Christmas comes early again for Hawkin’s Bazaar

Hawkin’s Bazaar is operated by Norwich-based company Tobar. It offers a huge variety of toys, collectables, gifts and games online and in-store at locations across the UK.

Hawkin’s Bazaar invited Further to create and manage their Christmas paid search campaign. Having worked with the brand for many years, we understand the results they expect. Liaising closely with the client, we made the most of the budget exceeding the expected returns for paid search while profitably deploying paid and organic social media marketing.

Our PPC approach was one of flexibility and adaptability. We understood the complexities and challenges that the high season provided but were able to avoid them through shopping-feed optimisation and a granular approach to campaign setup.

Shopping feed optimisation included removing out-of-stock products and using promotions within ads. However the biggest strategic decision was the use of custom labels to segment products by product margins. This approach, as well as looking at product price and conversion rate, meant we could effectively set and adjust bids and budgets to generate revenue at an agreed business profit margin.

Not only did this mean we had an efficient structure for our initial bid and budget setting, it also meant future adjustments could easily be accommodated. For example, if the price of products or profit margins were to shift, so too could our structure and strategy. Custom labels also allowed us to easily isolate groups of products during promotions or, if there was a business need, prioritise or deprioritise them.

The paid search campaign gathered momentum quickly, allowing us to recommend new ways to position the brand at the front of Christmas shoppers’ minds. We used Facebook marketing to run highly engaging catalogue sales ads and Instant Experience ads. The former was a great way to give interested users more product imagery and details about the range available through the online store.

Further also suggested that the client use Instagram during the Christmas period. Organic Instagram activity capitalised on user interest by tapping into existing and trending hashtags, engaging  with users who were interacting with the brand or its products, and amplifying promotional messaging. Additionally, organic posts were aligned with product areas that were particularly successful, to maintain sales momentum, or less successful, to boost performance.