Jennie Perry is the Chief Marketing Officer at Grove Collaborative, an eCommerce store that crafts and curates earth-changing products for the home with over 2 million customers. Jennie’s been marketing products and retailer stores (on and offline) for over 25 years including Old Navy, Stride Rite, Amazon Fashion & Amazon Prime.
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About Jennie
Jennie was doing marketing for Old Navy when she was pulled out from her role to launch its eCommerce site. It was while working on this that she fell in love with the ability to move quickly and respond and interact with customers online.
She later on moved to Amazon to work on their clothing category, which she helped fuel as their Chief Marketing Officer.
About Grove Collaborative
Grove Collaborative’s headquarters is in San Francisco, California. On their website, they sell their own products as well products from other sustainability-oriented brands.
They also recently launched a selection of Grove Co. products in Target stores. Jennie says they’re excited about reaching customers in-store because even while their eCommerce business is growing, in-store purchases still account for majority of their sales.
Sustainability For Grove Co.
Jennie says there are various layers and dimensions to sustainability, but when it comes to the products they offer, they do the following:
- Work with Leaping Bunny to ensure that the products they offer are cruelty-free.
- Review supplier factories for their social compliance initiative.
- Look for ways to minimize plastic in their entire ecosystem.
Grove Co. is committed to being plastic-free by 2025, and wants to inspire others to move in the same direction.
How They’re Doing Marketing
Grove Co. has gotten clearer about their brand positioning and messaging, and they’ve come to understand their consumers and customer segmentation.
Jennie says that because Grove Co. isn’t big enough yet to do different marketing messages, they’ve really worked at having one clear message focusing on those who are really interested in sustainability as a lifestyle.
Free Gift With Purchase
Part of Grove Co.’s marketing strategy is giving customers a free gift with their first purchase, but Jennie clarifies that the customer may choose not to take it if they feel it’s not useful for their household.
For those who do avail of the free gift, Grove Co. has found they’re more likely to reorder from the items they’ve chosen. And for Jennie, this is a clear sign that the strategy works.
Word-of-Mouth Marketing
A vital part of Grove Co.’s marketing strategy is encouraging existing customers to share what the brand offers.
Within their Facebook group for VIP members, Jennie says they have 75% weekly engagement driven by the customers themselves. And while they get ratings and reviews on their website, the product feedback they get from their Facebook group has become really valuable.
Grove Guides
Grove Guides are personal shoppers for Grove Co. customers. They’re available via email, phone, and text, and help with questions about their products.
Based on the data they get, Jennie is proud to say that customers really find value in their Grove Guides and the assistance they get from these experts.
eCommerce Book Top Tip
eCommerce Traffic Top Tip
- For Jennie, good marketing involves building a product or experience that provides customers with real value.
Tool Top Tip
Growth Top Tip
- Get clear about the story you want to tell your customers and those you want to reach.
Interview Links
Massive thanks to Jeremy from Shiphawk for the intro!
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