Halting Decline &
Driving Growth in
12 Months
A simplified KPI framework and new CRM platform transformed underperforming customer engagement into measurable growth — taking new customer acquisition from -43% to +32% and won-back customers from +46% to +153% YOY.
About VIP Vaping
VIP Vaping became popular for providing vaping products in the UK, marketing itself as a premium experience for smokers looking to transition to e-cigarettes. Following financial difficulty in 2017, the brand was acquired by British American Tobacco as part of their alternative nicotine product portfolio.
Despite the acquisition giving the brand a stable commercial home, the underlying ecommerce performance had deteriorated significantly. I was brought in to address this — working alongside the Group Digital Director to design and execute a data-driven turnaround.
No KPI Clarity, No Growth Direction
In a fast-moving digital landscape, the business faced a critical challenge: underperforming customer engagement and stagnant ecommerce growth, with no clear way to track which levers were driving revenue. The existing CRM system was limited, making it difficult to measure impact, optimise campaigns or scale effectively.
Without visibility into which customer segments were growing or declining, and without the infrastructure to act on that data, the business was managing by instinct rather than insight. A scalable, data-led foundation was the essential first step.
A Simplified KPI Framework & New CRM Platform
Rather than tracking dozens of isolated metrics, we implemented a simplified KPI framework aligned with core business goals: new customer acquisition, repeat purchases, retention and overall revenue per customer. This was underpinned by investing in Ometria as a scalable CRM platform — providing the infrastructure to consolidate customer data, track performance in real-time and deliver actionable insights.
Deployed Ometria as the new CRM backbone — enabling real-time customer data consolidation, performance tracking and actionable segmentation across the full customer lifecycle.
Defined a simplified set of KPIs across new acquisition, second order, at-risk, lapsed and won-back customer segments — making performance visible and driving accountability across the team.
Implemented an SEO programme targeting non-brand search terms to improve organic traffic and reduce dependence on branded paid search for new customer acquisition.
Delivered personalised, relevant marketing at every stage of the customer lifecycle — first-buyer sequences, at-risk interventions and win-back campaigns — all tied directly to measurable KPIs.
Across-the-Board Turnaround in 12 Months
The application of the simplified KPI model led to improvements across every customer segment — demonstrating the power of using the right metrics to drive data-driven decisions in CRM and email marketing.
| KPI | Before | After |
| New Customer Acquisition | −43% YOY | +32% YOY |
| Second Orders | Flat | +19% YOY |
| Lapsed Customers | −6% | −30% |
| Won-Back Customers | +46% | +153% |
Reversed from -43% YOY — primarily driven by improved SEO and stronger non-brand search term rankings bringing in high-intent new customers.
From +46% to +153% — driven by more personalised win-back campaigns built on richer customer data points surfaced through the Ometria platform.
Tailored marketing strategies for first-time buyers — onboarding sequences, USP communication and early loyalty incentives — drove repeat purchase growth.
Improved from −6% to −30% — better-targeted offers and timely interventions kept at-risk customers engaged before they disengaged entirely.
Ready to Start Growing?
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