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Case Studies
How Concrete Jungle Grew into Ecommerce from Manufacturing
March 24, 2021
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18 mins interview
What Nakie sells is more than a product. It’s a lifestyle. To promote that lifestyle, the brand wanted to share the experience of its happy customers.
The problem was, it struggled to do so through text reviews alone.
It wanted visible proof - image and video reviews that potential customers could relate to - as well as the tools to share those reviews as on-brand, engaging ads.
Restricted by the limited functionality of its review solution, Nakie sought a feature rich alternative, and a provider aligned with its sustainability goals.
Australian based Nakie is the creation of Dean, his wife Tegan, and his brother Jaryd. On a diving trip to Thailand, the trio were appalled at the extent of plastic pollution and its effects, so sought to breathe new life into this otherwise wasted material.
Less than a year later, they brought the world’s first ever 100% recycled hammock to market.
Collecting reviews was a priority from the outset. The team understood that consumer opinion would prove far more persuasive than any content they produced themselves, and that photo and video content was central to building a solid reputation.
“User generated content allows customers to feel they can trust us. Having real customers leave reviews and comments about what they love about our brand has a much better impact than talking about it ourselves.”
But when it comes to Nakie’s hero product - the hammock - the standard text review doesn’t really cut it. Sure, a customer can comment on purchase critical factors like quality and comfort, but what they can’t do with words is sell the notion of being immersed in nature. For that, you really need to paint a picture.
That’s what brought Nakie to REVIEWS.io. Having used a couple of other solutions prior, the team found no one was offering the features they needed to collect and share visible UGC - images and video that really sell the essence of the brand.
So they switched over, transferring all their existing reviews and using our seamless integration with Shopify to start publishing. Scroll through their customer feedback now, and you’ll see plenty of that visual content that speaks much louder than words.
“Social proof in just words isn’t as impactful as having an actual photo of someone sitting in their hammock, or a video of themselves in it saying hey, it’s absolutely amazing - love the product, love the brand.”
It’s not just the ability to collect image and video reviews the team finds useful either. It's also our Social Proof Editor.
This user-friendly tool allows them to create on-brand, impactful graphics from their reviews - giving them powerful content to share across all their social channels, and all without the need for professional designer input.
“We download the reviews straight into the templates and run them as ads. We don’t have to crop them or anything, just download them into whatever file - Instagram stories, Instagram feed, Facebook. It’s something we want to utilise more.”
The fact that Nakie’s products are all made from recycled plastic is just the start of the brand's eco-friendly credentials. The commitment to sustainability extends across the entire supply chain, and every aspect of the product life cycle - from carefully considered shipping to compostable packaging.
And for every product sold, Nakie plants four trees in its own reserve in Madagascar.
“Being a sustainable brand, it’s not just the product, it’s the entire life of the product. Our whole ethos around the business and our core mission is making a difference, not just a profit. It’s the whole mission of giving back as well.”
What Dean and Jaryd are starting to see is that same mindset coming through in review content. Customers are amplifying the Nakie ethos through their feedback, commenting on the sustainable nature of product and brand.
It’s something we’re seeing more and more of ourselves. Increasingly savvy consumers no longer take ‘green’ claims on face value. They look for validation, and customer reviews are a credible source (if you’re exploring how reviews can help promote you as a sustainable brand you’ll want to check out our Greenspark integration).
What Nakie does is pretty cool. It makes products that help us connect with nature, whilst at the same time repair some of the damage we’ve caused.
Its product line now includes a range of outdoor gear - all made with the same approach to sustainability - and its achieved successful expansion into markets including the UK, US, Canada and New Zealand.
Dean was pretty tight lipped about their next entry to market, but we’re certain it’ll be just as impressive as their products to date, and generate equally engaging review content.
