PUMA drives omnichannel growth in Russia

Global brand, PUMA, is known for its sports and casual wear and has earned brand devotees thanks to its wide-ranging collaborations and collections. In keeping with its namesake, the sporting goods retailer’s motto is “Forever Faster” which applies both to the athletes it serves, and to its own business growth.

In Russia, the retailer makes good on its motto by focusing on omnichannel growth and building out its online channel. “Offline is still the main sales channel, but from year to year the online store accounts for an increasing share of sales,” explains Evgeniya Kuzmina, Senior Performance Marketing Manager Russia & Ukraine. But, Kuzmina says, “omnichannel is a challenge in Russia.”

When Criteo suggested they test its omnichannel solution to help them achieve their goals, PUMA was eager to try it out.

Creating a better customer experience with omnichannel marketing

In Russia, online shopping is not as developed as in other markets, and many shoppers still prefer to see, try on, and purchase items in person. For this reason, ROPO (research online, purchase offline) is also popular with Russian shoppers. That said, PUMA’s physical stores can’t carry the full catalog, so the retailer works hard to connect the two channels for its shoppers.

For instance, its offline stores each have terminals where shoppers can search for items in stock across PUMA Russia. From the terminal, they can order the desired model, color, and size and select their preferred delivery option: to home, to an offline store, or to a pick-up point. “We do not have a goal to bring a person online at any cost—we want to be convenient,” says Kuzmina. “We try very hard to treat our customers with utmost care.”

With Criteo Omnichannel, PUMA can onboard its offline customer and sales data to reach shoppers when they’re browsing relevant products online. Then, PUMA serves them personalized ads showing products that they’re most likely to be interested in based on purchase intent data and previous transactions. It’s a performance marketing strategy that also aligns with their customer’s preferred journey. A win-win for PUMA and its shoppers.

When asked about partnering with Criteo on an omnichannel campaign, Kuzmina said, “We’ve had a long-standing relationship with Criteo in retargeting, and we decided to test the new tool. Whenever I visit an online store that works with Criteo, I always see their ads and they are very attractive, they never look the same. There’s no ad fatigue, and the ads stand out.”

Act fast, try new things

PUMA’s “Forever Faster” motto underpins its approach to innovation and testing, as well. “In my opinion, speed in the modern world is the most important thing in sales, and in business,” explains Kuzmina. “We launched the omnichannel campaign with Criteo despite the fact that we are not 100% ready. Despite this, we decided to act now, understand how it works, allocate resources, and change the loyalty program, because this is how we can better interact with our customers. Those who are first to test, have a chance to get a bigger piece of the pie.”

Their early action paid off, as the omnichannel campaign contributed to a 217% growth in revenue year over year. Evgeniya Kuzmina confirms, “Criteo is a significant sales channel, and we will definitely continue cooperation in performance marketing.” They entered the Ukrainian market last year and are planning to test omnichannel campaigns there in the future.