Transitioning to Online Retail: The Dream Workshop's Success Amid COVID-19

The Dream Workshop is a Costa Rican company that specializes in mattress repairs and the fabrication of personalized beds. The company prides itself on providing a unique in-store experience where customers can test each mattress component on site. This customer-centric approach has been a key factor in their success. However, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown posed a significant challenge, forcing them to transition to an online platform in a country where digital sales are relatively low. Despite these challenges, The Dream Workshop was determined to maintain their commitment to customer satisfaction and quality service.

The Dream Workshop, a Costa Rican company specializing in mattress repairs and personalized bed fabrication, faced a significant challenge when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of their physical retail location. The company's business model relied heavily on in-store experiences, allowing customers to test each mattress component on site. This posed a significant challenge when transitioning to a digital platform, especially in a country where only 5% of sales occur online. The Dream Workshop needed to create a comforting and engaging online experience to encourage sales and maintain customer relationships during the lockdown.

To overcome the challenge, The Dream Workshop, led by Trilce Jiron and the team at The Bot Shop (TBS) Marketing, pivoted to an online store. They used ManyChat to drive Facebook ad traffic to a bot flow and landing page, guiding customers to their eCommerce store. They also leveraged Live Chat to answer customer queries during the buying process. The company tested three conversion paths: Facebook dynamic ads to website with Live Chat support, Facebook traffic ads attached to a ManyChat bot flow, and dynamic ads pushed to WhatsApp for customers aged 55 and above. To facilitate online payments, they used Oliba, a local online payment platform. To make customers feel secure in their purchase, they established a 100-day sleep test where customers could fix or return their mattress if they were not satisfied.

• The transition to an online platform allowed The Dream Workshop to continue operations and maintain customer relationships during the lockdown. The use of ManyChat and Live Chat facilitated customer engagement and provided real-time support during the buying process. The 100-day sleep test policy offered customers a risk-free purchase, boosting their confidence in buying an expensive mattress online. The company's empathetic approach to communication, acknowledging the challenging times faced by everyone, resonated with customers and helped build closer ties. The successful transition to online selling demonstrated the company's adaptability and commitment to customer satisfaction, even in uncertain times.

• Generated over $43,800 in online sales during the lockdown

• Achieved a 438% return on ad spend (ROAS)

• Secured a 35% click-through rate on ads