Using customer insights to guide Merry People's US & UK expansion
Merry People makes quality gumboots starting as a one woman operation, and quickly grew to an Australian household name. They were increasing focus on their US and UK growth, and came to us to help inform their segmentation and strategy into these two very different competitive spaces.
The Brief
Merry People knew their Australian customers deeply and wanted to get a read on how the UK & US were different & similar. What they love, their needs, and how they see the brand. The goal was to figure out what drives purchases, create clear customer segments, and set up a strong brand and product positioning to guide future strategies.
The Solution
We ran a survey and interviews with potential customers in the US and UK summarised in a key findings report. We went deep on customer behaviour and attitudes to gumboots, gauging brand perceptions and motivations - delivering a suite of actionable insights & detailed segments. We conducted an audit of existing comms and touch points to make changes to their go to market strategy.
The Impact
The team embedded the segments and key insights into product and marketing decisions in both the US and UK, strategically applying these insights to geography, paid media, creative, and messaging. This contributed to their 2-3x YoY growth in both 2023 and 2024.
Dog walking in Merry People Billie Clogs. Photograph by Shelley Horan.
Highlights
Hypothesis workshop
We kicked off the project with an insightful workshop covering key areas like customer preferences, brand perception, sustainability, market segmentation, and shopping habits. With the Merry People team, we explored what drives our customers' purchases, and how our products are perceived across different segments and regions.
Online surveys
From our initial workshop, we gathered key questions to develop a comprehensive 54-question survey on Typeform around specific country demographics, lifestyle, purchase behaviours, price perception, and the competitive landscape. The survey was promoted widely through paid, owned and earned channels, reaching over 3,000 participants.
In-depth interviews
We then conducted 11 in-depth, 40-80 minute video interviews to dive deep into survey trends, exploring brand, quality, price, durability, and functionality. Representing potential customer segments across the UK and USA, we provided product samples for real-time reactions and tested creative, UX, and messaging to identify what resonates.
Detailed report
Our detailed report directly addressed 13 strategic marketing and business questions, producing four detailed quantity and quality based customer segments. Key purchase drivers, price sensitivity, needs, demographics, and brand preferences were identified, with market gaps and strategic actions defined for each segment.
Harvey's easy to deal with nature, responsiveness, and industry expertise have made collaborating with them a seamless experience.
Tim White
Harvey is a great partner of ours, genuinely dedicated to propelling impactful companies. Their team is not only intelligent and resourceful, but kind.
Pete Chappell
