Bloom & Wild has backed the implementation of referral platform Mention Me as a key factor in its impressive growth, insisting that the marketing channel has generated over £17m in sales, with a third of new customers signing up their own friends and families.
After launching its letterbox flowers in the UK eight years ago, Bloom & Wild now operates in Ireland, Germany and Austria, and acquired Dutch competitor Bloomon and French rival Bergamotte this year.
The Mention Me platform, which was set up in 2013 has also led to 86% of customers who see the referral offer sharing it with friends; 62% of referrals convert into new customers; and referred customers introduce 4.5 times more new customers than non-referred customers.
The programme also helped Bloom & Wild build its customer base during the pandemic, when people turned to online gifting to support loved ones.
After keeping only its referral marketing channel on during April to June 2020, the brand grew referrals by 800% year-on-year (despite promoting it at fewer points in the customer journey).
It continues to work with Mention Me to trial new initiatives, including teaming with influencers and the Carers Trust charity, and optimise its programmes.
It is also using the platform to learn more about customers in different markets, such as uncovering that using gender equitable language, instead of the grammatical norm, for German customers can increase engagement.
Bloom & Wild head of UK marketing Lindsay Newell said: “Early on we identified that referral marketing was key to our growth. A quarter of customers discover Bloom & Wild through their friends and family. As well as acquiring new customers, referral fits so well with the nature of what sending flowers is all about: shared experiences.
“It allows us to turn that into a sustainable marketing channel, backed by analytics and data that get to the heart of who customers are and how we can build better relationships with them.”
“The customers we acquire through referral are a great fit for our brand, with a significantly higher lifetime value than those acquired through paid social and paid search.”
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