Why We Launched SeaTurtle Sports
SeaTurtle Sports began with a simple goal in mind: get family and friends together and away from the distractions of our busy world. We wanted to rekindle the joy we experienced gathering together on lazy weekend afternoons and beach vacations and translate this into a complete brand experience through the development of outdoor social games.
With this in mind, we developed our first product, Beach Bocce Ball. Currently, with five different core product SKUs, our vision is to continue to grow organically and drive a high-level of profitability by increasing our volume in sales and the development of new products fitting our business model, primarily retailing through Amazon as an iconic innovative brand.
The Evolution of a One Product Company to a Recognizable Brand
For several years SeaTurtle Sports operated with its original product, Beach Bocce Ball and used a single product website. The strategic decision was made to evolve the company to operating as a multi-product company. At this time, SeaTurtle Sports connected with Greg Fisher of Berkeley Sourcing Group and other manufacturers in Asia to bring to market multiple additional products in keeping with our brand image.
As SeaTurtle Sports moved from a single product company to a multi-product company, our branding effort multiplied two-fold. We designed and launched a new website, rapidly expanded our distribution channels, created a distinctive logo that appeared on all of our products and company marketing, and translated a lifestyle through marketing copy that is consistent through all of our product placements whether direct or third-party. All of these efforts established SeaTurtle Sports as a recognizable brand, and we became sought after by an array of companies including international retailer Tommy Bahama, major hotel and resort chains, outdoor equipment companies in high-end locations, and more.
Single Product Website
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New Branded Website:
Our Products
Beach Bocce Ball – our original premium bocce set.
Beach Bocce Ball Mini – the same high-quality components as our original Beach Bocce Ball set, but with half the bocce balls and a different-shaped carrying case for maximum portability.
Yazoo – our version of a new game in the market also known as beersbee or poleish. This disc throwing game is a best seller and has allowed us to ramp up sales quickly.
Turtle Toss – a combination of a cornhole and bag toss set (the most popular backyard game in the U.S.), our set has a proprietary fold-up frame, is the most premium set in the category, and we are in position to receive a patent for its technology.
Product Development Model
The business is focused on re-engineering and recreating new and old favorite outdoor games, adding innovative functionality and features for premium “best in class” status in all categories it enters. The company designs, sources and markets these recreational products, contracting overseas manufacturers direct and through sourcing companies. Key principles include:
- Leverage the “equity” in classic, traditional outdoor games to reduce educational marketing expenses.
- Time go-to-market launch for new games for high-trend times.
- Distinctive package design and consistent branding and marketing on all products and packaging for exceptional product differentiation and to drive growth in corporate brand recognition.
Branding
Crafting a Brand Identity: The SeaTurtle Sports brand name and graphic identity was crafted patiently and completely to speak to the practical and emotional motivators in our target customers. Including the word sea turtle in the company name projected the ease and grace of the branded products but also added value in the inherent familiarity and affection shared by most people toward these animals.
Brand Longevity: We created barriers to competition with a principled and consistent brand identity, always backed by high quality products and customer endorsements.
Incorporating Social Responsibility: Embrace social responsibility as a core component of building a sustainable brand image. As an example, we partnered with Kiva, universities, and an organization called Games for Troops.
Our Marketing and Distribution Approach
We aligned ourselves with trusted brands such as Wayfair, Hayneedle, and Amazon who have major loyal customer bases and then employed the following core branding principles including:
- Excellent product photography on all product listings
- Optimizing keyword search terms in real-time (revising every few days)
- Outstanding customer service where we guarantee a response within an hour during U.S. business hours and by the next morning if made during the evening.
- Understanding price sensitivity based on the product, product category, and competing products, and adjusting price to optimize sales.
- Obtaining a large amount of organic product ratings (both verified and unverified) immediately upon new product launch to aid in the ramp up of sales and in keeping with the brand.
Amazon Product Listings:
The Results
Purchasers of SeaTurtle Sports products are more than 100% satisfied both with their product and their experiences with the company. 99.5% of the product and customer service reviews are 5/5 stars with 0.5% of customers giving SeaTurtle Sports a 4/5 star review. Most customers SeaTurtle Sports interacts with ask when SeaTurtle Sports will release another new product. SeaTurtle Sports also has an incredibly low product return rate at 0.2%. Year over year sales increases were 30% between 2012 and 2013, 105% between 2013 and 2014, and a projected 523% for 2015. In 2015 to date, SeaTurtle Sports has already reached a 105% increase over 2014. With the huge jump in the last year of sales, 75% can be attributed to outstanding management and optimization of the Amazon channel, and 25% can be attributed to having additional products for retail.
In addition, SeaTurtle Sports marketing expenditures accounted for 15% of revenues, and for 2015, marketing expenses are projected to be at 8% of revenues.
