Princess Polly Digital Marketing Communications
When it comes to online shopping, Princess Polly is one of the first websites I click on to. When you mention the name Princess Polly most Australian teens and young adults would have heard of it. There is no misconception that Princess Polly is one of a leading retailer in Australia with a global reach.
Princess Polly started operations in 2005 as a brick and mortar store in the Gold Coast (Gallantway 2020). In 2010, Wez and Eirin Byrett, founders of the brand launched the digital website and realised that online sales were overtaking the physical store sales. This was the start of their retail empire.
So what were the next steps?
They wanted to take advantage of their online presence, build a loyal following whilst increasing sales and exporting products internationally. How were they able to do this? It's simple. Digital marketing communications.
Princess Polly's digital presence has been the catalyst in establishing a successful fashion label and here is why.
As soon as you click on the website you receive a sign up banner and a 10% off on your first order. I would be lying if I said I've never signed up and received that discount, which was a very effective way for me to stay up to date with the latest sales and newest releases. This strategy has developing helped Princess Polly build a loyal and repeat consumer base. Their brand image is reflected in the website, which has a highly stylish and retro appearance. A well-designed website attracts and engages customers, encouraging them to shop and explore.
Blog
Princess Polly's blog has everything you can think of relating to beauty, fashion, music and lifestyle. Having a blog allows consumers to engage with the brand in a personal level by learning tips and tricks and gaining a sense of community within Princess Polly. The blog shows an authentic side to Princess Polly which strengthens their brand image of being a trendy, quality and chic brand. Unfortunately, the blog hasn't had any recent posts since 2018, which is a shame since I really enjoyed the insightful makeup tutorials and festival inspo edits they discussed.
Social Media Marketing
Princess Polly utilises influencer marketing, which has allowed them to reach a larger audience while also increasing sales. They have 2.2 million followers on Instagram, making it their most popular platform (Instagram 2021). Princess Polly uses this to get quick feedback, allowing them to develop popular apparel lines that are in high demand rather than wasting money on flops. They make extensive use of all available features, including posts, reels, stories, IGTV, lives, and the in-app shopping option. Princess Polly can now repost outfit photos from staff, influencers, and consumers who have tagged the brand using Posts. The comment and hashtag option can be used to display consumer-to-business interaction, increasing the likelihood of Princess Polly being discovered by consumers. Princess Polly has been able to present more in-depth clothing description thanks to Instagram Stories and IGTV capabilities, which is enjoyable for customers to engage and interact in. During the 2020 lockdown period, Princess Polly was able to host well-known influencers and educate viewers beauty and lifestyle tips and tricks via Instagram live (Gallantway 2020).
TikTok
Princess Polly uses TikTok to create more brand awareness on a faster and more global scale than any other platform. TikTok's algorithm has enabled the brand to spread their videos and content to more viewers and different demographics. On TikTok, the Princess Polly official account has generated 274k followers and 1.9m likes implying that this is a successful marketing strategy (TikTok 2021). Just like Instagram, TikTok has comment and live features allowing consumers to interact with the brand and building connections. Princess Polly on TikTok shows a comedic side to the brand image and personality which make them much more appealing.
Princess Polly uses Facebook to target their older audience, with 442,176 people following them (Facebook 2021). They use Facebook to advertise the most recent discounts and specials, as well as memes and fashion inspiration. Using this platform, they have been able to communicate with a large number of customers on a regular basis, ensuring that they are informed about sale periods. Princess Polly will be able to attract even more customers that prefer Facebook to Instagram, resulting in increased sales and performance.
Other Platforms
Princess Polly also uses Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and Snapchat, however they are the least popular, resulting in lower engagement. To strengthen these platforms, they could participate in current trends, such as podcasts with well-known influencers on YouTube. I've also noticed that they haven't been active on a few of these platforms in a long time. Princess Polly should develop small marketing teams for each platform to ensure that these platforms are exploited in order to continue the growth and enhancement of the brand's performance.
It is clear to say Princess Polly has utilised the digital media world in ways that has grown and strengthened their brand image and performance. Without launching the brand in 2010, the brand wouldn't have excelled in sales, therefore no expansion would have taken place and the brand wouldn't be one of the top fashion businesses in Australia and internationally. With the use of digital media communications, sonsumers are able to connect with Princess Polly through platforms that enable commenting, sharing and posting which is a promotion of word of mouth. The brand image has developed positvely showing the authenticity and humourous sides of the brand, which creates a sense of community and belonging when looking at the Princess Polly. In creating a positive brand image, the brand performance exells leading to more product line releases and collaborations being seen constantly on Princess Polly's platforms.
References
Facebook, 2021, PRINCESS POLLY, viewed on 1 September 2021 <https://www.facebook.com/pollyboutique>
Gallantway, 2020, Case Study: The Technology, Strategy & Growth Process Behind Aussie Retailer Princess Polly, viewed on 1 September 2021, <https://medium.com/gobeyond-ai/case-study-the-technology-strategy-growth-process-behind-aussie-retailer-princess-polly-1f2d85b90652>
Instagram, 2021, PRINCESSPOLLY.COM, viewed on 1 September 2021, <https://www.instagram.com/princesspollyboutique/?hl=en>
TikTok, 2021, Princess Polly, viewed on 1 September 2021, <https://www.tiktok.com/@princesspolly?lang=en>
I love princess polly! one of my favourite brands to engage with, especially on their website :)
ReplyDeleteActually just purchased some things from princess polly so it's good to know more about the way they market their things, no wonder why they're so popular! love the post
ReplyDelete