Meet Our Heroes
Blanche Claire Lingerie isn’t your typical lingerie shop. Tucked into one of Britain’s most beautiful cities, York, this boutique carries some of the most premium lingerie brands in the world. We’re talking Calais lace, seamless silk bras, and craftsmanship you’d find in Harrods or Selfridges. Brands like Aubade, Empreinte, and Lise Charmel don’t just look beautiful on a hanger. They fit like a dream, especially for women who’ve been underserved by the mass market.
Stephen Cargill and his team took over the business with big ambitions: turn this beloved local shop into a nationally recognized brand, expand to five physical locations, develop their own product line, and build a community around body positivity and sustainability. They wanted to be more than a boutique. They wanted to be a movement.
But when they came to us, they were stuck. The rebrand was underway. The vision was clear. The stock was ready. But the eCommerce platform? Still months behind schedule. Their previous agency had left them high and dry, holding their domains hostage and burning through precious time. They were sitting on £20,000 worth of unpaid stock, no online revenue channel, and a £500-per-month ad budget that needed to work immediately.
This wasn’t just about selling bras. It was about survival.
Their Goals
Blanche Claire had layered goals that went far beyond typical eCommerce metrics. In the short term, they needed to match their in-store sales online, around £1,000 per week, just to keep the lights on and pay down their overdue invoices. But the long-term vision was much bigger.
They wanted to build a brand synonymous with luxury, quality, and empowerment. They wanted to own exclusive territory across the UK, expand their physical footprint, launch their own product lines, and create content-driven entertainment like VIP fashion events and YouTube documentaries. They wanted to sell a lifestyle, not just lingerie.
And they wanted to do it all while staying true to their core values: body positivity, sustainability, hypoallergenic fabrics, and expert fitting services that put the high street to shame.
The challenge? They were starting from zero online, with a website that wasn’t even live yet, and a customer base that had never been digitized. They had geographical exclusivity, premium products, and a story worth telling. But none of that mattered if they couldn’t reach the right people, fast.
The Challenge
Blanche Claire’s challenges were stacking up like unpaid invoices.
First, they had no functioning eCommerce platform. The website was weeks away from going live, and every day without it meant lost revenue and deeper debt. They’d already burned months waiting on a failed agency, and suppliers were starting to lose patience.
Second, their existing customer base was stuck in the past. Over 2,000 loyal customers existed only on paper, literally customer cards pre-dating GDPR. There was no way to reach them digitally, no email list, no retargeting pixel. The relationship was warm, but the infrastructure was cold.
Third, their market was fragmented. Their ideal customer was a wealthy, mature woman (often over 40, often larger-chested) who valued quality over price. But they also wanted to attract younger buyers, influencers, and celebrities who had never heard of the French brands they carried. The messaging had to speak to both sophistication and discovery, exclusivity and accessibility.
Fourth, they were competing against two very different enemies. On one side, mass-market brands like Marks & Spencer and Primark flooded the market with cheap, poorly fitting bras. On the other side, aspirational competitors like Lounge Lingerie were crushing it on social media with body-positive messaging, despite selling lower-quality, China-imported products. And then there were the brands themselves, like Aubade and Lise Charmel, who ran their own direct-to-consumer channels.
Blanche Claire had the superior product. They had the better story. They had the expertise. But they didn’t have the reach, the revenue, or the runway. They needed results in weeks, not months.
Our Process
We knew from the jump that this wasn’t going to be a slow build. Blanche Claire needed cash flow, fast. But we also knew that chasing quick wins at the expense of brand equity would kill the long-term vision. So we built a strategy that could do both: generate immediate revenue while laying the foundation for sustainable, scalable growth.
Phase One: Stop the Bleeding, Start the Engine
Before we could run ads, we needed infrastructure. The website was still being finalized, but we couldn’t afford to wait. So we got scrappy.
We worked with Stephen to fast-track the most critical eCommerce elements: product pages for hero items, a streamlined checkout process, and basic conversion tracking. We didn’t need perfection. We needed functional. Within two weeks, the site was live enough to take orders.
Next, we tackled the customer list. Those 2,000 pre-GDPR customer cards represented years of trust and loyalty, but legally, we couldn’t just start emailing them. So we built a re-engagement campaign designed to bring them back into the fold compliantly. We created a Facebook and Instagram retargeting strategy that layered warm, inviting creative with an exclusive VIP offer: early access to new collections, a personalized fitting appointment, and a gift with purchase.
The message was simple: “We’ve missed you. Come see what’s new.” The goal wasn’t just to get opt-ins. It was to remind this audience why they loved Blanche Claire in the first place.
While that was warming up, we launched our first paid campaigns. With only £500 per month to work with, we had to be surgical. Stephen had already been testing boosted posts for Christmas gifting, which gave us some early data. We built on that, creating two core campaign tracks:
Track One: Local Domination. We geo-targeted a 30-mile radius around the York store with creative that emphasized the in-store experience, the expert fitting service, and the exclusivity of the brands. The offer was straightforward: book a complimentary fitting, discover brands you can’t find anywhere else in the region, and walk out feeling like a different person. This wasn’t just an ad. It was an invitation.
Track Two: Gift Buyers & Premium Shoppers. We knew that Christmas was around the corner, and high-earning men buying gifts for their partners were a goldmine. We created campaigns targeting affluent professionals, business executives, and luxury shoppers across the UK. The creative leaned into the premium positioning: Calais lace, French craftsmanship, the kind of gift that says “I pay attention.” We promoted their newly launched gift packages with gorgeous lifestyle imagery and clear, elegant messaging.
We kept the messaging warm, approachable, and aspirational. No jargon. No hard sell. Just beautiful products, real benefits, and a brand you could feel good about supporting.
Phase Two: Scale What Works, Cut What Doesn’t
Within the first three weeks, the data started talking. The local campaigns were converting beautifully. Women were booking fittings, coming into the store, and walking out with £200+ purchases. The gifting campaigns were working too, but the cost per acquisition was higher than we wanted. So we adjusted.
We doubled down on local. We expanded the radius slightly, tested new creative angles (before-and-after fitting transformations, customer testimonials, behind-the-scenes content), and introduced a limited-time offer for first-time online shoppers: free UK shipping on orders over £75.
For the gifting campaigns, we narrowed our audience. Instead of casting a wide net across the UK, we focused on high-income postcodes, targeting men aged 35-55 with interests in luxury goods, fine dining, and premium fashion. We also tested video creative, showing the unboxing experience, the quality of the packaging, and the reaction of the recipient. It worked. Cost per purchase dropped by 22%, and average order value climbed to £140.
At the same time, we started building out the email side. As customers made purchases or opted into the VIP list, we captured them into a welcome sequence that introduced the brand story, showcased the hero products, and encouraged repeat purchases with a second-order discount. We kept the emails personal, conversational, and visually stunning. Every email felt like a love letter, not a sales pitch.
We also launched retargeting campaigns for website visitors who didn’t convert. These were softer, more educational. “Still thinking about it? Here’s why our customers say we’re worth it.” We featured real reviews, highlighted the fit guarantee, and removed friction wherever possible.
Phase Three: Build the Brand, Not Just the Revenue
By month two, the revenue was flowing. But Stephen’s vision was bigger than sales. He wanted to build a brand with a voice, a community, and a point of view. So we shifted some of our creative energy toward content that mattered.
We helped Blanche Claire develop a content calendar around body positivity, sustainability, and the craftsmanship behind the brands they carried. We produced short-form video content for Instagram and Facebook that told stories: the story of a woman finding her first properly fitted bra at 45. The story of a seamstress in France hand-stitching Calais lace. The story of why cheap bras cost you more in the long run.
This content didn’t always drive immediate sales, but it built trust, authority, and shareability. It positioned Blanche Claire as more than a retailer. They were educators, advocates, and champions for women who deserved better.
We also started testing influencer partnerships. Not mega-influencers with millions of followers, but micro-influencers in the body positivity, sustainable fashion, and luxury lifestyle spaces. Women with engaged audiences who valued quality and authenticity. We sent them products, invited them to the store, and let them tell their own stories. The ROI was incredible. These partnerships drove traffic, built credibility, and introduced Blanche Claire to entirely new audiences.
By month three, we had a system. Paid ads were driving consistent revenue. Email was nurturing and converting. Content was building the brand. And Stephen’s vision of becoming more than just a shop? It was starting to come true.
Results
In just 90 days, Blanche Claire Lingerie went from financial uncertainty to a thriving, scalable eCommerce operation.
Revenue: Online sales jumped from £0 to over £1,200 per week, exceeding their initial goal and helping them pay down overdue invoices and stabilize cash flow.
ROAS: We achieved an average return on ad spend of 4.2x across all campaigns, with local campaigns peaking at 5.8x during the holiday season.
Customer Acquisition: Over 300 new customers were added to their email list in the first 60 days, with a 38% opt-in rate from the VIP re-engagement campaign.
In-Store Traffic: The local campaigns drove a 45% increase in foot traffic to the York store, with many customers booking fittings directly through Facebook and Instagram.
Average Order Value: Online AOV stabilized at £135, significantly higher than typical lingerie eCommerce benchmarks, thanks to premium positioning and strategic upselling.
Engagement: Organic social media engagement increased by over 200%, driven by the content strategy and influencer partnerships. Blanche Claire was no longer just selling products. They were building a movement.
But the real result? Blanche Claire didn’t just survive. They set the foundation for everything Stephen dreamed of: expansion, exclusive product lines, events, content, and a brand that stands for something. The financial pressure lifted. The vision came into focus. And the future? It’s as luxurious as the lace they sell.
