Decline to +32%
New Customer
Acquisition
Reversing a -43% decline in new customer acquisition for a BAT vaping brand — through a full ecommerce overhaul, CRM programme and local SEO strategy — to deliver +32% YOY growth in 18 months.
About British American Tobacco
British American Tobacco (BAT) is one of the world's largest multinational companies in the tobacco industry. Headquartered in London, BAT produces and sells a range of tobacco products — including cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and nicotine products such as e-cigarettes and vaping devices — operating in over 180 countries globally.
BAT acquired a struggling vaping brand and tasked me with leading the transformation to reverse its performance decline. Over an 18-month period, I successfully rejuvenated the brand, driving a significant recovery in customer acquisition and engagement.
Years of Neglect in a Competitive Market
BAT had faced several challenges in sustaining growth — regulatory restrictions on tobacco advertising, rising taxes, and increasing public health awareness had all constrained traditional sales. Meanwhile, the VIP Vaping brand they acquired had suffered from years of neglect and underinvestment, resulting in a -43% decline in new customer acquisition. There was a shrinking email database, lower email acquisition rates, and lost revenue opportunities due to a lack of insight into customer behaviour.
A Three-Track Turnaround Programme
I began with a full ecommerce audit evaluating the website's UX/UI, checkout process and conversion funnels. From there, three parallel tracks were activated.
Working closely with BAT's internal team, we executed a complete overhaul of site functionality — focusing on improving the user experience to drive higher conversion rates and reduce bounce rates across all devices.
Implemented a robust CRM programme designed to guide new customers through the onboarding process and highlight the brand's USPs — targeting retention through personalised email marketing, promotions and exclusive VIP offers.
Led a Local SEO strategy to improve organic search visibility, ensuring customers could easily find the brand's products both online and in physical stores — increasing local traffic and online purchases simultaneously.
From Decline to Sustained Growth
New customer acquisition surged — increasing by +32% year-over-year after a prior decline of -43%. Website conversion improvements helped convert more first-time visitors into registered customers.
The Local SEO optimisation strategy played a crucial role in driving more organic traffic and increasing brand visibility both in-store and online — supporting the acquisition turnaround.
The multifaceted strategy led to increased ecommerce revenue, better customer retention and positioned the brand for sustainable long-term growth in a competitive digital marketplace.
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