Digital Investment increases Revenue by 41% in 12 months
Notcutts is a well-established UK-based garden center retailer, specializing in a wide range of garden products, plants, home and lifestyle items, and outdoor furniture. Founded in 1897, the company has a long history of serving gardening enthusiasts and homeowners. Notcutts operates both physical stores and an ecommerce platform, offering customers the option to shop online for delivery or collect items in-store.
Notcutts is known for its extensive selection of plants, gardening tools, outdoor furniture, landscaping materials, and home and lifestyle products such as indoor decor, seasonal decorations, and gifts. The company caters to both amateur gardeners and seasoned horticulturists, providing expert advice and high-quality products.
In recent years, Notcutts has focused on expanding its online presence and improving its ecommerce capabilities, aiming to make gardening and home shopping more accessible to customers across the UK. With a focus on customer service, quality products, and an enriching garden center experience, Notcutts continues to be a popular destination for garden enthusiasts looking to transform their outdoor spaces.
challenge
Notcutts’ online operations were underperforming within the wider business, with several key issues limiting its ecommerce potential. These included poor integration between online and physical store operations, limited merchandising of products on the site, an expensive and difficult-to-manage ecommerce platform, and limited time dedicated to enhancing product visibility. This led to suboptimal customer experience and missed opportunities to drive online sales and conversions.
action
Recognizing the need for a reset, I took immediate action by pausing all A/B testing activities for a few weeks to conduct a comprehensive review of the entire program. This allowed us to step back and evaluate the effectiveness of the current pipeline, identify bottlenecks, and address gaps in the process. One key issue was the lack of a robust prioritization framework, so I introduced the RICE scoring model to assess tests based on their potential impact, confidence, effort, and reach. Description
impact
Over a 12-month period, the combined efforts resulted in a remarkable 41% increase in revenue, reaching £3 million. Key factors contributing to this success included better product merchandising and a more focused approach to utilizing site real estate for maximum impact. The conversion trigger functionalities and affiliate marketing efforts helped boost engagement, while the improvements in organic search traffic led to sustained customer acquisition. These efforts revealed and addressed the gaps in the Ecommerce Growth Model, leading to a more robust, profitable online business and a more seamless omnichannel experience.
Notes
My approach with Notcutts involved reviewing their current platform setup and assessing how their eCommerce operations were integrated into the broader business. Collaborating with the Commercial Director, I developed an investment plan (summarized below) that informed a phased, waterfall strategy for staggered investments over a 12-month period.
