Website Closers® presents an eCommerce business that provides Personalized & Themed Fleece Throw Blankets for special occasions such as birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Christmas. The brand successfully combines two massively popular consumer trends: The desire for creative gift giving around special occasions and the increasing appeal of personalized gifts. The unique combination of thoughtfulness and creativity presented as an appealing, practical, and sustainable gift continues to open additional markets and create new demand.
A broad range of opportunities is open to the brand: product expansion, new eCommerce marketplaces, wholesale market expansion, and harnessing social media and influencer marketing. Sites like Pinterest, TikTok, and Instagram are hugely influential in the gift and special occasions niche, and a strategic campaign would likely show excellent ROI. Introducing an affiliate program with influencer marketing and partnerships would make a great addition.
The highly profitable nature of this business has given this brand the cash flow it needs to move beyond specific occasions and focus on opportunities to develop additional products. As a result, it’ll enable them to continue DTC sales long after Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Mother’s and Father’s Day has come and gone. In fact, the brand is now focusing on developing products in additional verticals that are not seasonal but are targeted toward other important occasions, such as funerals and anniversaries. With the ability to identify popular items, the owner can use these new SKUs to enable the company to shift sales away from a seasonal peak to year-round while continually growing the catalog.
Impeccable service and great prices on quality items have given this business the power to become a leader in its niche. Rising sales have set this brand up to become a global company. Their reach extends through North America and Canada, but expansion opportunities are rife.
All products are designed by contractors, when necessary, while manufacturing is done by highly accredited suppliers with whom the business has built long-term partnerships. The brand owns two trademarks registered by the USPTO. Products are sourced from China and ordered directly from the supplier, after which they’re shipped to a 3PL warehouse in California. The company also has a sourcing agent in China who helps them order and store certain SKUs and arranges inspections of all products. The manufacturer usually agrees to keep some of the stock at their warehouse or the freight forwarders warehouse for 1-3 months for free or a small fee.
They maintain 93% inventory year-round because of the MOQ. However, the business could improve this number by finding a new supplier with a lower MOQ, negotiating the MOQ with the current supplier, or by increasing sales volumes, which is already happening. With an Average Order Value of $29, sales are soaring, and the company has 7 SKUs that have been best sellers and account for 68% of sales.
This brand has phenomenal growth potential as a company that has mastered the special occasion gift niche. Considering their great success with marketing products in the U.S and Canada, there’s ample opportunity to expand onto Amazon’s platforms in different regions like Europe, Mexico, Australia, and the U.K, amongst others. In addition, they could also continue to build sales momentum by expanding onto other local eCommerce websites such as Etsy, eBay, Walmart, and of course, their own website. Notably, all products are sold Prime, which comes with various benefits.
The owner spends just 10 hours weekly on the business, without the need for any additional staff. Instead, she spends her time managing inventory and PPC advertising. No office or warehouse space is necessary, meaning this business can be run remotely from anywhere in the world. A designer and a sourcing agent work on a freelance basis when needed. The minimal workload is a notable KPI, giving new owners a comfortable business to enjoy or plenty of time to focus on expansion.
Expanding digital marketing strategies presents another excellent haul of opportunities. For example, a regular email newsletter would undoubtedly attract more customers, increase repeat business, and could be used to launch new products, run promotions, and offer upsells. In addition, implementing higher PPC ad spend on both Amazon and Google, starting an influencer campaign on their social media accounts, and getting top SKUs listed in popular, published gift guides would help this already flourishing business snowball. As it stands, the company only spends $10 per SKU daily, and by optimizing its listings and ad spend, sales would soar.
The typical customer is 16 – 65 years old. Some products appeal to the younger generation, like the best friend blankets, while others appeal to more senior buyers. Customers are looking for a gift for their loved ones and are willing to spend more on a good quality item, helping this brand achieve a customer lifetime value of around $25-$55. This is a terrific opportunity to take ownership of a company that is shifting from one that peaks highly during special occasions to one with the potential to become a top-performing gift site year-round. As new SKUs come online, this brand’s fantastic reputation with its loyal customer base and good word-of-mouth referrals will likely make it a leading contender as gift-giving champions.
