Succeesful eCommerce case: Laconicum

22/06/2018
  • How stimulating is finding stores that do things different...and succeed as Coca-Cola. This is the case of Laconicum´s eCommerce success.

  • Let's talk about cosmetics in eCommerce and the advantages of doing things different. If you are interested in beauty products and eCommerce we are sure that you already thought about the protagonist of this post: we are talking about Laconicum, the successful case of a different eCommerce. 
  • What are the origins of Laconicum?

  • We just have to investigate a little to know that, behind a story of friendship among its founding members and a common interest, there is a very well-founded business idea. 

    Anabel Vázquez and María Martínez shared an interest in independent and exotic cosmetics. Both are professionals from different fields who have travelled around the world (either on business or pleasure). They always brought few products with them that were not found in Spain. 

    Let´s talk about the professional side of both entrepreneurs. We must say that do not have the profile of someone who is "only" driven by the passion for a niche. 

    They have put their experience and training in a common project. Anabel has worked in communication of prestigious organizations like MOMA in New York (Museum of Modern Art) or Loewe

    Meanwhile, Maria has worked in various agencies like McCannErikson, The Cocktail or end users like Santander. Maria highlights the achievement of the award-winning travel website I Wanna Go whose proposal is travel, not tourism guides. 
  • INSIGHT: passion and knowledge of the niche you are going to work on have a high weight in the chances of success, but if you add a proper training and throw the experience acquired in other into your project, you will see how chances boost..
  • Value proposition

  • Beauty hunter´s, beauty freaks... is a way of being labeled and label your audience, but in my opinion it is not entirely correct.

    Laconicum defends an approach to the market that combines two great attributes

    • Integrity: they speak in terms you will hardly see in other stores. It does not hurt them say that a product smells bad if it does not suit the role that should be or recommend a product that they do not sell if they have no alternative for the customer's needs. 
    • Exclusivity: it is odd because we are talking about exclusivity far from snobbery. In reality, part of the distribution of these unique products, that are not particularly visible in the market for a type of audience, make them been greatly appreciated.
  • INSIGHT: Knowing its audience has become crucial for Laconicum, engage and prioritize customer satisfaction above occasional sale. It is very interesting to understand that building customers´ loyalty is more profitable as products of some rotation with very good cross-selling. Therefore, integrity is an absolute plus. 
  • It is never a minor issue, but in this case, communication and, especially, the tone used is absolutely critical to articulate a homogeneous discourse that validates the entire strategy of the brand. 

    A simple look at any of their categories speaks for itself. First because they highlight an introductory text of those asked by SEOs but which is very integrated into the grid of products. The best is that it is not a dummy text, it largely shows their view of the category. In addition, I love the way they add information on how to use the cosmetics between parentheses in "worldly" terms because, at the end, and after all, they tend to be too technical terms in English. 

    Product sheets are simply great, in what refers to copywriting is the best you can find. They are extensive, own, focused on the benefits that bring products to the customer and maintaining such a tone that we are talking about: relaxed and practical, which you would use to recommend something to a friend. 
  • I also like that, in order to maintain the rigor, the chemical composition of products is added at the end of each sheet (in italics and a smaller font, which is not so important, is it?) Instructions for use, tips and estimated shelf life are highlighted, being proactive to questions that customers may have. 
  • INSIGHT: If you talk to your audience about what interests them using their own language, you can cross the border of the seller doing its work, the expert recommending a product. It is a similar experience to the same neighborhood physical store as always. 
  • Strong points of its eCommerce

  • We have already talked at length about its mission and vision. We have even given some hints of how they reflected them on its website, but there are some pretty remarkable things that is worth talking about. 
  • #1 – Mobile version

  • One of my favorite is to see how clear the importance of mobile was for them from almost the beginning. The store started in 2012 and, in 2013 they had their mobile version. This is no coincidence, it is a matter of trend analysis. By then, its traffic from these devices was 17% (which in sales reported a10%), they were able to anticipate to mobile friendly or the mobile first and not only technically, but also in the way to adapt the user experience. 
  • #2 – Same day deliveries

  • Another trend in eCommerce powered by the marketplaces are same day delivery or at collection points. Well, Laconicum does both and top of that free (deliveries in 2 hours are available only in Madrid and have a cost of €4.99 extra). This is an ambitious bet on logistics that makes the difference. 
  • #3 - Packaging

  • To conclude, I would like to talk about packaging. Again, we start from a great knowledge of the product and the target audience. Behind he purchase of these products that are not vital but whims, there is to some extent certain guilty pleasure. Laconicum becomes the shopping experience a present for oneself. The do this by working with a delicate wrapping that deserves an unboxing
  • Tissue paper, well-cared boxes, customization, gifts… a complete master in packaging.
  • INSIGHT: adapting to the reality of the users, anticipating to trends that will set the future of the market and understand the motivations enriching the shopping experience are some of the things that make the difference no matter the niche is. 
  • What did you think about Laconicum success story? What do you take from all this for your next strategy?

  • Images | Unsplash and Laconicum. 

Laia Ordoñez


Laia Ordóñez is a copywriting & eCommerce content marketing expert. She is Content & Marketing Manager at DueHome, a copywriting & content independent advisor, and Oleoshop's blog's editor-in-chief.

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