Trailblazer in children’s clothing invests in digital marketing
Gugguu’s year has been out of the ordinary but successful. The net sales of the company known for high-quality and responsible children’s clothing have increased by 20% midway through the financial period*. The growth has mostly taken place in online trade, which is an extremely important element in Gugguu’s business operations. At the moment, the company gets 80% of its net sales from online trade. There have also been plenty of visitors at the Gugguu store in the Helsinki Outlet shopping village.
Gugguu’s digital marketing took strides in 2021. During the coronavirus pandemic, the company has invested strongly in developing its digital capabilities and tested new kinds of marketing methods bravely, since families with children is a target group that requires keeping abreast with current developments. Even though customer events ceased during the COVID-19 period, the company finds that it has been spared the biggest challenges of the crisis. For example, the pandemic had almost no effect at all on production.
Responsibility is at the core of Gugguu’s operations, and in the fall of 2021 the company released its second responsibility report. It indicates that plenty of measures have once again been taken to benefit the environment. For example, Gugguu began using a new tricot fabric, which is made of GOTS-certified organic cotton. At the same time, the company replaced the polyester fabric it was using with a recycled grade compliant with the GRS standard.
Gugguu aims for international markets
Internationalization has been Gugguu’s most important mission for a few years now. There have been successes, but much remains to be done. The competition abroad is fierce and requires a company to make sizeable marketing investments, among other things.
During the year, Gugguu has advanced the internationalization process organically online. To support the achievement of its goal, the company has received support and conducted marketing research and a variety of tests, for example. As such, Gugguu is heading into 2022 with a strong focus on internationalization.
Panostaja has become an important partner and provider of constructive feedback
This year too, Panostaja’s influence was evident in Gugguu’s operations. Particularly the internationalization support over the course of the year has been important – the company has not needed to make big decisions alone. With Panostaja’s help, Gugguu has also succeeded in building a substantial network, which it could not have done on its own. Additionally, the company has gained concrete tools for day-to-day board work as well as supervisor and mentor programs.
* In contrast to Panostaja, Gugguu’s financial period is April 1–March 31