Obersee Case Study
Small Company Scores Big Online Sales
Small Company Scores Big Online Sales
Obersee Summary
Obersee produces kid-sized backpacks and travel gear. Designed to be functional and funky, the popular backpacks and suitcases include a front pocket that doubles as an insulated lunch cooler. Obersee also sells headwear for children and adults.
Headquarters: Fredericksburg, VA
Founded: 2011
To Learn More: http://www.obersee.com
Challenges
To increase online sales and reduce return rates
Solution
Partnering with content26 to create enhanced product pages
Results
Sales on major online marketplace tripled; return rates decreased significantly
Small Company Scores Big Online Sales
We found out that parents are doing so much product research online. Having detailed product descriptions has allowed us to educate potential buyers about what our products have to offer.
Hans HalmenObersee Founder
Hans Halmen’s two young children kept forgetting their lunch boxes at preschool. The “lunch box issue” got Hans and his wife Katy thinking: Wouldn’t it be great to ditch the lunch box altogether? Why not design a backpack where the front pocket could double as an insulated lunch cooler?
Less than a year later, the Halmens had launched Obersee, which debuted a line of all-in-one backpacks aimed at preschoolers. They began selling across various online channels including buybuybaby.com, Bed Bath and Beyond’s website, the Babies R Us website, and others.
Parents and kids loved the practical, funky backpacks so much that, as back-to-school sales heated up in August of 2011, Obersee found it difficult to keep up with the demand.
Obersee Uses Enhanced Product Pages to Win Over Customers
As they looked ahead to the 2012 back-to-school season, the Halmens decided to look at creating enhanced product pages for their online channels. The hope was that the photo- and info-rich product pages would help Obersee’s backpacks stand out from the competition.
“We found out that parents are doing so much product research online,” Hans Halmen notes. “Having detailed product descriptions has allowed us to educate potential buyers about what our products have to offer.”
The enhanced product pages—which debuted online in June of 2012—feature scannable text outlining the features and benefits of the backpack, an info box with bulleted features, three lifestyle photos, and four closeup product photos. They also make it clear that the backpacks are sized for toddlers, not 10-year-olds, which had caused confusion among some parents in the past.
“These product pages did a great job of showing all the things that are so special about Obersee backpacks. They put the unique design and features front and center, which is why they are so effective,” says content26er Eve Gruschow, who managed the project for Obersee.
Product Pages Boost Sales, Decrease Return Rates
Since the pages launched, Obersee has seen sales triple on its major online retail channel, according to Hans Halmen. Although return rates are harder to gauge, Halmen said they’ve been lower than on their other e-commerce channels. At the end of the 2012 back-to-school season, Obersee’s preschool all-in-one backpack was a best seller, an impressive feat for a company less than two years old.
The company has also launched a line of coordinating luggage as well as headwear for children and adults. Several new product lines are also in the works, and the Halmens say they plan to keep their focus on products that are functional with fun designs.
