Case Studies
How Concrete Jungle Grew into Ecommerce from Manufacturing
March 24, 2021
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18 mins interview
Nursem was the brainchild of husband and wife team, Jonny and Antonia Philp. As a paediatric nurse, Antonia’s skin suffered immensely from the constant hand washing required in her line of work, and she found she wasn’t alone. Her research showed that 87% of nurses suffer from contact dermatitis as a result of washing their hands on average 55 times per day.
And so, the idea of Nursem was born – a line of therapeutic skincare products formulated from natural ingredients and designed with front line workers in mind. After seven years of development alongside a team of nurses, laboratories and Newcastle Science City, the ground-breaking Nursem formula is now providing effective relief to healthcare workers across the country and, as you’d imagine, is currently in increasingly high demand.
The Nursem Promise is the driving force behind the brand. So, what exactly is it, and how did it come into being? Marketing Executive Ed Steven gave us the background:
“The Nursem Promise really came about because of our co-founder Antonia's strong links to the nursing community. We wanted to care for those who care for us, so we promised that for every product sold, a month’s worth of free Nursem would be delivered to a nurse or midwife. We've now been able to help over 30,000 nurses, midwives and other healthcare professionals through this scheme, something which we are unbelievably proud of!”
Of course, the success of the Nursem Promise relies on the success of the product itself, and this is where we’ve been able to lend a hand. The Nursem team have made fantastic use of the power of reviews to inform better business decisions and create a culture of outstanding customer service:
“We'd worked so hard on our formulas and developing the Nursem Range to be what it is today, and this was all driven through direct interactions and feedback with nurses - so the value of feedback at Nursem has been paramount from day one. Through REVIEWS.io we are constantly able to monitor customer feedback and drive this into key business decisions like product development and operations."
“A good review means so much to the Nursem team. It truly vindicates the careful attention we have devoted and the amount of time we have spent on developing our formulas and brand as a whole. To hear some of the fantastic reviews we receive from customers who have tried everything under the sun to help their hands and have found Nursem to be the only thing that works - truly makes us proud.”
In informing their business decisions, Nursem doesn’t just look to the good. At REVIEWS.io we believe in full transparency. That involves taking a proactive approach when it comes to how to handle bad reviews, and we’re thrilled to work with companies that share our ethos:
“With a bad review, we see them as not necessarily bad, but as ways in which we can improve and we're always glad that a customer has been honest about the experience they have had with us. We will respond quickly via the reviews platform to ensure that we can do our best to resolve the issue.”
But negative reviews are few and far between, and Nursem certainly has a lot to shout about when it comes to the positive. The quality and effectiveness of their products are evident by the reviews that continue to pour in, reviews that are up by 259% compared to last month, and by making good use of our simple social proof tool, they can easily share that success with their ever-growing market:
“Another reason for collecting reviews was to provide social proof. Our email inbox was brimming with positive feedback on the quality of our formulas and the revitalising effect they have. We've also seen customers really get onboard with the Nursem Promise and express this in reviews, loving the fact that for every product they purchase - a nurse or midwife receives a month's supply of Nursem. Through using a reviews platform, we are now easily able to bring this feedback out from the inbox and into the world.”
By creating social proof marketing banners, Nursem uses their positive reviews to full effect, allowing them to grow as a business and deliver even more free formula cream to those who need it most.
The current circumstances surrounding COVID-19 are affecting us all, but for Nursem the products they provide have never been in higher demand, and their social mission never as important. So how are they keeping calm, to carry on?
“As a startup, we like to think that we're quite agile by nature - so working from home instead of the office was something that we were all able to adapt to quite quickly. Our customer service team has seen increased questions around the virus and the effect of products like our Caring Hand Wash on keeping hands clean - we've been able to provide customers with the answers they need and adapt quickly to the changing situation.”
As part of their commitment to caring for those who care for us, the team gave the Nursem Promise a boost with the launch of the #HandsUpForNurses campaign in March, distributing even more free skincare products to those working on the frontline in the battle against COVID-19.
“Understandably we've had a lot of inquiries from NHS staff directly about receiving hand cream as part of our promise, and we've been able to make them part of our #HandsUpForNurses campaign to give free hand care to 10,000 NHS heroes.”
And of course, the team here at REVIEWS.io are all busy working from home, allowing us to provide ongoing support to Nursem as we develop our own service offerings. Most recently, we produced an Unboxing Nursem Video Review to add to their growing content library.
These video reviews showcase exactly what our clients have to offer, supporting customer reviews by bringing products to life for potential consumers. And best of all, the very nature of these video reviews means they’re done 100% remotely without any need for physical client contact.
You can learn more and read reviews on Nursem skincare products on their REVIEWS.io profile page or directly from the website at nursem.co.uk.
