Rumpl Turns to SMS as Luxury Blanket Brand Moves Indoors

Product line extensions allow brands to capitalize on low-hanging fruit. By leveraging their audience of loyal buyers and offering a new, extended product line, brands can deepen those existing relationships (and will likely nab some first-time customers too.) This move especially makes sense when the brand moves into a related space adjacent to their core product line. According to retail experts like Ian Leslie, sr. director retail advocacy at Bolt, product line diversification is a wise move. “It’s important to diversify a brand’s catalog and revenue stream; especially if doing so resolves supply chain and distribution issues,” he said. Blanket brand Rumpl took this into account when entering the home category for the first time. Known for its technical outdoor blankets, the company is branching out with its latest offering: the Merino SoftWool Blanket. According to founder Wylie Robinson, the Merino SoftWool product line represents a milestone in the company’s evolution into on-bed, indoor-specific blankets. “Rumpl makes ‘Blankets for Everywhere’, which not only means blankets that can go everywhere but also blankets for everywhere you’d want one,” he said. Maintaining the firm's commitment to sustainability, the new blankets are made of 50% Australian Merino wool and 50% organic cotton. Creating a product launch strategy for 2021 Rumpl adopted a multi-pronged approach to reach today’s buyers where they are. An SMS campaign for early access kicked off two weeks before the launch that accounted for 10% of total sales. Overall, the campaign saw a click-through rate of about 30%— impressive considering the average 19% CTR for SMS marketing. The text messaging effort was followed by an influencer marketing campaign on Instagram targeting 10-15 content creators in the home design and decor spaces. From there, Rumpl sought to capitalize on the influencer connections by investing in Facebook and Instagram ads. It also experimented with a test budget for Pinterest, as home decor is the second most searched category on Pinterest and 459 million people use it monthly to find ideas. Just 48 hours after the launch, these campaigns drew in 32% new customers, as well as 68% of existing customers. Plus, earnings were in line with previous Rumpl product launches. Looking ahead, home will become an increasingly important focus for the company. In 2022, it plans to launch a second indoor blanket (this one made from hemp.) Future collaborations include one with Hygge & West, the wallpaper and home décor specialist, for two limited edition prints inspired by their iconic Daydream pattern. Rumpl also expects to expand its current sports licensing in 2022. British Retailer B&Q Wants People to Decorate and 'Choose Change' to Improve Their Lives Competing with legacy brands Company founder Robinson is well aware that heritage brands dominate the indoor wool blanket category but believes Rumpl can add value. “Though their products are beautiful and will always hold an important place within the category, these heritage brands have gone unchallenged for over 100 years, resulting in uninspired brand evolution and lack of product innovation,” he argued. As such, the company aimed to enter the category with a fresh, functional, stylish perspective by bringing together a new generation of innovative leaders, designers, thinkers and creators while also respecting the evolving definition of “home”. Partnering with Nordstrom Rumpl is no stranger to collaborations, but this is the first time it has worked with Nordstrom as an exclusive retail partner. “Because our product is so tactile, we want customers to have the opportunity to touch our blankets before they buy,” Robinson explained. The retail giant’s seal of approval is a testament to the products' mass appeal and growth. In 2021 alone, Rumpl has enjoyed as much as a 200% increase in revenue across owned channels. Nordstrom Makes a Play for Young Consumers