How Harts of Stur Converts Inspiration into Sales with Shopthru
Read time: 3 mins
Background
At Harts of Stur, we’ve built a strong reputation for quality kitchenware and excellent customer service. As we continue to grow our business online, we’re always looking for ways to make the customer journey smoother – from discovery right through to purchase.
Like many retailers, we put a lot of effort into content marketing. We work with influencers, publishers, and review sites to make sure our products are featured in the right places. But while the content was doing its job in terms of visibility and inspiration, there was a gap when it came to converting that interest into actual sales.
“Shopthru makes it easy for customers to go from ‘that looks great’ to actually buying it – without ever leaving the page. Not only has it helped us turn inspiration into sales, it’s also opened the door to working with publishers who might’ve overlooked us before.”
Matt Price – Ecommerce Manager, Harts of Stur
The problem
Customers would read about one of our products in a blog, watch a video review, or spot something on social media – but instead of buying straight away, they’d leave the page. Some went off to search for better deals, others ended up on Amazon, or they’d come to our site and maybe struggle to find the exact item they’d just seen. It added friction, and in some cases, we may have lost the sale altogether. What’s more, a lot of the bigger media outlets tend to favour well-known national brands.
As an independent retailer, even with a solid reputation, it’s harder to be front of mind unless there’s a clear commercial reason to include us. We needed a way to keep our products front and centre and make the buying process as easy as possible – without disrupting the reader’s experience.
Why we chose Shopthru
We looked at a few options, but most of them still relied on traditional affiliate links, which don’t really solve the problem. You’re still sending people away from the content, and often straight into a less than straightforward buying journey.
Shopthru stood out because it offered something different. It allows customers to buy directly from the content – whether it’s a recipe, a product review, or a gift guide. There’s no need to open a new tab or search around. It’s all handled right there, in the moment. From our side, the integration was incredibly streamlined. The setup didn’t require major technical work, and our team had it up and running within a few days. It worked with our existing ecom setup and didn’t disrupt anything we already had in place.
Why Harts of Stur loves Shopthru…
Higher conversion
Convert sales at the point of inspiration
Voucher code protection
Offer exclusive rewards that stay protected and unshareable
Full transparency
On commission tracking and validation
Fast setup
Off-the-shelf integration in just minutes
The results
Since launching Shopthru, we’ve seen a double-digit uplift in conversions from content-driven traffic. More importantly, we’re getting clearer insights into what’s working. We can see which creators and publishers are driving sales, and we can reward them accordingly. It’s also helped us get featured in places we wouldn’t have reached otherwise. Because Shopthru gives publishers 100% attribution, they’re far more likely to include our products – there’s a clear incentive to back us over the usual big-name brands.
Another big plus is how it handles discount codes. Previously, codes would often get leaked and spread around, cutting into our margins. With Shopthru, discounts are only applied within the campaign they’re intended for, so we maintain control without losing flexibility. And lastly, the instant, mobile-first checkout has made a real difference. A large portion of our audience browses on their phone, and removing those extra steps at the point of purchase has helped us capture more of that traffic.
In summary
Shopthru has helped us bridge the gap between content and commerce. It’s allowed us to make the most of our partnerships, remove friction for our customers, and grow sales – without needing to overhaul how we work. Without any real effort, Shopthru has helped us turn attention into action, capturing more sales, rewarding our partners, and giving us control over the customer journey like never before. For any retailer or publisher trying to make content truly convert, it’s a no-brainer.
