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Marketing "The Martha Magic"

Helping a local floral studio transition to online selling during the pandemic.

The Challenge:

Help Martha’s Gardens share their unique story, design & write a custom eCommerce website, and market their custom floral arrangements online. 

 

The Outcome:

Developed the story and value proposition behind “The Martha Magic” and launched a website capable of selling custom products, managing custom checkouts, and handling local delivery logistics.

Martha’s Gardens is well-known as one of the best floral design studios in the Twin Cities. The designer, Martha herself, is celebrated not only for her craftsmanship, but for her personal customer service, nurturing demeanor, and whimsical nature.

 

As quarantine temporarily forced her brick and mortar store closed, Martha needed a way to continue to spread her joy and sell her custom arrangements online. 

The challenge for her was two-fold:
1. How do we create the whimsical, visual experience one would get in the physical shop online?

2. How do we create a digital experience that accommodates custom products, custom checkout processes, and local delivery logistics?

Step 1: Find the story

We started with our Content-first, documentary film-making approach to learning about Martha’s Gardens as a business. Through our discovery process, we found that customers often describe their experience with Martha as magical, thus iconizing her work as  “The Martha Magic.”

“The Martha Magic” naturally became the centerpiece of their story, seamlessly weaving together concepts like: whimsy, artisanal, transformative, warm, and atmospheric. Website copy, design, and even checkout logistics were then created around and for this sentiment, “The Martha Magic.”

Being in Martha's shop is like being transported to an alley in Paris. The atmosphere, surrounded by flowers and plants, really breathes life into you. It's like walking into another world.
Martha’s Gardens customer

Step 2: Selling custom

What makes Martha’s work so special is the variety between her arrangements. No two customers are alike, therefore no two arrangements or gift boxes will be exactly the same. So, the conventions of a typical online store were not going to work for Martha’s Gardens. 


Unlike other online stores, product images on Martha’s site do not depict exactly what a customer is purchasing. Because their work is so custom, these images serve only as an example of a creation or for inspiration.

Instead, we developed a shopping process that allows customers to purchase by size and budget rather than by design. 


A customer selects the size and cost (and browses sample arrangement images) and based on their occasion, design tastes, and preferences, Martha’s creates a custom order unique to that shopper. 

To support this custom-order purchasing process, we developed a multi-step checkout sequence that allows Martha’s to prompt for all the information they need in a clear, digital environment. Shoppers can also customize their orders with specific colors, flower types, or design elements all within the checkout process. 

Step 3: Delivery logistics

Being a local shop, Martha’s Gardens needed a way to communicate their delivery and shipping capabilities with their local customers. In addition to outlining pickup instructions and delivery expectations, we developed a delivery radius map that indicates where in the surrounding Minneapolis area orders could be delivered and for what price. 

The Result:

Martha’s Gardens launches a custom designed, content-first website capable of selling custom products, accommodating a custom checkout process, and handling flexible delivery logistics. By extending their service online, Martha was able to keep spreading her joy through flowers during the pandemic and quarantine. Her loyal following and reputation for magic continues to grow throughout Minneapolis.