Brick and mortar reopenings do not mean “back to business as usual.” Heightened concerns around safety and sanitization mean retailers must rethink operations. A recent Salesforce study found that American consumers expect stores to require personal protective equipment (PPE) for employees (57%) and customers (50%) as they reopen doors. Disposable glove distributor, AMMEX, is one Trailblazer helping others ramp up and re-engage their clients.

 

How AMMEX handled a spike in demand despite supply chain disruption

Given safety concerns, it’s no surprise that disposable gloves were the #1 fastest growing ecommerce category in March. This surge in demand — coupled with significant supply chain slowdowns — created a messaging and logistical nightmare. Here’s how AMMEX was able to keep up and support their customers:

 

Ramp up at-home rep activity with cloud-based tools

According to estimates from Stackline, the disposable glove market saw an explosive 670% increase in demand compared to last year. AMMEX witnessed its own surge, too. Over the last three months, their website traffic consistently doubled every month. Traffic spikes were only the beginning as AMMEX watched their lead volume increase by nine times within ninety days. With double the number of prospects barreling in, AMMEX’s existing sales force was able to ramp up their activity and engagement with their existing Sales Cloud licenses  — even as they worked from home. 

While such scenarios can easily be overwhelming, AMMEX’s Chief Marketing Officer Andre Chernih noted that, “tech solutions like Sales Cloud and Pardot helped AMMEX continue doing our best work during the pandemic — from anywhere.”  

 

Share time-sensitive, critical communications at scale

AMMEX prides itself on its operational efficiency and outstanding service. These values were put to the test as market conditions became volatile. AMMEX’s strategy? To be transparent, proactive, and fast.

Chernih said, “Our core focus is communicating market conditions and the rapidly developing situation with our customers.” For existing customers experiencing shortages and price fluctuations for the first time, it was critical to provide essential information quickly and at scale. To do so, AMMEX relied on Pardot to increase its email communication volume by 273% compared to the previous month. You might be wondering how the same-sized marketing team managed to nearly triple its email output – while quarantined at home – without burning out? In a word: automation. 

While AMMEX experimented with Pardot Engagement Studio for email drip automation in the past, it kicked usage into high gear during the pandemic. Rather than manually selecting recipients or sending mass emails, AMMEX was able to create 1-on-1 journeys for specific client lists using different actions and triggers. Pulling the right email recipient lists were often as important as pulling the right suppression lists to avoid communication fatigue. If clients met certain criteria (e.g., facing a delivery delay), they would receive specific communication (e.g., an email alert with next steps and updates) to ensure communications were targeted and valuable.  

AMMEX’s email engagement numbers were further proof that their messages were reaching the right people at the right time. The disposable glove distributor saw their active prospects (i.e., a prospect who takes action like clicking on an email link or filling out a form) almost double in a single month. By automating email journeys, the team was able to save time sending emails and spend more time creating personalized content that resonated with their target audience. 

AMMEX is actively helping new segments to do business in a safe and sanitary way. “Having Salesforce helps us keep track of everything and lets us turn around critical information.” With the help of Salesforce, AMMEX was both effective and efficient in communicating with and supporting their customers. Using their existing platform’s tools, AMMEX stayed on top of a 9-time increase in lead volume, communicated messages that mattered, and converted prospects with relevant content. In short, AMMEX has shown that growth and safety can go hand and hand. 

Want to know more? Check out our Leading Through Change blog series, which offers thought leadership, tips, and advice for retailers. Watch our new account-based marketing demo to learn how to align marketing, sales, and service to create long-lasting relationships with happy customers.