MATTRESS BRAND 'GROWTH GAME PLAN'
This company came to us looking for help with their US expansion. The company have had the desire to enter the US market for some years, however, COVID disrupted initial plans. We identified significant potential in the USA for their products and agreed that the diversification would allow for reduced UK market dependence as well as a more profitable route to growth.
7 Days Final Actionable Report Delivered
$263M Opportunity Identified
Niche Bed and Mattress
Services Growth Game Plan
BACKGROUND
The company operate a 'hybrid' selling strategy, utilising both 1P and 3P selling channels. Their high quality bed and mattress products are sold across most marketplaces, channels and major retailers in the UK. With an annual revenue of £25m, the company already works every retailer worth noting in their home market. Having done some preliminary research, they believed there was a market for their products in the United States, however, they needed a more comprehensive audit of the opportunity together with a roadmap of how to get there.
CHALLENGES
Brands often enter new markets without an understanding of cost and infrastructure, and this leads to a quick exit at best or financial disaster at the worst. A market as complex as the US cannot be entered without careful planning and a thorough understanding. The company have limited knowledge on the USA market and have no existing retailer relationships. Logistics is the biggest apparent challenge for the company, along with professional management of the sales channels in the US timezone. Returns are also a concern and therefore it's imperative that these are negotiated out of any sales agreements where possible. Furthermore, they had no US agency or management options vetted for the project.
THE OPPORTUNITIES
Our research revealed benchmarked data to suggest that the mattress market in the USA amounted to $11.79bn in 2022, growing annually at 3.69% CAGR, compared to £880M in the UK!
We discovered that the competition, particularly on marketplace, had very little USP.
We identified one very strong area where the company could carve a unique offering, and detailed this within the report. The contents of this are of course protected under NDA as the project is still live.
Just a 2% market share within their target category could be worth as much as $236M to the company.
THE GAME PLAN
After identifying the size of the opportunity that existed, we set about putting together our recommendations.
We would rebrand entirely for the USA market, playing to the strengths of our USP. Mock-up's were provided at this stage.
From there we proposed social media strategies which would engage our target audience and drive brand and USP recognition. Post mock-up's were provided.
We then identified which products we would need to avoid and which we would focus on for maximum revenue and profit margins, as well as minimal risk, paying careful attention to review syndication opportunities that existed. 4 key products were identified and proposed.
We were then able to make recommendations for ideal selling outlets to include big box retailers such as Costco, as well as the best online retailers.
The US consumer will validate a brand across all mediums before committing to purchase, and therefore it is imperative that there is a D2C website as well as a social media presence despite the route to market.
Therefore, we made recommendations for a native Shopify website, alongside Instagram, Facebook & Pinterest accounts with daily posting.
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LOGISTICS
According to ‘ibisworld’ there are 20,406 3rd Party Logistics companies in America in 2022. Most of these will claim to be compliant with our needs, however, few are.
We have seen companies decide and commit to a 3PL and encounter issues which have even included full stock disposal!
We identified a fulfilment partner who could provide Amazon-compliant Prime shipping from 5 locations, which would allow us to reach 99% of US customers within 1-2 days.
The provider offers discounted, fixed shipping rates with all major carriers which allow for accurate confidence. They also offer 3rd party billing which is a requirement when working with Wayfair & Overstock amongst others.
FINANCIAL MODELLING
Based on the costings we had been provided with, along with fulfilment costings and assumptions of market pricing, we were able to create a financial model to manage expectations.
This detailed model provided an even more exciting insight into the opportunity!
RESULTS
The Growth Game Plan was delivered within 7 days, weighing in at a hefty 67 pages of analysis and strategy.
The company were delighted with the result, and the contents gave them and their investors the confidence needed to commit to US expansion.
Fortunately, they decided to work with Vanquish to oversee the entire process and manage it end-to-end.
Stay posted for the launch case study, coming soon!
PROJECT LEAD
ANGELA CHANNING
Angela is one of our head Partner Success Managers, based out of our London office.
Having gained a Bachelor of Business Management at Queen Mary University, Angela has an in-depth understanding of business strategy and market analysis.
A stickler for detail, she keeps the team well in line and on track on complex projects!
Angela orchestrated and assimilated this Growth Game Plan.