The Challenge

A luxury candle brand was experiencing a year-over-year decline in site conversion rate. Analysis of Google Analytics revealed that the issue was concentrated among returning customers who made up 60% of site visitors. The root cause: the company had retired several of its most popular legacy scents, leaving loyal customers unable to find the products they loved.

The Insight

The business was losing customer continuity. Loyal buyers were left without alternatives, leading to frustration and lower repeat purchase rates. By cross-selling new scents as natural replacements, the brand could retain its most valuable audience while continuing to grow revenue.

The Strategy

I developed a multi-channel retention strategy focused on directing previous customers toward new scents most aligned with their past preferences. The plan leveraged first-party data across email, social, and search to keep messaging consistent and personalized, maximizing visibility and conversion potential.

The Execution

• Email:

  • Email 1: Targeted previous purchasers of retired scents with messaging about product retirement and curated recommendations of similar scents, paired with a 10% incentive.

  • Email 2: Follow-up to non-converters three days later, reinforcing the offer and inviting them to explore alternatives sitewide.

• Social Media:

  • Audiences: Segmented by scent interest, time since last product page view, and time since last purchase (aligning with the 30-day repurchase cycle).

  • Creative: Multiple variations tested: direct “similar scent” positioning, new scent introductions, and straightforward product ads.

• Search:

  • Keywords: Continued bidding on retired scent search terms.

  • Creative: Informed users of product retirement while redirecting to curated landing pages highlighting similar scents.

The Results

The cross-sell initiative quickly reversed declining conversion trends:

• 1,564 previous customers converted to new scents within the two-week test

• $9 Blended ROAS achieved across media campaigns

• Retention improved as legacy customers re-engaged with new product offerings

The Takeaway

This case illustrates how retention is as critical as acquisition for luxury brands. By strategically cross-selling new products to replace retired favorites, I helped the brand preserve loyalty, drive repeat revenue, and ensure long-term customer engagement.