3 Retail Brands In The APAC Region That Drove Conversions With Their Instagram Campaigns

The global retail industry generated about $25 trillion in 2019 and was forecasted to reach almost $27 trillion in 2022. However, the industry was severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic despite the retail market’s promising growth.

But as restrictions and lockdowns ease around the world, the retail sector is again expected to pick up. However, that would require them to come up with mind-blowing marketing campaigns and leverage the existing marketing platforms- maybe something similar to these three following retail brands.

1. Erigo

Erigo is a leading menswear brand in Indonesia and offers on-trend casual clothing and accessories.

Their Objective

Erigo sought to reach new potential customers by offering them personalized and high-quality online shopping experiences during Ramadan.

Approach & Solution

Erigo understood that Instagram hosts a huge population of GenZ and millennials fashion-savvy audiences. So, it teamed up with the social media platform to capitalize upon its huge user base.

Erigo ran a campaign of video ads by using the click to Instagram Direct objective that encouraged people to chat with a “virtual stylist.” The fashion brand also collaborated with several local celebrities and influencers for the video, which promoted the brand and spread awareness among people on how to launch a direct message conversation.

Upon clicking on the ad, an Instagram Direct conversation opened automatically. People could then chat with an Erigo stylist in real-time and get recommendations that were best suited to their personal aesthetic and lifestyle. After the conversation ended, the stylist sent a link to Erigo’s e-commerce page on Shopee along with a discount code, which further encouraged them to make a purchase.

The Result

The Instagram campaign performed reasonably well for Erigo as they witnessed 1.9X higher incremental basket size from customers who clicked to Instagram Direct, compared to people who didn’t within the same period. Also, they experienced a 3.5-point increase in their brand awareness as 8,700 people were assisted in six weeks.

2. Kiehl’s Malaysia

Kiehl’s is a personal care brand that specializes in skin, hair, and body care products.

Their Objective

Kiehl’s wanted to reach Malaysian customers and drive sales during the competitive shopping period that coincides with Ramadan.

Approach & Solution

Kiehl’s Malaysia sought to take inspiration from Ramadan’s tradition of home visits and evoke the idea of togetherness despite the continued lockdowns in Malaysia due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, it created a campaign based on the idea of an open house event, that featured a series of Instagram Live events hosted by Kiehl’s beauty advisors.

In the days leading up to the livestreams, Kiehl’s ran a series of dynamic ads, video ads, and event ads in the Instagram feed that promoted the Virtual House, as well as photo ads in Instagram Stories. The ads in the feed featured colorful images that appealed to people and communicated the date and time of the Live events. The ads also promoted various activities, such as virtual quizzes and games, that people could play on Kiehl’s website, where they could also register to receive free product samples.

Kiehl’s beauty advisors shared information about its products, as well as skincare tips and tricks that would be useful during Ramadan in the Instagram Live events. The advisors also encouraged people to purchase in the following three ways-

1. By commenting on the brand’s Instagram ads with a specific hashtag that automatically opened a conversation in Instagram Direct

2. visiting the Kiehl’s Instagram Shop

3. By visiting Kiehl’s website.

For the rest of the Ramadan period, Kiehl’s ran simultaneous campaigns that featured dynamic carousel ads and ads with product tags in Instagram feed, as well as ads that click to Instagram Direct in both Instagram feed and Stories. When people interacted with the ads by clicking or swiping, an Instagram Direct conversation automatically opened that invited people to make a purchase or ask questions.

The Result

Kiehl’s Instagram campaign performed outstandingly well and led to an 8X return on ad spending. Also, it helped them earn 50% of the new customers that they earned in the first half of 2021. Moreover, 59% of their online sales earned during the campaign period were a direct outcome of this campaign. Finally, Kiehl’s attained a 29% conversion rate from qualified leads who engaged in conversational commerce via Instagram Direct.

3. Krispy Kreme Australia

Krispy Kreme is popular for its Original Glazed Doughnuts and barista coffee and had released four retro doughnut flavors in 2019, inspired by Aussie childhood classics, which it called its Throwback Party range.

Their Objective

Krispy Kreme sought to increase its relevance among the younger generation and be at the top of the mind of younger consumers.

Approach & Solution

To capitalize on the throwback trend of 2019, Krispy Kreme launched a suite of retro mobile arcade games and turned its Instagram profile into a virtual arcade. Each of these games was inspired by a classic 1990 video game.

To drive awareness, Krispy Kreme promoted the games via photo and video ads in Instagram feed and Stories. People could swipe straight from the ads in Stories to load a virtual retro-inspired handheld game console on their screens. Players could play the games right there in Stories and then return to Krispy's profile to switch games and play some more.

A leaderboard tracked the high scores of players, with the top players on the leaderboard winning either a three-month, six-month, or one-year supply of Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

The Result

Krispy Kreme’s Instagram campaign led to a 25-point increase in ad recall along with a 33-point lift in unique users. Also, they observed a 51% increase in the number of mobile users visiting their website and a 30% boost in their e-commerce sales from the previous year.

Bottom Line

Instagram boasts of a large population of a young, tech-savvy audience, which makes it an ideal platform for brands trying to reach out to new users. With a plethora of features, it offers brands the perfect avenue to market themselves to their desired customer base. However, as we always say, content and an effective marketing strategy is the key to achieving success on any platform, including Instagram.

So, how do you plan to use this marketing channel?