Radial Experiences 81 Percent Increase in Share of Voice in eCommerce Conversations Alongside Amazon, Walmart Leading into Peak Retail Season
PAN Communications, an integrated marketing and PR agency for the B2B technology and healthcare industries, was selected by Radial as its North American agency of record in May 2017. As the leader in omnichannel commerce technology and operations, Radial recognized an opportunity to spotlight the critical importance of retail’s last mile as brands and retailers enter the busy holiday shopping season.
“Radial is the gold standard in profitable eCommerce for brands and retailers worldwide with a fulfillment footprint second only to Amazon, but our market visibility didn’t match our leadership position,” said Stefan Weitz, executive vice president, technology services, at Radial. “PAN quickly raised our profile in the national and industry press by positioning us alongside Amazon on top news and issues impacting our clients. Additionally, the PAN team supported our national effort to hire more than 27,000 employees during the most competitive seasonal jobs climate we’ve seen to date. Our work together could not have come at a more critical time, leading into the peak holiday season and our recent acquisition by bpost.”
The National Retail Federation reported that U.S. retailers took in $658 billion during the 2016 peak season, a four percent increase over 2015. Sales during this “peak” shopping period between November 1 and December 31 account for an average of 20 to 30 percent of retailers’ annual revenues. As more consumers shift to eCommerce as their preferred shopping channel, the complexities and costs associated with retail’s last mile have come into sharp focus for brands as retailers battle for top and bottom line growth. PAN and Radial seized the opportunity to drive the conversation through a two-pronged approach: first, spotlighting the Radial brand as a leader in eCommerce fulfillment and operations alongside Amazon, and second, positioning Radial as an expert on retail hiring trends and an employer of choice for seasonal workers.
The result was a significant increase in both brand exposure and lead generation between June and December 2017, including:
- An 81 percent rise in Radial’s share of voice alongside Amazon, Walmart and Target in eCommerce-focused earned media coverage, including 238 articles
- 9 billion media impressions surrounding Radial’s seasonal hiring plans, including 101 articles appearing both nationally and in target regional hiring markets and 42 media interviews.
- Integrated earned and paid social media campaigns developed to support Radial’s national and regional hiring campaigns drove 5 percent of all website sessions. Social media was responsible for 79.5 percent of seasonal jobs conversions (submitted job applications) driven by tracked marketing campaigns, outperforming all other initiatives like Google Cost Per Click, web banner ads, dedicated e-blasts, and email banners by a wide margin.
On the heels of this momentum, Radial was acquired by bpost for $820 million in a strategic move by bpost to gain a foothold in the mature U.S. eCommerce market, allowing bpost to tap into the roughly 20 percent of all eCommerce orders that flow between the U.S. and E.U. today. PAN supported the announcement in partnership with Radial’s communications team, netting bpost more than 50 editorial features, including a prominent placement in TechCrunch.
“Our relationship with Radial has been electric from the start. From our first conversation, you could feel the passion and excitement on both sides of the table,” said Megan Kessler, vice president, PAN Communications. “We came together at a perfect time to break the eCommerce disruption story wide open – to get to the heart of both the issues facing retailers and market opportunity Radial is perfectly positioned to capture. We look forward to continuing our work with this dynamic brand as it enters the bpost family.”
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This release originally appeared on BusinessWire. Read the full release here.
