The business challenge
Communicating a truly unique retail experience
Paper Republic is a gift store with a reputation as the ultimate destination for one-of-a-kind gifts. Their Camberwell retail store, which is known for its abundance of unique, artisanal gifting options, has secured a loyal following of local customers who return to the store time and time again.
Paper Republic needed a robust brand strategy and identity, including ongoing support in marketing their first location, before expanding to service online markets and eventually service multiple store locations. The changing face of retail during these key transitions presented many challenges, and Paper Republic needed an experienced strategy and tactical execution partner.
The insight
Finding a thoughtful gift can be a huge time commitment
The rise of beautiful, highly stylised visual content on social media, especially on Instagram, has seen the demand for bespoke accessories and gift products increase exponentially. Aesthetically pleasing gifts represent the ultimate aspiration for younger gift-givers.
However, sourcing a truly unique gift that is perfectly packaged and presented can be challenging for time-poor consumers.
The idea
Thoughtfully curated gifts, handpicked and wrapped with care
The magic of the Paper Republic retail experience was in the feeling of excitement and discovery in the physical store. Customers loved exploring carefully hand-picked products presented through charming merchandising and exceptional customer service.
Paper Republic and its brand needed to reflect the sense of uniqueness and discovery quickly with the customer. Following development of the brand, Paper Republic also needed to translate this unique ambience to an e-commerce environment, which required thinking outside the box.
We emphasised the tactile elements of the Paper Republic experience through a mix of national digital and social advertising and local area marketing, highlighting the curated selection of products and special personal touches, such as handwritten cards and complimentary gift wrapping.
With plans to expand the physical business to additional locations already underway, they were eager to develop an e-commerce store to extend their reach beyond the immediate Camberwell precinct. With their primary audience comprising late-40s females, Paper Republic also aimed to engage a younger male and female demographic at a national level.
Brand marketing campaigns were also key to the success of Paper Republic. Assemblo worked to develop key creative and campaign taglines. We also produced visually stunning, on-brand creative to enhance brand cut-through, including photography that captured Paper Republic’s best-selling products styled in beautiful arrangements, as well as video content that conveyed the sense of wonder and discovery unique to the shopping experience.
The impact
In addition to launching the brand strategy, visual identity, voice and developing an e-commerce store for Paper Republic, the ‘Thoughtfully curated gifts’ campaign achieved fantastic results, including:
- 130% increase in physical sales (from the previous period)
- More than $200,000 of lifetime value generated through the campaign
- 16% increase in average basket size
- 129% increase in visitor traffic to the e-commerce store
- Attracted 90% new users to the e-commerce platform
- 50% increase in Facebook followers
The successful launch of the e-commerce site, alongside growth in a downturn market, set up Paper Republic to continue to grow and flourish as one of Melbourne’s leading fine paper and gift businesses.