A CASE STUDY: U VAPE

How we scaled a vape shop in a restricted industry.

An improved website with full service SEO and email marketing drives triple-digit growth 3 years in a row.

INDUSTRY
Vape & Tobacco
WHAT WE DID
Purple™ Audit
Design & Develpment
SEO & Content Strategy
Email Marketing
Support & Management
VIEW WEBSITE
A homepage screenshot of uvapeshop.com

U Vape is a leading vape and cannabis accessories retailer in The Maritimes. With 3 brick and mortar locations, and more planned, the online store was falling behind. They needed to take action. And the challenges were significant:

  1. Ineffective product placement and discoverability
  2. Attracting and retaining qualified customers
  3. An outdated website design
  4. Lack of marketing strategy

Our approach began with a thorough audit and strategy process. This gave us the data we needed to put a plan in place that tackles technical and operational challenges as they scale. We then focused on building and launching the new website with an SEO, content, and email marketing program in tow. All of this is backed up by our Shopify support and management services.

Project Objectives

Increase Online Sales

Boost online sales while preventing restricted products from being sold to minors.

Improve Customer Experience

Create an easy to navigate and discoverable website that maximizes conversion.

Increase Organic Traffic

Rank meaningfully in search engines and drive traffic to the website and store network.
GROSS SALES
+308%
CONVERSION
+56%
organic sessions
+198%
MARKETING ROI
18x
Desk with computer

Audits & Strategy

Our initial assessment of the project uncovered several critical issues:

  • Outdated tech stack and Shopify theme
  • Inconsistencies within the product catalog, ranging from titles and descriptions to images
  • Inefficient internal processes for verifying customers' age, purchasing, reporting, and forecasting sales
  • No clear goals or objectives for growth

We addressed these issues by creating a comprehensive long-term growth plan, including goals planning, aiming to tackle both technical and operational challenges while strategically guiding the project towards future scalability and efficiency.

PURPLE™ AUDIT

We transformed critical challenges into opportunities for growth.

By starting with a thorough research and goals planning phase, we uncovered several areas for improvement and were able to prioritize tracts of work to maximize ROI:

Discovered Outdated Tech Stack

Updated theme to 2.0 and removed unused apps which greatly improved website performance and minimized security risks.

Inconsistent Catalog Strategy

Optimized catalog to ensure assortment is consistent from titles and descriptions to taxonomy, tags, and collections.

Inefficient Internal Processes

Created practical, repeatable processes for day-to-day operations including fully automated age verification.

Lacking Clear Goals & Objectives

Assembled choesive strategy that guided project from start to finish, including goals planning, data collection, and how to measure success.
A screenshot of a product page of uvapeshop.com
Having a professional company involved that have targets for time, and schedules to meet really forced us to get in line with being able to effectively put down a goal and reach that goal.
Chris Fournier, President, U Vape
An array of mobile devices showing uvapeshop.com
We often focus on things like strategy, marketing, etc. but at the end of the day the user experience has to be number one.
Chris Fournier, President, U Vape
DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT

Conversion jumped 56% with improved user experience and site speed.

We knew very early on that a new website is a must and kept this in mind as we progressed through the project. We focused on these key aspects of the new build:

Website Not Aligned With Brand

Introduced cohesive branding with minimal but thoughtful touches that are unmistakably U Vape.

Poor Website Technical Health

Heavy emphasis was placed on Google CWV and on-site SEO from the early stages to maximize performance.

User Experience Was Not Intuitive

A new homepage layout featuring core categories and a mega menu to match makes shopping easy and fast.

Verifying Ages of Customers Takes Ages

An instant, automated AI-driven age verification system that reduces risk and is 100% secure for U Vape and the customer.
SEO & CONTENT MARKETING

Enhanced site structure and content strategy gives traffic a 198% boost.

One of the goals was to increase sales. More sales means more traffic. Here's what we faced:

Existing Content Wasn't Engaging

Created unique content experiences that spoke directly to U Vape's target audience no matter what stage of purchase.

Sitemap Was Limiting Traffic Potential

Expanded number and quality of landing pages in a hierarchical manner facilitating better rankings.

Business Not Optimized for Google

Built new local SEO location pages and optimized all Google Business Profiles encouraging tangible and meaningful connections with in-person customers.
A screenshot of a blog post of uvapeshop.com
A screenshot of the mega menu of uvapeshop.com
EMAIL MARKETING

Next-level email marketing strategy results in 3800% ROI.

Despite having a substantial subscriber list, their engagement rates were declining, leading to stagnant sales and underutilization of this marketing channel. In a competitive industry, they sought to revitalize their email marketing strategy to regain customer interest and drive revenue growth.

Inconsistent Sending Frequency

Sporadic promo-only emails were replaced by consistent, relevant content designed to educate, entertain, and engage subscribers resulting in brand loyalty and an increased LTV.

Lack of Personalization & Segmentation

Utilizing customer data, we segmented their email list based on factors such as purchase history, browsing behavior, and personal interests. Open and Click-through rates see a month-over-month increase.

Static, Unchanging Content

To combat monotony, we introduced dynamic content elements such as product recommendations, personalized offers, and interactive features. We conducted A/B testing to optimize subject lines, email layouts, and call-to-action buttons for maximum engagement.

Poor List Health

Sending regular Sunset Campaigns (incentives to stay) we revitalized their list and cleared away inactive subscribers to improve sender reputation and avoided the dreaded Spam folder.
ONGOING SUPPORT & MANAGEMENT

Right-sized support saves countless hours and ensures goals are met.

Businesses need more help as they grow, not less. We bring the skills and experience U Vape needs to confidently grow over time. Here's how we help:

Shopify Experts Standing By

U Vape now has qualified resources on tap to assist with Shopify-related issues the moment they arise.

Using Data to Drive Decisions

We don't guess. Everything we do begins with collecting and analyzing key data in an effort to maximize ROI.

Continuous Catalog Optimization

Every new product is created to the highest standards including titles, descriptions, and images right down to the small details required for SEO.

Reporting & Adapting to Changing Trends

U Vape now knows the numbers, and what they mean, and how to adapt their business, sales tactics, product catalog, and more as retail trends change.
Currently they handle all of our development, our marketing strategies as well as all of our technical support. At the end of the day I would be spending months, if not years, training somebody to learn the skill sets I've simply hired with RS Creativ. They actually save me a lot of time, countless hours [...] and ensure our goals are being met.
Chris Fournier, President, U Vape
Desk with computer

Audits & Strategy

Our initial assessment of the project uncovered several critical issues:

  • Outdated tech stack and Shopify theme
  • Inconsistencies within the product catalog, ranging from titles and descriptions to images
  • Inefficient internal processes for verifying customers' age, purchasing, reporting, and forecasting sales
  • No clear goals or objectives for growth

We addressed these issues by creating a comprehensive long-term growth plan, including goals planning, aiming to tackle both technical and operational challenges while strategically guiding the project towards future scalability and efficiency.

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