Savings.com was born on the web, so implementing a mobile-first strategy to take advantage of the surge in mobile connectivity was key for growth. Given that more than 40% of coupon-related searches happen on mobile devices, Savings.com's mobile strategy captured this demand and increased mobile traffic by 300% while driving an increase in revenue from mobile devices by 1,000%. Now, the company launches all campaigns with a mobile component, considers mobile in all product development decisions and creates all Savings.com sites and apps with a responsive design.
Goals
Better understand the full value of mobile
Adopt a mobile-first strategy across the company
Increase traffic and conversions from mobile devices
Approach
Increased mobile bid adjustments to capture mobile traffic
Measured increase in traffic and revenue on mobile devices to better understand the full value of mobile
Results
Mobile traffic increased 300%+ YoY
Revenue from mobile devices increased 1,000%
A mobile-first strategy was adopted in business infrastructure through R&D and product development
Savings.com adopts mobile-first strategy
Savings.com believes no one should have to pay full price. Since launching in 2007, the site has helped save consumers over $750 million by offering coupons and deals redeemable at 25,000 national retailers.
Savings.com was born on the web, so implementing a mobile-first strategy to take advantage of the surge in mobile connectivity was key for growth. The company now launches all campaigns with a mobile component, considers mobile in all product development decisions and creates all Savings.com sites and apps with a responsive design.
The decision to adopt a mobile-first strategy comes from Savings.com’s understanding of coupon users’ mobile behavior. A majority use their smartphone or tablet to research coupons, no matter whether they are on the go, at home or in a store. Google search data confirms this, as over a third of all coupon-related searches are now on mobile devices. And the growth is continuing on mobile, with coupon-related searches up 41%.1
Loren Bendele, president and co-founder of Savings.com, notes that the strategy is rooted in consumer behavior trends. “The Savings.com mobile-first strategy is really a consumer-first strategy,” he says. “Understanding the needs of the constantly connected consumer is much more significant than implementing a multi-channel marketing plan. Competitive advantage is the ability to use analytics to engage your consumer at just the right moment, with just the right content and information. This realization is transforming our entire business.”
Our competitive advantage stems from interpreting behavioral data to optimize our ad copy, landing pages and deals for an optimal mobile experience. We immediately saw a significant increase in sales coming off of smartphones and continue to invest time and marketing dollars to maximize the channel .
Capture, convert and retain on mobile
Savings.com’s mobile-first strategy aims to connect with coupon users on mobile in three stages: capture, convert and retain. “Our competitive advantage stems from interpreting behavioral data to optimize our ad copy, landing pages and deals for an optimal mobile experience,” says Seth Barnes, head of marketing. “We immediately saw a significant increase in sales coming off of smartphones and continue to invest time and marketing dollars to maximize the channel.”
Savings.com shifted its marketing strategy to captivate deal seekers. Specifically, it optimized its marketing campaigns by device type, time of day and location. Aware of the importance of appearing in the top two ad spots on mobile, Savings.com also set mobile bid adjustment for each merchant. Since consumer purchase behavior varies across merchants, this allowed Savings.com to control its return on investment (ROI) at scale.
In addition to driving more mobile consumers to Savings.com, its new marketing approach has led to increased conversions, resulting in incremental sales for merchants. Savings.com is committed to providing customers with the best online experience and offers available. In addition to its sophisticated mobile strategy, the company constantly monitors search engine marketing (SEM) campaign performance through proprietary software.
Results from mobile-first strategy
Since adopting its new strategy, its mobile click-through rate (CTR) is 200% higher than its desktop CTR, which has helped drive a 300% year-over-year (YoY) increase in traffic from mobile devices.2
With more than 35% of Savings.com’s traffic coming from mobile devices, revenue from mobile users has increased more than 1,000% YoY,3 showing a profitable model for the company.
Savings.com is excited by the success it has seen so far, and it is continuing to invest heavily to consistently provide users with the best offers available. The proprietary software provides detailed reporting that helps it make informed decisions in its campaign management based on which categories perform best for users on mobile devices.
Mobile-first strategy in action
Foot Locker is just one example where Savings.com has seen notable success with its mobile strategy. After it increased its mobile bid adjustment, 66% of the Foot Locker traffic on Savings.com comes from mobile devices. The new approach allowed Savings.com to be more competitive in the mobile auction, ultimately saving Foot Locker shoppers over $100,000 in six months.
The mobile future
As it looked forward to consumer trends, Savings.com realized that its mobile-first strategy was critical for overall success. While revenue from consumers buying directly off their phones will continue to increase, the biggest opportunity comes in realizing that mobile is perhaps the biggest touchpoint in the whole consumer journey. As mobile websites continue to improve and mobile conversion rates rise, Savings.com’s approach has positioned the company well to drive incremental sales for merchants on all device types.
Today, almost everyone has a phone within reach when buying something— online or offline. In this new connected world, coupon affiliates and retailers will have to adopt an omnichannel strategy to reach the coupon consumer, wherever and whenever they decide to shop.
