E-commerce: Edible Arrangements' countdown ad lifts same-day orders 8%

SUMMARY: Think you have a great service that no one knows about? Even if it's not new, it might be worth promoting anyway. Edible Arrangements tried it and increased sales.

The e-commerce team increased same-day delivery orders on the Web 8% with simple promotion in a handful of channels. See where the team promoted the service, how, and where the campaign is headed.

by Adam Sutton, Senior Reporter

Edible Arrangements has offered same-day delivery for its fruit baskets, fruit bouquets and other sweet gifts for more than a decade. It extended the deadline for same-day orders to 5 p.m. a few years ago, which helped the company stand out, but only to the people who knew about it.

"It's kind of our hidden gem," said Kaitlin Reiss, Vice President of E-commerce, Edible Arrangements International. "A lot of people don't realize that we have same-day delivery, even though it is not something new for us, so we realize that we still need to do even more to promote it."

Reiss' team has since launched a campaign to spread the word. The results have been sweet:

8% increase in same-day orders on its website since promoting the service

Slightly higher open rate and average order value for emails with same-day messaging

Here's how the team raised awareness.

Step #1. Extend same-day service

Same-day service is not an option for every company or even every franchise location. Edible Arrangements has more than 1,100 storefronts worldwide, which makes it easier to expedite local deliveries.

Most stores offer the 5 p.m. deadline for same-day orders. Some go even later, Reiss said, but the extension was impossible at some locations. The team chose to make 5 p.m. the standard to attract business from commuters who might want to pick up an order on the way home.

"Our consumer is changing. There are a lot more last-minute orders, so we wanted to make sure that we are available when they forget a birthday, or an anniversary, or any other special occasion," Reiss said.

Step #2. Promote on website

Before Edible Arrangements spread the word, it promoted the service on its website to reinforce the message to visitors. This was done primarily on the homepage with a countdown timer.

The timer ticks down the hours and minutes each visitor has left to place an order for same-day delivery. The counter adjusts for each visitor's time zone and uses 5 p.m. as a universal deadline.

A timer and not a clock

The timer is expressed more in words than digits. Below the top portion of the homepage — which has a logo, navigation bar and search box — visitors are greeted with large text that clearly expresses the offer:

"Want it in today? Order in the next [X] hours and [X] minutes."

Though short on detail, the headline conveys a clear deadline and message.

Instant gratification

A display ad that hovers over the right portion of the homepage's "hero shot" shows a graphic of a speeding truck and the words "Instant Gratification" in large capital letters.

Below in smaller text is this message: "Same-day delivery is our specialty." This helps reinforce the service as a differentiator in the market for gifts and arrangements.

Testing the ads

The timer and the graphic have been tested to help optimize clickthrough rates, Reiss said. For example:

Textual format of the timer was tested against a digital format (i.e., "12:00").

"Instant gratification" message was tested against copy that emphasized the company’s refrigerated delivery trucks.

Step #3. Promote via email

Email is an important channel for the company and the team made sure to mention the same-day service in email campaigns. Doing so is especially important during the holidays, Reiss said.

"We don't rely on FedEx or UPS to make all of our deliveries. That is one advantage that we have during a holiday period for those last-minute customers, so it's often the main message around the holidays."

Weave into everyday emails

When it's not the holiday season, the team is less likely to feature the same-day service as a main message of an email. Instead, it mentions the service with simple bold text in the header, such as:

"Order by 5 p.m. for same-day delivery."

Other times, the team will use the "instant gratification" message it tested on the homepage, but in a larger display ad. The ad's call-to-action: "find a store."

Step #4. Raise awareness

Promotion on the homepage and in emails helps Edible Arrangements connect with current customers and prospects. The team has also made strides to raise awareness of those who may not be shopping for a gift.

Social media

The team has active profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube and Pinterest. It occasionally mentions the same-day service in posts, hoping to catch the interest of someone who has put off gift shopping for too long.

Ad networks

Edible Arrangements runs ads on search engines and websites. Soon, the team will test messaging to promote the same-day service in the PPC and display ad networks it uses.

"We are definitely happy with the results and I think that they are only going to get better," Reiss said.