Tapestry Girls: Driving 30% Higher Conversion Rate with Smart Search and Navigation
By Kate
Jan 8 2020
5 min to read
"Searchanise has greatly improved our store and customer experience. It's a lean and mean app that delivers the data and search information about our store in its simplest form. Not only does Searchanise help us understand customer behavior, it also helps with procurement and inventory management. We had access to data that we never had before, and that helps us make better decisions about the business."
Kyle Leighton
Owner, Tapestry Girls
Kyle Leighton
Owner, Tapestry Girls
About Tapestry Girls
Tapestry Girls is a global distributor of handmade tapestries and furnishings for college students and post-grads that sources exclusive products specifically designed for small space living. Tapestry Girls' tapestries have original designs that holds a great deal of significance in Hindu and Buddhist art and promotes spirituality and peacefulness.
The Tapestry Girls store is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and donates a portion of its proceeds to non-profit organizations that work to improve crucial social issues such as domestic violence and animal cruelty.
The Tapestry Girls store is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and donates a portion of its proceeds to non-profit organizations that work to improve crucial social issues such as domestic violence and animal cruelty.
Today I am super excited to have a conversation with Kyle Leighton, the Founder of Tapestry Girls, asking him to share his brand success story and how Searchanise has become part of the story by helping serve his customers with smart search tools.
Kyle, what sparked that bright idea, and how you started turning it into a business?
Kyle: I'm a businessman and an investor and I'm always looking for new challenges and new opportunities. I used to teach business part-time at a college, and I knew tapestries were particularly popular among students. I noticed that there wasn't a high-profile tapestry company that was based in the United States.
There were some small online stores here and there that offered them, and companies like Urban Outfitters or Poshmark offered a few, but no one was really dominating the tapestry market. It was almost as if tapestries were viewed as an accessory, not a prime business offering.
At the time, I didn't know anything about décor, or tapestries or any of that. I just knew that there was a low amount of competition, and I also knew that the target market was mostly "girls". So, I took the word "tapestry" and paired it with "girls", and thus you have "Tapestry Girls". The decision to name it that has probably been one of the best decisions I've ever made for the company. The name alone has done wonders for our SEO and organic search. Once the brand became popular, I trademarked it.
There were some small online stores here and there that offered them, and companies like Urban Outfitters or Poshmark offered a few, but no one was really dominating the tapestry market. It was almost as if tapestries were viewed as an accessory, not a prime business offering.
At the time, I didn't know anything about décor, or tapestries or any of that. I just knew that there was a low amount of competition, and I also knew that the target market was mostly "girls". So, I took the word "tapestry" and paired it with "girls", and thus you have "Tapestry Girls". The decision to name it that has probably been one of the best decisions I've ever made for the company. The name alone has done wonders for our SEO and organic search. Once the brand became popular, I trademarked it.
You have seen some positive results since you started. Tell us, how do you measure success?
Kyle: Personally, I measure success only one way… the bottom line. Companies that are profitable are successful. Companies that are not profitable are not successful. To me, that's ultimately what it boils down to. Tapestry Girls is not flashy, or a mainstream brand yet. We haven't had write-ups in major news outlets yet like the New York Times or the Post, etc. but Tapestry Girls has loyal customers, good suppliers, and a strong brand name. We've established a well-known brand name without the puffy fluffy press stories, and as a result I think the company will be around a long, long time.
What are the greatest challenges you've faced so far and how did you overcome them?
Kyle: One of our greatest challenges is staying relevant among each new generation. The tastes of college students and young adults are changing all the time. Trends are changing all the time. We're always paying attention to what's going on in the market, and we've come up with some very strategic ways to not only listen to the market but also have a voice in it. That's really how we've been able to establish ourselves, and evolve with the industry.
Why was Searchanise the solution of your choice?
Kyle: I started looking for a search platform around the time we started to have 2 to 3 hundred thousand visitors per month. After reviewing our analytics tools, I noticed that not everyone was finding what they were looking for.
Finding an app to meet our specific needs was not easy, but it boiled down to being between Algolia and Searchanise. Ultimately, I chose Searchanise because it was so much easier to use. It had everything that we were looking for, and the set up was simple. Also, the customer service was much more responsive. When I was going through the vetting process, no one from Algolia got back to me with my questions or concerns. Searchanise answered all of my questions and the integration to our store was seamless.
Finding an app to meet our specific needs was not easy, but it boiled down to being between Algolia and Searchanise. Ultimately, I chose Searchanise because it was so much easier to use. It had everything that we were looking for, and the set up was simple. Also, the customer service was much more responsive. When I was going through the vetting process, no one from Algolia got back to me with my questions or concerns. Searchanise answered all of my questions and the integration to our store was seamless.
How improving search with Searchanise has helped you grow your business?
Kyle: Searchanise has greatly improved our store and customer experience. It's a lean and mean app that delivers the data and search information about our store in its simplest form.
It's given us the ability to add products that some customers are looking for, as well as remove products that aren't prominently searched. Not only does Searchanise help us understand customer behavior, it also helps with procurement and inventory management. We had access to data that we never had before, and that helps us make better decisions about the business.
We've noticed a 30% uptick in conversions since we have installed Searchanise. We've also noticed through the analytics tool that there was a significant decrease in customer searches that didn't yield results.
It's given us the ability to add products that some customers are looking for, as well as remove products that aren't prominently searched. Not only does Searchanise help us understand customer behavior, it also helps with procurement and inventory management. We had access to data that we never had before, and that helps us make better decisions about the business.
We've noticed a 30% uptick in conversions since we have installed Searchanise. We've also noticed through the analytics tool that there was a significant decrease in customer searches that didn't yield results.
How would you like to have your business evolved in the future?
Kyle: We are looking at diversifying our product line and penetrating other décor markets. Our Softy Collection of bed sets are one of our best sellers. We have some niche lighting products and neon signs that are also growing increasingly popular. Those are things that we really pay attention to because we want to continue to meet the demands of the market and stay ahead of décor trends.
What words of advice would you like to share with anyone who's running their e-commerce store?
Kyle: The best advice that I could give to someone running their own business or e-commerce store is to give customers what they want.
Some business owners get caught up in their own ideas, or want to offer services or products that they think are important. That doesn't always work. What's most important is that you are providing a service or a product that there is actually demand for. A product or service that makes sense, not just something you like. As long as you're doing that, success will always follow.
Some business owners get caught up in their own ideas, or want to offer services or products that they think are important. That doesn't always work. What's most important is that you are providing a service or a product that there is actually demand for. A product or service that makes sense, not just something you like. As long as you're doing that, success will always follow.
Thank you, Kyle, for sharing your inspiring story and for demonstrating to us the power of the business mind!
Student life is a time of growth and new challenges. Tapestry girls know that firsthand and offer a wide variety of decoration products to make the small student dorm a more pleasant place to be. Visit TapestryGirls.com for the perfect decor that will add a vibrant touch to your learning space.
But if your college years are well behind you and, at the moment, you are dealing with the challenge of product search and navigation on your brand-new eCommerce site, give Searchanise a try!
As always, we welcome your feedback and questions at feedback@searchanise.com.
But if your college years are well behind you and, at the moment, you are dealing with the challenge of product search and navigation on your brand-new eCommerce site, give Searchanise a try!
As always, we welcome your feedback and questions at feedback@searchanise.com.
Kate
Marketing Manager at Searchanise