Digitally native, vertically integrated apparel retailer Indochino on Wednesday announced it is making its first push beyond North America by localizing Indochino.com for the Australian market. That means that consumers in Australia who visit Indochino’s ecommerce site will see items listed in Australian dollars and the site will feature duty-free shipping.
Prior to the localized site, Australian consumers could purchase from Indochino, but they would have to pay duties and customs. Despite those barriers, Australia was the retailer’s largest market outside of North America, says an Indochino spokeswoman.
In time, the retailer plans to open showrooms in Australia. But before it invests in that infrastructure, Indochino, No. 368 in the just-released Internet Retailer 2019 Top 1000, plans to use the site to understand where its largest markets are in Australia, she says.
Showrooms allow consumers to get measured, try on clothing and then order the item for delivery. They are an increasingly important part of Indochino’s business, as they account for about 70% of the retailer’s revenue, Peter Housley, Indochino’s chief revenue officer, told Internet Retailer in January. That’s why the retailer has opened 43 showrooms since 2015, with plans to open 13 more this year.
Beyond driving direct sales, the retailer’s showrooms produce a multiplier effect; once Indochino moves into a market, its overall sales in the area grow as the storefront builds brand awareness.
To market its localized Australian site, Indochino is using a marketing playbook similar to the one it has been using in North America. That playbook includes a mix of affiliates and sponsored content, direct mail, paid search and display, as well as social media ads.
On Facebook and other social platforms, the retailer uses a variety of “tried-and-true” tactics, including Custom Audiences, which enables it to identify its existing customers on the social network, and Lookalike Audiences, which enables it to find consumers who share traits with its existing customer base, as well as the data consumers share on the platform, such as their relationship status. For example, Indochino regularly targets consumers who change their status to engaged with ads highlighting its wedding line. And on social networks and in email, the retailer is an avid user of sequential messaging, which uses a steady flow of content to drive a narrative that aims to convince a shopper to make a purchase.
It is also examining podcast advertising, which delivers the lowest cost per acquisition of any marketing channel in North America, the spokeswoman says. The retailer regularly advertises on high-profile podcasts with audiences that skew male and focus on sports and news, such as “Pod Save America” and “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” where it delivers messages that explain how its made-to-measure clothing works.
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