Marketing in the home and garden sector is booming since the pandemic, with the French investing in their living spaces. According to a study by the Fédération Française du Bricolage, spending on home improvements has risen by 6.2% in 2020. The gardening market is expected to grow by 16% in 2021.

This growth has been accompanied by increased competition, with :

• The arrival of new players,
• The rise of digital commerce
• The ehigher expectations of consumers, more and more of whom are taking up DIY without necessarily being experts.

Faced with these challenges, it’s essential for brands to adapt to trends and offer solutions tailored to the audience’s expectations. In this article, we share advice and examples of how to capture attention and boost sales through competitions during spring.

SUMMARY

• Marketing challenges in the home and garden sector
• Why organise a spring competition game?

The home and garden sector has a number of characteristics:

• a wide range of products, from home furnishings and decorations to garden equipment;
• its seasonality, with demand influenced by trends and the weather;
• more complex logistics, for stock management, for product delivery and assembly/returns, etc.

Because of these particularities, the marketing challenges faced by retailers are different from those faced by other sectors.

1. Marketing based on trends and product innovation

The home and garden sector is influenced by trends, in terms of design, materials or technology (think of connected home tools). Brands must innovate to meet consumers’ changing needs. They are looking to improve their quality of life and personalise their space.

2. A seasonal sector requiring effective demand management

Demand for products related to gardening, home maintenance and decoration peaks according to the season. Garden equipment and plants are popular in spring and summer. Heating and home decoration products can experience a sales surge in winter.

The major vertical brands need to optimise their campaigns around the seasons. What’s more, they are banking on an ultra-wide catalogue in order to be attractive and profitable throughout the year.

3. The omnichannel challenge and the digitalisation of the shopping experience

The home and garden sector has undergone a digital transition, with an increasing number of consumers researching and purchasing products online. An omnichannel trend is a challenge for brands, who need to offer a consistent experience online and in-store.

Castorama has incorporated digital technology into its sales strategy, offering customers the option of reserving items online and collecting them in-store. The chain uses digital solutions to advise customers, with video tutorials and advice. As for Leroy Merlin, its application allows users looking for a product in the catalogue to consult stocks in real time in the nearest shop or to check delivery availability.

4. A personalised offering and a focus on sustainability

Consumers are sensitive to product quality, origin and environmental impact. The home and garden sector is affected by the sustainability trend, and is being called on to offer eco-responsible products and sustainable renovation solutions.

5. Customer loyalty and brand experience

The home and garden sector relies on building customer loyalty, as these products are purchased on a recurring basis (home improvement, renovation, maintenance). Building customer loyalty involves reward programs, personalised advice and high-quality after-sales service.

One example is Leroy Merlin, whose ‘Leroy Merlin Club’ loyalty program offers discounts, tailor-made advice and access to free delivery services to the brand’s best customers. Leroy Merlin also offers DIY workshops to build loyalty among shoppers and encourage them to return to the store.

Spring is a strategic time for brands in the home and garden sector, as it marks the start of the gardening and landscaping season. It’s a time when consumers start to take an interest in renovation projects and home maintenance (after the winter and the famous spring cleaning).

This is important for brands that don’t communicate on other spring highlights (like Easter) and need to boost their communications at this time of year.

Home and garden retailers can capitalise on the arrival of spring by organising a competition. This strategy will enable them to achieve commercial objectives, including visibility, an increase in their conversion rate and customer retention.

1. Boost awareness with a spring competition

Spring is the time to raise the profile of your home furnishings brand, as consumers are focused on improving their environment and DIY projects.

For DIY chains, the challenge is to remain ‘top of mind’ during this time of year and to position as the essential brand for getting spring projects off the ground. The competition is the ideal format for widening the audience (using fun mechanisms and the promise of attractive rewards) while promoting their seasonal offers.

Example: Showroomprivé’s ‘Garden Party’ campaign, based on a one-armed Bandit instant win, highlighted seasonal products to celebrate the arrival of spring. This fun in-app feature gave visibility to the brand and its partner brands, and encouraged sales.

2. Attract shoppers to the shop and generate more conversions

Spring is a time when consumers, motivated by the warm weather, want to take action. Spring campaigns can encourage customers to visit shops to buy gardening, DIY or outdoor decoration products.

Competitions are effective here, as they enable retailers to share incentives to buy (in the form of exclusive, time-limited discount vouchers). Gamification acts as a drive-to-store lever. By organising events directly in-store (such as DIY workshops, demonstrations, prize draws), companies attract customers to their point of sale and encourage them to make purchases.

Example: Aushopping chose Outrun to raise the profile of its shopping centres. The scheme, which focused on customer engagement and recruiting new leads, encouraged web-to-store traffic at this time of year. The campaign achieved an conversion rate: all visitors to the game filled in the form and played, underlining the appeal of the operation.

3. Increase your retention rate

The issue of loyalty is crucial for brands, which need to encourage their customers to return to the shop and buy from the brand. To do this, they rely on a high-quality after-sales service or offer an innovative loyalty program, giving access to attractive benefits (discounts, etc.) as well as personalised services.

The competition can be reserved for the company’s VIP customers. But it also serves as a data collection tool. By refining its customer knowledge, the brand can then share recommendations, targeted resources and advice, depending on the project.

Example: The main aim of Lidl’s ‘Les rendez-vous jardin’ campaign was to increase the visibility and awareness of the chain’s garden catalogue. It aimed to generate leads and collect opt-ins so that they could be ‘fed’ via marketing campaigns throughout the year.

Conclusion

The role of marketing is to encourage consumers to adopt a particular behaviour. It’s a creative discipline that that evolves with societal change and technological advances. In this way, marketing adapts to buyers’ preferences and expectations.

While we have recently seen an expectation of strong interaction with brands (facilitated by the Internet and social networks), consumers increasingly see themselves as committed players. Our consumer choices reflect our values, the causes we support and the changes we want to see in society.

Hence the demand for transparency and integrity on the part of economic players, including in the way they communicate. This trend is called responsible marketing. C’est une approche plus authentique, sincère et engagée d’échanger avec ses clients et prospects sur la manière dont opère l’entreprise.

This article looks at the challenges of responsible marketing and the benefits it can bring for brands. We will also look at how to embody a more ethical voice by using gamification to better understand the expectations of its audience and adapt its communication accordingly.

SUMMARY

• What is responsible or committed marketing?
• The benefits of responsible marketing for brands
• Gamification for responsible marketing

Responsible marketing is a communications strategy in which a brand takes into account the impact of its activity and its statements on the environment and society. Also known as ethical marketing, this approach involves address social, ethical and ecological issues in its marketing campaigns. It is also important to use more sustainable media and communication tools that respect users’ privacy.

It should be noted, however, that responsible marketing should not be seen simply as a strategy for attracting customers. To have a real impact, this approach must be genuine, verifiable and translated into concrete action. In this way, it sets itself apart from washing practices (such as greenwashing or pinkwashing). This approach goes beyond mere posturing for the sole benefit of brands and takes into account the general interest.

Examples of responsible marketing

Responsible marketing practices can take several forms, depending on the sector in which the company operates and the expectations of its audience.

Examples include :

• Highlighting virtuous practices (ecologically and socially). The Ikea furniture brand for example, has moved towards greener production methods. This means using materials with a low carbon footprint, but also designing circular products. They will remain useful and in good condition for many years.

• Supporting charitable causes. Companies can also adopt responsible marketing by communicating their support for charities. This is the case, for example, with Patagonia, whose founder donates a considerable proportion of his profits to environmental NGOs. The Marriott hotel group has developed a programm in which members can earn points by booking in one of its hotels. They can then make a donation to partner organisations such as UNICEF and the World Central Kitchen.

• The use of communication channels that respect their users. Brands can opt for less energy-intensive formats or avoid posting too often to avoid generating advertising burnout. Lush, for example, has decided to delete its Instagram and Facebook accounts in protest at Meta’s dubious practices when it comes to protecting user data.

Responsible marketing is essential for building solid, high-quality relationships with customersBut also to ensure sustainable growth. Here are the main reasons for adopting more virtuous communication:

1. Strengthen consumer confidence. This concerns the protection of their data and respect for their confidentiality. Users are cautious when it comes to sharing their information, and prefer companies that comply with the RGPD and are transparent about their data collection practices.
2. Boosting customer satisfaction. Les marques adoptant un marketing responsable donnent la priorité aux intérêts de leur communauté plutôt qu’à leur bénéfice financier. Elles favorisent le bien-être de leurs clients, notamment en protégeant leur écosystème.
3. Improve brand reputation and develop a competitive edge. Companies no longer stand out solely on the quality of their products or services. Those that gain market share succeed in capturing the attention and loyalty of consumers who favour committed brands.
4. Stimulate customer loyalty. Brands that opt for ethical marketing tend to generate a stronger connection with their target audience. Shared values and commitments foster a strong emotional bond. This in turn encourages lasting relationships and brand loyalty.

Popular with brands as a way of increasing interaction and strengthening the connection with their audience, gamification applies to responsible marketing. The principle behind this strategy is to incorporate fun, playable elements into its campaigns. They take the form of marketing games, points systems or attractive rewards, etc.

Gamification therefore makes it possible to :

1. Promoting consumer awareness and education. Gamification is used in education to make it easier to memorise new information and to motivate learners. In marketing, it can take the form of quizzes, a fun and engaging format that companies can use to share information or raise awareness among their audience.

2. Encourage the adoption of responsible practices through committed challenges. Solidarity challenges are a way of mobilising your audience in support of a cause. By creating healthy competition and offering prizes, brands can encourage their customers to raise funds, adopt more eco-responsible actions, and so on.

3. Better understand the needs of your audience while respecting their privacy. Gamification is a responsible marketing lever that makes it easier to gather information on consumer expectations. All in a transparent and ethical way (in particular without tracking its audience with cookies) because customers voluntarily share this data via collection forms (before or after a marketing game).

Conclusion

Responsible marketing has become an essential lever to help brands create a strong connection with their audience and support sustainable growth. To adopt more ethical and transparent communication, your brand can rely on gamification. Discover our playable mechanics and transform the way you communicate with your customers!

Beauty is a sector that has always reinvented itself. Even during the pandemic, when we were all stuck at home or forced to wear masks, brands redoubled their creativity to adapt their beauty routines and products.

But beauty is also an ultra-competitive sector. Newcomers are finding it hard to make their mark. Numerous brands have emerged in the natural beauty and organic products niche.

To stand out from the crowd, beauty marketing needs to be innovative and original. By getting closer to their community of customers and relying on more authentic and playful campaigns, companies have the opportunity to reinvent themselves and win over new consumers.

Here are 3 innovative marketing levers to explore to boost visibility and conversion.

SUMMARY

• Marketing idea no. 1: Leveraging the community in the beauty sector
• Marketing idea no. 2: Prioritise personalisation and inclusiveness
• Marketing idea no. 3: Implement a coherent omnichannel marketing strategy

The beauty sector is fiercely competitive. Brands have to compete creatively to stand out from the crowd. One of the first levers they can use to stand out in beauty marketing is the community. Building a community of committed and loyal customers is one of the best barriers to entry that companies can create.

Co-creating in beauty through gamification

This co-creation process can be duplicated by sharing surveys on social networks to its audience. This will enable brands to better understand their customers’ expectations and consumer trends.

Another interesting mechanism: the swiper. Popularised by dating apps like Tinder, the principle involves swiping left or right to choose the make-up look you prefer. It’s a great way for brands to identify the desires of its audience.

Interactive experiences to stand out from the crowd

Offering interactive advertising experiences as part of marketing campaigns also means :

• gain visibility. Not least thanks to the commitment of his fans on social networks;
• generate authentic content. It will create a bond of trust with prospects (via UGC, i.e. publications shared about the brand’s products by its customers);
• co-create innovative products that really meet the expectations of their market;
• recruit new customers by leveraging the power of brand ambassadors;
• build customer loyalty by creating a much more human and authentic relationship between the brand and its users.

Many start-ups in the beauty sector have banked on the community as their main marketing lever. One example is the brand Respire. She has managed to build up a core group of fans during its crowdfunding campaign. Its customers were its first investors and now act as powerful ambassadors for the brand and its products.

Another inspiring use case is that of Nide.co. The beauty brand co-creates all its products with its community of customers. It is they who suggest new ideas, based on the needs they encounter (and which are not yet being met by other brands). Each idea is then put to the community for a vote. In this way, the brand ensures that it has a solid demand for each new product before it even begins to be produced.

The trend in the beauty world is towards personalisation and inclusivity. To compete with the big beauty brands like Sephora and L’Oréal, newcomers are increasingly focusing on specific niches. In this way, they address market segments that are often ignored by the market leaders. It’s an opportunity to win over ultra-committed customers who have long felt shunned by the more established brands.

It’s a strategy that singer Rihanna’s brand has applied. Fenty Beauty made a name for itself right from the start with its ultra-varied foundation palette. The brand aimed to appeal to women of all complexions, from the fairest to the darkest.

Another beauty brand that has managed to stand out thanks to this marketing idea of beauty is MÊME cosmetics. The company has decided to focus specifically on women suffering from breast cancer. It offers them natural products that meet their needs at this delicate time in their lives.

Customisation is another way of addressing very niche needs while continuing to offer a wider range of products.

Many of the major generalist brands offer their new customers the chance to take a quiz. It can take the form of a gift finder. It helps to find the perfect gift by collecting preferences. This acts as a diagnostic to target their skin or hair type. The brand can then offer products that better meet the needs of each customer.

Gamification to collect customer data

Gamification is a particularly important lever here for collecting data in a fun and intuitive way. Users are invited to share personal data via a game or interactive format. They are all the more encouraged to share reliable and accurate information as they will be the first to benefit from it. In exchange for their answers, they will receive highly relevant recommendations. Customers can also benefit from vouchers to use on a personalised selection of products.

Brands that want to stand out from the crowd in beauty marketing will need to succeed in creating an omnichannel experience (both digital and physical). They will be able to engage their prospects online thanks to interactive playable marketing

For example, Showroomprivé has set up a Click & Win with a wide choice of prizes to highlight the new La Roche Posay serums. The activation attracted over 69,000 subscribers to this 100% winning activation, giving the product great visibility.

For customers who prefer to try out a product before buying it, a drive to store strategy will enable online marketing to be stepped up. Beauty brands will be able to capitalise on in-store events (with influencers, for example) to generate traffic to their physical points of sale. On-site competitions, via an interactive terminal or using Scan&Play, will make the retail experience more fun for consumers.

Conclusion

Engaging and retaining an audience has become a major challenge for brands in the beauty sector. To stand out from the crowd, they need to adopt new marketing ideas to make their branding more appealing to new consumers. Gamification will enable them to respond to all the main challenges they face (visibility, community engagement, personalisation through data collection and omnichannel activation).