Lioness

First meeting Elephant Room

During their first initial meeting nearly five years ago, in 2018, Elephant Room was impressed with Lioness's solid wholesale business. However, they were surprised to learn that Lioness still had healthy numbers despite not focusing much attention on its online direct-to-consumer sales. 

Less than 10% of their total sales were from direct-to-consumer channels. This discovery raised eyebrows and Elephant Room saw the potential to make more improvements. As a result, they helped Lioness transition from relying on organic marketing to implementing paid advertising strategies.

"When Elephant Room came into the picture, it was like a breath of fresh air. We had salespeople come through before, but they never really showed us the magic in the box or the true value that could be added,” Brian said. 

“We had a prior relationship with an agency, but it was more of a casual idea rather than a serious attempt. But when we started talking to Elephant Room, it was the first time we started to question what more could be done and what value they could add to our business."

“In hindsight, do I regret not handing over the reins earlier to Elephant Room? Probably, yes. Our market cap would have gotten so much bigger.” 

However, Brian thinks they built the relationship at a good pace. 

“Elephant Room took that first dollar and showed Lioness Fashion Label what they could do with it. Now, the conversations around budget are much easier."

Achieving year-on-year growth between 100-200%

Sustainable growth has always been an essential part of Lioness’s strategy. “As a brand, we’re all completely self-invested and have no outside finance. Being a family business, we want to be able to maintain our growth sustainably.” Brian said. Over the past five years, the brand has experienced significant growth, with year-on-year increases ranging between 100% and 200%.

Getting Lioness to where it is today

The partnership between Elephant Room and Lioness Fashion Label has been vital for the growth and success of the eCommerce brand.  And Elephant Room has played many roles in helping Lioness get to where it is today

The Guide

Elephant Room provided guidance and support during the transition from purely organic and influencer marketing, to a fully-fledged paid media marketing strategy, allowing Lioness to unlock value and build a sustainable, long-term relationship. 

“Looking back now, investing in paid channels was a no-brainer. But having the right partner who is guiding you in the right direction is key. It never felt like Elephant Room was pushing us one way. Rather, it was about helping us understand the value we could unlock and creating a strategy to support sales and digital marketing,” Brian said.

Brian adds that it has generated a sustainable, long-term relationship lasting for five years. As their business has grown, the budgets have increased, and the partnership has continued to provide value (aka make them more money).

“But the trust we share is strong enough to navigate prickly times and downturns. That’s much more valuable to us.” 

The Networker

The bi-directional feedback loop between the two teams has led to improved operations, augmented certain areas of the business, and developed a cohesive strategy to navigate a challenging market. 

Elephant Room's practical and business-oriented approach has allowed them to develop bespoke solutions for Lioness, resulting in a well-networked ecosystem. 

Communication and trust have also been key factors in the partnership's success, allowing for frank conversations and the ability to pivot quickly when necessary.

“We built structures for better ways of working together over time. It's not exactly secret sauce, but it was important,” Brian said.

The Advisor

Brian said Elephant Room's history with the business makes them an ideal partner. This collaborative process has improved Lioness’s operations and made them more competitive.

“Outside of digital marketing, if something is missing in the app stack, Elephant Room has enough technical expertise and practicality in specialisation to come up with solutions,” Brian said. 

Elephant Room has used its ability to understand how paid media marketing works alongside other activities, such as influencer marketing, that work for Lioness's way of selling. 

“It’s all the things that make it magical on what we want to do and what makes sense for the business. Some solutions have come from Elephant Room or this collaborative process. That kind of thing doesn’t happen every day.”

Looking ahead

Lioness and Elephant Room's partnership will continue to focus on understanding the challenges and pressures of a market that has yet to reveal itself. 

“We have developed a business plan and forecasts of what that will look like, and we will pair it with a strategy that best aligns with that.”

“We want to understand our value. What drives our customers? What brings them back? What works for our customers? Giving more value to our customers in a challenging market. Give them something compelling enough that will create value in their life.”