2nd Wind Exercise - Success Story

2nd Wind Exercise Increases Sales $150,000 Per Month with Google Analytics and Actual Metrics

This success story is a realistic example of the results Actual Metrics can help you achieve.

THE CLIENT

2nd Wind Exercise is a Midwest retailer of fitness equipment, with over 60 brick-and-mortar locations in 7 states. The company was founded in 1992 by Dick Enrico, a serial entrepreneur with an entertaining history of  failed business ventures. Thankfully, these experiences have helped Mr. Enrico have the last laugh -- 2nd Wind is projected to generate $80 Million in 2006.

THE SITUATION

The primary purpose of 2nd Wind's website is to generate leads for retail stores. Visitors to 2nd Wind's website can research fitness equipment, print coupons, and find the nearest retail location. Rick Enrico, VP of Marketing & Technology, immediately saw the value of using Google Analytics and was an early adopter of the tool.

As soon as the Google Analytics tracking code was installed, 2nd Wind's marketing team started analyzing website traffic and noticed the following:

  • Popularity of printable online coupons wasn't being measured
  • Landing pages had a high exit rate
  • Average pageviews per visitor was low
  • Over 90% of site visitors came directly to the site

To complicate matters, a few key reports were missing data. After assessing the situation, Mr. Enrico turned to an Authorized Google Analytics Consultant -- Actual Metrics -- for assistance with configuring the tool and analyzing the reports.

THE ISSUES

Armed with data from Google Analytics, the teams initially worked to resolve the technical and configuration issues. With a few minor modifications, all Google Analytics reports were populated and the team uncovered some additional tidbits:

  • Almost 20% of site visitors used an 800x600 resolution
  • There was no differentiation between organic search referrals and 2nd Wind's AdWords campaign
  • E-mail newletters weren't being tracked

Working together, the teams engaged Google Analytics' campaign tracking framework to identify Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns, e-mail newsletters, and other online marketing efforts. 2nd Wind's website team also applied Actual Metric's site design recommendations, aimed at increasing conversions (i.e. leads) and improving the user experience.

THE RESULTS

The changes made an immediate positive impact. These effects were sustained throughout a three month period, with the following key metrics as reported by Google Analytics:

  • Lead generation increased by 60%, resulting in additional sales of $150,000 per month.
  • 2nd Wind's AdWords campaign generated an ROI of 3,661%.
  • The number of return visitors per month increased by 55%.
  • Average pageviews per visitor increased by 35%.
  • Landing page exits were reduced by 50% on key pages.
  • E-mail newsletters generated $33,500 in additional monthly sales.
  • Certain coupons were considerably more successful than others at driving customers into retail stores.

According to Mr. Enrico, who also runs interactive marketing firm Enrico Technologies, "Google Analytics has changed the way we do business. A new breed of web marketing firms have formed to assist customers in maximizing their profit in this new frontier. 2nd Wind looked extensively for a partner who understood our clients and was flexible enough to adapt to our dynamic advertising. Actual Metrics has been instrumental in shaping our value proposition so we can focus on ROI with our customers.

"Actual Metrics' expertise with Google Analytics allowed us to start using the more advanced features in days rather than weeks. The consulting project paid for itself in the first month."