How Missguided Became Famous Fast (Marketing Techniques)

Missguided has conquered the world of fashion.

The brand's presence can be felt in street style, social media, and popular culture. In fact, last year it gained a record of £117 million in annual revenue and boasted a website with 4.5 million customers.

How did Missguided become a famous fast fashion brand?

1. Drives customer acquisition with referral programs

Missguided didn't want to create generic marketing campaigns, instead they wanted to communicate with shoppers in their own language. They knew that their customer base could propel their brand in the online world, and that is why they launched their own referral scheme.

Missguided's referral program provides influential customers with a platform where they can talk about their positive experiences with their friends. If these friends make an actual purchase and enter the influencer's name at the checkout, then influencers will receive rewards in return.

"We are constantly looking at how we can engage with our customers in their online journey. Having recently launched online reviews, referrals is the obvious next step to capitalise on our positive brand sentiment." said Nicola Fox, Head of Customer Relationship Management.

What makes this program a stroke of genius, is the creative copywriting in its promotional pubs. The brand encourages millennials to join by adapting to their style of communication.

The program is not only an organic way to reach customers, but it's also a great way to incentive loyal customers to remain loyal with the brand.

2. Trigger-based emails - increased engagement with personalized campaigns

Missguided created trigger-based email campaigns in order to engage with customers at different stages in the buying cycle. These emails were meant to inspire single-visit customers to keep coming back for more.

Among these campaigns are the "Welcome Campaign" which consists of a series of emails given to new customers.

Another campaign is the "Birthday campaign" which gives customers discounts, free next-day delivery or encouraging messages.

These campaigns increased the brand's click-through rate by 133% and increased conversion by 298%. In addition, the email revenue from the campaigns increased by 439%. These results show how personalized email campaigns are an effective way to build short-term or long-term consumer relationships.

By using personalized messages to connect with customers, Missguided is not only able to lead customers in the buying cycle, but also build relationships with its customers.

3. Created a Tinder-inspired app with "Swipe to Hype" features

Tinder's swipe left for "nope" and right for "yep" is a well-known innovation in user experience. After all, it it enables users to make quickly browse dating profiles and make fast decisions about dating prospects.

Now, what if the same feature could be applied to shopping?

It was this idea that propelled Missguided to launch a "swipe to hype" feature in its own app. Users could swipe left for "nah" and swipe right for "love" when viewing products.

Loved products are added to a personal wish list.

The app also includes lookbooks with diverse styles that come with a "shop the look" button. As its name suggests, the feature allows customers to shop for the products in the photo

Missguided clearly understands that its customers love mobile. By including the swipe and shop the look features in its app, Missguided is not only able to create a fast and efficient e-commerce experience, but it also encourages customers to keep coming back for more.

4. Created Edgy Online Advertisements Targeted to Millennial Customers

Missguided invests a lot in online ads.

The brand creates pop-ups, banners and videos to engage with its customers in popular blogs and gossip forums. In fact, Mintel research claimed that the brand's promotions reach two fifths of internet users and gained the a reach of 78% among consumers.

In all these promotional mediums, the brand publishes an interesting mix of attractive visuals with creative copy.

The brand also makes use of geo-targeting to advertise its stores based on locations. When the brand opens new stores, consumers in the area immediately find out through targeted online campaigns.

Through these efforts, the brand is able to communicate with its desired target market.

Here's a recap of the lessons from Missguided’s Success

• Drive customer acquisition with referral programs
• Create trigger-based email campaigns
• Build apps with "swipe to hype" features
• Invest in online advertisements