strategy the Swedish furniture retailer used to reach the top
We have already talked about the value of case studies before, but we cannot stress enough how our readers can benefit from complete and detailed case studies. At ContactPigeon, we love writing about all-things-retail, and case studies about retail giants is our cup of tea. Therefore, this time we will extensively inspect IKEA, a conglomerate mostly known for its ready-to-assemble furniture, kitchen appliances, and home accessories. The IKEA omnichannel strategy is an exemplary model that made the brand the leading furniture retailer in Europe and one of the most valuable retail brands in 2021 worldwide. As you can imagine, we
Boots: The omnichannel marketing strategy behind UK’s leading pharmacy retailer
Success stories about famous or noteworthy brands, like LEGO, IKEA, New Look, Screwfix, or Farfetch, can provide valuable information to retailers and marketers alike. A collection of case studies that consists of tried-and-true, successful marketing strategies creates a roadmap for recreation and implementation. eCommerce marketers can obtain useful data and inspiration through extensive research on retail experts such as Boots, a brand that has survived the test of time for 172 years. At ContactPigeon, we love analyzing top retailers and brands so today we will continue our journey with the UK’s ninth biggest retailer by revenue. Therefore, this case study
John Lewis Omnichannel Strategy: How the UK’s top homeware retailer has reached the top
The John Lewis Partnership PLC is a business group comprised of the John Lewis & Partners department stores, the Waitrose & Partners supermarket chain, and other retail-related businesses. The first store was opened in 1864 in the famous Oxford Street and since then the brand has had 52 department stores and 332 supermarkets across the United Kingdom. This success, of course, is not based on sheer luck, but on careful, strategic planning and innovative thinking. The John Lewis omnichannel strategy is an example to be imitated and this case study is dedicated to the individual components of that prosperity. Just
Sephora: The Omnichannel Strategy Which Redefined CX in Cosmetics
While many other brick-and-mortar high-street brands have crumbled throughout the decades, luxury cosmetic giants, Sephora have gained a stronghold in the competitive cosmetics retail landscape. Survival has been, in part, a result of Sephora’s omnichannel strategy, which ultimately redefined the cosmetics shopping experience. From its humble beginnings as a small perfumery in the French town of Limoges, Sephora is firmly in the retail spotlight as one of the leading brands of personal care and luxury beauty products. Like Fartech (which we covered in this case study), Sephora’s business model is geared towards a diverse range of customer segments. In this case
LEGO: The Marketing Strategy Behind the Toy Industry Titan
LEGO’s claim to fame goes well beyond its famous interlocking plastic bricks. Since its founding in 1932, LEGO has diversified into movies, video games, television shows, popular social media channels, and even major amusement parks. And despite how devastating the COVID-19 pandemic has been for many in the toy industries, LEGO’s sales rose 14% in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, with its operating profit rising 11% to $622 million. Much of this success is due to the LEGO marketing strategy, which embraces digitalization and emphasizes knowing its customer base. By staying true to the brand
New Look: The Marketing Strategy Behind the UK Fast-Fashion Retailer
New Look is one of the UK’s leading fast-fashion retailers with more than 400 physical retail stores in 66 countries across the world and a robust eCommerce presence. Yet the story behind this phenomenal retailer is far from a business fairytale. After a decade of shrinking revenue (from £1.4B in 2012 to £1.3B in 2019), the company has struggled to turn profitable in recent years. It is a fascinating, down-to-earth, retail case study with many lessons to take away for any industry professional. In this New Look case study, we’ll dive deep into the New Look’s marketing strategy, its channel mix, and
Farfetch Case Study: Analyzing The Strategy of the UK Fashion Unicorn
In just 13 years since founding, Farfetch became an online fashion retail unicorn. This Farfetch case study explores the keys to its success from a marketing and sales perspective. Read the Farfetch case study here.
Marketer Spotlight: Meet OFarmakopoiosmou’s Dora Kafourou
We are finally resuming our Marketer Spotlights series! This month, we have the pleasure of interviewing Dora Kafourou, eCommerce Digital Marketer of online pharmacy, OFarmakopoiosmou, to be the marketer in the spotlight. In the Marketer Spotlight: Dora Kafourou Dora is the all-around eCommerce digital marketer at OFarmakopoiosmou, where she has oversight into all content creation, social media, website optimization, and online promotions of the business. OFarmakopoiosmou (ofarmakopoiosmou.gr) is the online store of the pharmacy that was established in 1977 in Athens. The store brand is built on the mission of establishing a long-term relationship with customers, as a trusted
Tesco Case Study: How an Online Grocery Goliath Was Born
Tesco boasts an impressive history in the UK and abroad. Over the years, the grocery goliath has achieved continued success by remaining at the forefront of retail trends, including everything from self-service shopping to international expansion. More recently, Tesco has made its mark with a sophisticated online grocery strategy that enables seamless digital shopping. There’s a lot that can be gleaned from Tesco’s eCommerce efforts. In this Tesco case study, we highlight the retailer’s long-term emphasis on customer service, which can be seen not only in its physical locations but also in its eCommerce strategy. Table of Contents – Summary A
Why ASOS is the Absolute UK Ecommerce Success Story
ASOS is an eCommerce retailer famous worldwide for its latest fashion and trends in menswear and womenswear. The acronym ASOS actually stands for “AsSeenOnScreen”, although nowadays the brand is better known by its customer-focused mottos. How did ASOS become the UK ecommerce success story within just two decades of operations? Let’s dig in. ASOS sells 850+ brands alongside its own line of clothing and accessories and ships to 196 countries, making this UK eCommerce brand a global eCommerce success story and fascinating case study. In this post, we’ll go over why ASOS is the absolute eCommerce success story you should copy and how
The Marks and Spencer eCommerce Case Study: 3 Growth Lessons for Retailers
The Marks and Spencer eCommerce case study serves as an inspiration to every eCommerce marketer. The old saying: “It’s better late than never,” comes to mind. It’s a tale of failures and comebacks. That’s what makes the Marks and Spencer eCommerce story so interesting. Article Outline: eCommerce 101: Why you need to create a seamless shopping journey The history of a retail giant The Marks and Spencer eCommerce strategy for scaling growth eCommerce growth lessons for every eCommerce Manager Marks and Spencer business stats you should know Breaking news about Marks and Spencer In Conclusion eCommerce 101: Why you need
Scaling like GaryVee: 7 Tactics You Can Copy [Success Story]
GaryVee is an entrepreneurial celebrity. He is a rock star and leader of the digital marketing and social media industry. He created and scaled an empire from scratch. The result? An inspirational success story (btw: have you checked out our Zara story?). GaryVee is one of the most influential and motivating business Gurus of all time. However, his story is much more than a young man’s tale of luck. It’s also more than him taking over his father’s small-time wine shop and using digital marketing to skyrocket annual sales from $3M to $60M. Marketers worldwide look to GaryVee for ideas. He’s an inspiration. The biggest lesson he
How ZARA Dominates the Ecommerce Fashion Industry
When it comes to the high-street fashion brands, Zara dominates the scene. The brand is at the forefront of offering the latest fashion trends, high-quality products and, most importantly to consumers, awesome affordability. So, how did the brand grow from humble beginnings to become the number one fashion retailer in the world — not to mention setting the global standards for success with their Zara eCommerce channel? Table of Contents > The history of Zara: The connection with Zorba the Greek > The rise of the Zara empire > Amancio Ortega: The man behind the titan > The eCommerce strategy