Background

Hairhouse, the popular Australian hair and beauty company, is taking the industry by storm with its wide range of products and professional salon services. With over 130 stores spread across the country and a thriving online presence, the company has become a go-to destination for anyone looking to enhance their hair and beauty game. Hairhouse sets itself apart from the competition by prioritising the needs of its customers and providing personalised recommendations both in-store and online. As the Head of Technology, Ash Mehta is constantly exploring ways to improve the online shopping experience for Hairhouse customers. He’s committed to implementing innovative tools that educate customers about their products, increase engagement, and drive conversions.

The Challenge

With over 5,000 products listed on their website, Hairhouse recognised that navigating this extensive selection online could be overwhelming for customers. While the in-store experience benefits from the expertise of the Hairhouse team who offer personalised consultations, customers shopping online lack the same level of guidance. Thus, Hairhouse set out to find a solution that would empower customers to make informed choices based on their unique needs when browsing solo on their website.

The solution

To enhance the customer experience and optimise conversion rates, Hairhouse chose preezie because we offer a sophisticated "product finder" tool that can educate shoppers about different products and help them find the best match for their needs. Hairhouse also appreciated that preezie's journeys were easy to implement and integrate into the online shopping experience without bombarding customers or being invasive.

Why preezie

preezie's local presence, proven track record with other clients, and convenient implementation process made us the preferred solution provider for Hairhouse.

Mehta said, "We liked that preezie is locally based in Melbourne, and we were confident that the team could help improve our online shopping performance. With the skilled specialists at preezie providing timely assistance and valuable guidance, it was clear that they were the perfect fit for us.”

The implementation

Hairhouse's initial implementation of preezie's product finder tool in September 2022 focused on their electrical products, such as curlers, hair dryers, and straighteners, given the large number of SKUs in this category. Hairhouse worked with preezie to meticulously prepare the product data, craft relevant questions for customers, and design tailored journeys to steer them towards the most fitting products. After this set up, Hairhouse simply added the code for preezie’s product finder tool to their website.

Email capture and workflow
Hairhouse and preezie's collaboration resulted in an exceptional email capture component that seamlessly integrates into the product finder journey. This feature encourages shoppers to provide their email address to receive a personalised product recommendation along with a 10% discount. By collecting shoppers’ contact details, Hairhouse leverages insights gathered from the product finder journeys to build comprehensive customer profiles that include valuable information such as budget, preferred product type, hair type, hair length, and desired outcome. This data helps them to run segmented and highly personalised marketing campaigns that address the specific needs and preferences of their customers.

Mehta said, "The product finder tool is often used by customers who are in the initial stages of their research and may not be prepared to make a purchase. However, the email capture and workflow are incredibly effective in increasing customers' purchase intent. The personalised results and discount offer is a great incentive for shoppers. With all the relevant information conveniently sitting in their inbox, they can make an informed purchase decision immediately or later at their convenience.

Results and benefits

After running preezie journeys for a few weeks in September 2022, Hairhouse witnessed outstanding results. They decided to expand our tool to hair treatment and protection products, as well as launch a highly successful seasonal gifting journey. Five months after the expanded implementation, Hairhouse experienced a significant 4x uplift in conversion rate, and a remarkable 123% increase in the average order value of customers who used the product finder tool compared to the total number of shoppers on their website.

To further evaluate the effectiveness of preezie's solution, the team conducted a comparison between preezie journeys' email capture feature and workflow, which included personalised product recommendations and a 10% discount, and the standard welcome email series that also offered a 10% discount but for signing up to the Hairhouse community. The findings were impressive, with the preezie journeys email workflow generating a staggering 92% more revenue compared to the welcome email series. This success can be attributed to the tailored recommendations provided to customers, making their shopping experience more personalised and enjoyable.

In addition to the impressive revenue results, Hairhouse discovered that the preezie journeys email workflow also outperformed the standard welcome email series in terms of engagement. Specifically, the preezie journeys email workflow boasted a 29% higher open rate and a remarkable 95% higher click-through rate.

Mehta said, “We generated 92% more sales thanks to the power of preezie journeys and the email capture feature. These results not only highlight the solution’s ability to captivate customers, but also emphasise its potential to drive conversions and revenue growth for our business.”

The future

Hairhouse aims to further enhance their customer experience by introducing SMS to the workflow, where shoppers can receive their results and a discount code via text message for added convenience. They also plan to expand preezie journeys to other hair care products, including colour maintenance, shampoos, conditioners, treatments, and more. Hairhouse wants to educate their customers and provide the best recommendations for their hair care needs.

During Christmas, Hairhouse launched a gift finder to make it easier for customers to purchase the perfect gift for their loved ones. After its huge success, they plan to integrate the gift finder into upcoming holiday marketing campaigns because they see it as a valuable addition to the overall customer journey.

Mehta says, "We've noticed that customers who use preezie journeys have a significantly higher conversion rate than those who don't, and we believe the gift finder will further enhance their experience."