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The shift to Ecwid: A cost-effective ecommerce solution
Before moving to Ecwid, CA Design ran its store through Squarespace. However, as its business evolved, it needed a more efficient system to manage its complex supply chain, which involved multiple suppliers, varying lead times, and its own in-house stock. Cost played a major role in the decision to choose Ecwid, and since implementing it, CA Design has been able to centralize sales operations, making it easier to track and plan orders.
“We needed a platform that would allow us to manage everything in one place,” says Harry Kelly, Ecommerce Manager at CA Design. “Ecwid gave us the structure to track stock levels, supplier timelines, and plan our sales in a way that was previously difficult to manage.”
Beyond operational efficiency, Ecwid’s customer support has stood out as a key benefit. “Their support team is outstanding. Every retailer knows that having a team that can respond quickly to your needs is invaluable,” Harry notes.
Turning email marketing into a sales powerhouse
CA Design’s email marketing transformation began less than a year ago when it migrated to Omnisend. The move was prompted by frustration with its previous email platform, which lacked features and poorly integrated with Ecwid. Omnisend offered a seamless transition and integration with its current ecommerce platform.
“Omnisend has opened up a new world of possibilities for us,” Harry shares. “Now email marketing is our core sales driver.”
With Omnisend, CA Design has streamlined its email marketing with automation, segmentation, and intuitive tools.
“The ability to send automated emails based on customer interests has been a major upgrade,” says Harry. “We can quickly create highly targeted segments, massively improving campaign effectiveness.”
Omnisend’s drag-and-drop builder made launching emails effortless. “We can go from idea to execution in no time.” Plus, high-converting signup forms provide clear campaign insights. “They’ve allowed us to measure the success of our ads and competitions more accurately.”
Growing the email list with giveaways
One of CA Design’s most successful list-building strategies has been running giveaways in collaboration with influencers. Its approach is simple but effective: participants must agree to receive marketing communications from CA Design when entering a competition. Each entrant is tagged within Omnisend to track engagement and pick winners.
“We tested giveaways and quickly saw our list grow by 10–15% in a very short amount of time,” Harry shares. “The process is seamless with Omnisend, and we can track every entry effortlessly.”
So far, CA Design’s campaigns have delivered strong results, bringing in 200, 800 and 2,000 new entrants, respectively.
While competition entrants don’t convert immediately, their high average order value makes them valuable long-term prospects. “Some of our customers sit on our list for years before purchasing, but when they do, it’s a big-ticket item,” Harry explains. With top-selling chairs priced at €2,195, these aren’t impulse buys — but when customers are ready, the payoff is significant.
Sales-driven emails
CA Design operates in a highly competitive industry, selling exclusively to the Irish domestic market. Its email marketing strategy leans heavily on sales-driven messaging, emphasizing:
- Discounts, which consistently drive the best results. “People love a good deal, and we’ve found that discount-focused emails perform the best,” Harry shares.
- Limited stock alerts and delivery time information. “We highlight when stock is running low or when an item is in stock and ready to ship — it creates urgency,” he explains.
- A/B testing different messaging styles to maximize open and click-through rates. “We constantly tweak our messaging based on open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribe rates. If something works, we double down on it,” Harry says.
One surprising insight was that text-based hyperlinks to products tend to generate higher click-through rates than traditional CTA buttons. Averaging 5%+ click-through with hyperlinks as opposed to product listing and CTA centered campaigns where the click-through can be 1.5%. However, balancing high engagement with actual conversions remains a constant focus. “We noticed that text links get clicked a lot more than buttons, but those clicks don’t always translate to sales — so we’re always fine-tuning our approach,” Harry explains.
Higher B2C sales and streamlined operations
Since focusing its efforts on ecommerce, CA Design’s B2C sales have dramatically increased, and the team has been able to handle high-value orders more efficiently. While repeat purchases are rare — customers may only return after several years — CA Design’s email marketing strategy keeps them engaged for the long term.
“Our customers don’t buy frequently, but when they do, it’s a high-value purchase. Omnisend helps us stay in front of them until they’re ready,” Harry shares.
What’s next?
In the future, CA Design plans to expand its use of Omnisend’s automation features, further refining its email marketing strategy to drive even better results.
“Omnisend has given us the ability to react quickly and design campaigns that fit our dynamic business environment. It’s been a turning point for us,” Harry concludes.
