Feels Botanical turns to IDA to create the cocktail for growth
““Before the IDA audit, traffic to our site was our biggest issue. The audit enabled us to consider different strategies to get the right people to the site. And the right people means more sales.””
About Feels Botanical
Based in Byron Bay, Feels Botanical distils the best Australian-grown grapes, incorporating exotic botanical infusions to create Eau de Vie – the pinnacle in grape-based alcohol. Its creators, Blake and Steve, bring a progressive approach to the century-old apothecary craft. They sell their products to hospitality venues, retail stockists and direct to the consumer via their website.
In preparation for going to mass market, Blake and Steve invested significant money in upgrading their website to a quality eCommerce site that looks and feels sleek.
“Our website is of extreme importance to our business. It’s our brand brochure for people to find us- anytime and anywhere. It’s pretty much the first point of communicating with our audience, and so its look, feel, flow and content are critical,” Blake explains.
Challenge / Goal
The team self-manages the website and digital marketing. Despite the investment into a great website and SEM, they were confused by their conversion rates. While they regularly refer to Shopify and Google Analytics, they were missing the crucial data and expert eye required to identify the ways in which to improve their strategy.
“We use simple analytics on Shopify and Google Analytics. It’s pretty self explanatory to get a top line understanding of our analytics, but when it comes to really understanding our website and our consumers, it just isn’t able to give the detail needed to bring it all together, or with a holistic point of view.”
Feels Botanical had put a lot of work into learning about their audience, through consumer typology and positioning, yet this knowledge wasn’t being reflected in their traffic and conversion rates.
“We knew who we wanted to go after, but weren’t really successful in targeting them. The audit helped us streamline and refine how and where to go after our ideal customers.”
Key Findings / Results
Our audit identified key areas of improvement, and actionable insights to dramatically enhance Feels Botanical’s brand recognition, quality traffic and conversion rates. Blake was most surprised by their website’s mobile speed.
“I thought we had that set up well from the start, but the audit showed that we could do some minor things with our content to optimise mobile flow and speed.”
Despite having yet to implement a substantial amount of our recommendations, Feels Botanical has been very happy with the outcomes from items that have been actioned to date.
“As a result of the audit, we have seen positive results. It’s all going in the right direction. Thanks to the six key points identified in the audit, we have been able to slowly chip away at the recommendations in order of priority. Had we done all six from day dot we may be in an even better spot.”
A few recommendations require technical expertise from a digital consultant or agency. Blake sought out IDA’s referral for a digital agency, however we explained how important it is for us to remain an independent third party. Blake has a lot of respect for this and appreciates knowing that our recommendations are 100% transparent and free from hidden agendas.
The team found the entire process with IDA smooth and easy, and were impressed by the quality of the reporting.
“I was blown away by the detail provided in the audit, and the easy-to-follow format. It’s structured so well. It breaks down each section, what it means, what we are currently doing and recommendations to improve it. It’s clear and precise on what needs to be done, and how to deliver it. It’s really, really amazing.”
Blake recommends an IDA audit be undertaken by all similar businesses.
“If a business’s online presence affects their revenue then the cost of the audit is going to be worthwhile. It sets you up for success and it delivers on your return.”
