Case Study
Project Overview
My work on email optimization at GrowOrganic.com focused on redefining how new customers experience the brand from their very first interaction. The Welcome Email Flow, often the first touchpoint for subscribers, was lagging in performance and needed refreshing.
In a competitive ecommerce landscape where inboxes are crowded, I wanted to create a journey that was both educational and emotionally resonant. The goal: to make new subscribers feel invited into the GrowOrganic community while driving higher engagement and conversion.
The Challenge
The previous Welcome Flow felt transactional rather than connective. There was an opportunity to inspire stronger first impressions and optimize seamless shopping.
We needed to:
Improve conversion efficiency and revenue per recipient.
Strengthen storytelling and brand trust early in the journey.
Differentiate our welcome experience from competitors.
Strategy
- Phase One: Competitor Analysis
- I collaborated with my team for a deep dive into leading garden retailers and adjacent brands to identify what was resonating with their audiences.
- This included reviewing timing cadences, discount structures, and content tone across the industry.
- Key findings showed that the most effective welcome journeys:
- Delivered within the first 15 minutes after sign-up.
- Balanced education with incentive in the first two emails.
- Reinforced brand values and expertise early on.
- These insights shaped the structure and messaging rhythm of the new GrowOrganic welcome experience.
- Phase Two: Journey Development
- With industry insights in hand, I conducted a content audit of our existing Welcome Flow. From there, I restructured the journey into a four-part narrative designed to welcome, educate, and inspire.
- The story arc became:
- The Garden Gate Is Open – A warm introduction to the brand and its mission, paired with the Welcome discount.
- Educational Resources & Unique Offerings – Highlighting the company resource center for growing.
- Our Shared Values – Reinforcing our sustainability practices and commitment to organic integrity, connecting our philosophy to our customers’ own values.
- Final Reminder: Your Welcome Promo Code – Encouraging conversion with a sense of friendly urgency.
- This structure guided new subscribers from curiosity to trust to purchase, all within a cohesive, visually engaging sequence.
- Phase Three: Design and Functionality
- The creative refresh emphasized bright, colorful visuals, and scannable layouts aligned with the brand’s gardening aesthetic.
- A key functional upgrade was the auto-application of the welcome code directly to shopping carts, removing friction and driving immediate conversions.
- Personalized, dynamic product blocks of recently browsed items or trending items.
Results
📈 Revenue increased by 76% period-over-period, rising from $48k to $84k.
📈 Open rate improved from 38% → 41%.
📈 Click rate increased from 3.1% → 4.3%.
📈 Revenue per recipient climbed from $1.42 → $1.90.
📈 Complaint rate dropped from 0.24% → 0.05%, reflecting stronger content alignment.
📈 Unsubscribe rate held steady, even with higher send volumes.
The redesigned Welcome Flow now serves as a model for balancing education, brand storytelling, and conversion efficiency.
Key Takeaways
- Storytelling drives connection: By reframing the Welcome Flow as a narrative, new subscribers immediately understand who we are and why we grow the way we do.
- Frictionless design converts: Auto-applying the welcome code removed potential barriers, increasing completed checkouts.
- Optimization never stops: The digital landscape is constantly shifting and processes like these will need to evaluate the journey again as performance continues to accumulate data and insight.
Lola Reyes-Grant 