Introduction
RUX gives us all a faster and more convenient way to pack, carry, AND store our gear. This collapsible, fully weatherproof product is built for the life outdoors and has garnered quite the following, being featured across various publications such as Outside, Flipboard, Cool Material, Forbes, and more.
As a relatively new brand launching in early 2022, RUX had ambitious goals and had already tested two different agencies.
To be profitable as a new DTC business, RUX needed us to:
- Double ROAS from 1.4X to 3X
- Increase spend by over 300%
- Sell out all their unsold inventory on Black Friday
All Killer, No Filler
Jamie Bond (Co-founder at RUX) joined Eric Dyck on the DTC Podcast to recap their experience in prepping, testing offers and creative, building a community of creators, and ultimately scaling their business during the frenzy of Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2022.
Check out DTC’s podcast with the RUX and Pilothouse team providing insights and strategies on how we increased YoY revenue and ROAS during Q4. The podcast covers topics such as pilot testing to uncover new audiences, offer testing for optimal performance, lead generation for sales optimization, and turning customers and creators into brand storytellers.
Summary of Results
(3 months with Pilothouse)
Shopify Revenue
revenue (first 30 days)
during BFCM
($79.09 for BFCM)
week prior
The Kickoff
RUX approached us for support with their growth strategy and sustainable scaling efforts while driving up their ROAS.
As part of the process we:
- Conducted extensive Pilot tests focused around ad copy and creative angles.
- Slotted winning ads into Retargeting & Prospecting Evergreen Campaigns.
- Set up an Audience Matrix Campaign - continuously tests new audience batches.
The first thing we do when onboarding a client is check their metrics and what their current account winners are.
were their starting benchmarks:
The Strategy
Pilot Tests & Evergreen Campaign Setup
We initially started with a couple of Pilot tests focused around the ad copy and creative angles. The goal was to isolate creative into its own test by all using the same version of broad ad copy.
Rapid Creative Iteration Testing
Ongoing creative tests allowed us to determine what clearly works, so we could quickly iterate off of those styles. We worked with the client to ensure we were getting 1–2 batches of new creative each week to keep things moving and fresh.
Successful New Product Launch
In Month 2 of our relationship, RUX launched a new Gray 70L model. This had let us capitalize on some scale with a new announcement! Creative and Copy tests provided strong data on what creatives we should use for the launch. One thing our team noticed was that a creative showing multiple RUX 70Ls was converting well with a high AOV, so we ensured we got a gray version of that created.
We then set up two separate PRS and RTG campaigns for this launch. The key here is to isolate the launch as it adds horizontal scale, while allowing us to push budgets and optimize based on what’s working specifically for the launch. Often, our evergreen campaigns will also pick up when something like this is launched and added to the site.
UGC Testing and Darkposting
RUX had not yet tried UGC/darkposting on the account and needed guidance. We filmed our own creator-generated content, scheduled a creative call, and provided them with a brief that had 5 video styles they could send to their creators.
These new videos helped the account find more horizontal scale and skyrocketed ROAS. There’s also the added benefit to their full ecosystem when launching creator-generated content such as this, and in turn we saw their Organic, Google, and Email traffic pick up alongside these improvements.
UGC Testing and Darkposting
They expressed that their previous agency didn’t take efforts in booking additional calls such as creative brainstorming or Q4 planning. We think this was a huge bonus for the account because it made everyone aligned with upcoming promos and what a strong creative direction would be.
We’ve been meeting once per week to ensure team<>client alignment, but will also breakout when needed. Additionally, both teams being connected via Slack ensures that communication is rapid and pointed.
After 3 months, we had seen the metrics climb to:
- CPA: $111 (25% improvement)
- AOV: $341 (59% improvement)
- ROAS: 3.06 (111% improvement)
Now that the account was established, consistent, and growing, it was time to start planning out Black Friday and how we can elevate to the next level…
The BFCM Outcome
Six months leading
up to BFCM
BFCM Period
Nov 22 - 28
The Outcome
One of the major factors that contributed to RUX’s BFCM success was the lead generation list. In addition to the sales and learnings generated through promotions, we grew our Black Friday lead gen list to approx. 600 people and targeted them leading up to the sale. They got an exclusive deal, and targeting that list alone broke a single day revenue record for RUX.
Additionally:
- Simple sale messaging
- Duping top sale campaigns and changing them to have a one-day click view attribution
- Our Pilothouse landing page that was being tested against RUX’s
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Pilothouse is the most engaged partner we’ve had yet, with everyone on the team being tuned into our needs and working towards our goals. When we switched to Pilothouse, our ROAS went from less than 1.0 to 4.5 almost instantly, and it's been successful ever since.
