Revitalising Revenue: A Strategic Activation Initiative for a Premier Luxury Fragrance Brand

Company

Jo Malone

industry

Luxury Retail

Role

Design Lead

timeline

3 months

summary

Jo Malone is one of the many brands under the luxury cosmetics, skincare and fragrance powerhouse Estée Lauder Companies.

  • The brand was facing stagnating revenue amid shifting consumer behaviours.

  • As Design Lead, I collaborated with the regional team to design a suite of zero-to-low-code activations, blending proven tactics from our largest markets (Japan and Australia).

  • After securing executive buy-in through a detailed proposal, the quarter-long initiative generated over US $105,000 in net revenue for APAC markets - Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea.

  • Our team rolled out the activations over Q1 FY2025, prioritising quick wins. We monitored KPIs via integrated analytics, adjusting for real-time performance.

  • This success propelled the project across APAC, expanding to all four top regional brands and markets, underscoring the power of agile, data-informed design.

Challenges

  • 01

    Regional team reported a 15-20% YoY revenue decline, due to reduced traffic, algorithm changes impacting organic traffic, and competition from emerging digital-first luxury players.

  • 02

    A low priority brand in low priority markets, a solid plan was crucial in getting even internal stakeholder buy-in

my role

I led the initiative alongside our CRO specialist from ideation to implementation

  • I first consulted our Conversion Rate Optimisation specialist (CRO) for alignment on revenue goals, then presented a comprehensive plan of optimisation opportunities to the Senior Director.

  • I proposed a targeted activation strategy emphasising online channel enhancements that leverage data from Google Analytics and FullStory

  • To address their request for specificity, I developed a list outlining 11 actionable items. These required zero-to-low-code implementation, minimising development overhead while maximising ROI.

  • I facilitated communication internally and externally, including reaching out to offshore affiliates to mitigate risks caused by their operational delays

  • As an experience metric, I proposed and conducted a survey to understand the success and improvement opportunities for our first cross-functional collaboration on a regional brand scale.

Four mobile phone screens displaying the Joe Malone London online shopping website with various perfume and bath products.
my approach

Lower in priority as a brand in low priority markets, it was indeed a challenge to get my Senior Director’s buy-in for the initiative

  • Jo Malone, as a brand, was not a priority brand for APAC. This required us to ensure our work was zero-to-low effort to produce impactful net revenue gains.

  • To get my S. Director’s buy-in, I capitalised in 2 of our team’s OKRs - (1) lower communication cost; and, (2) uplift cross-functional collaboration. Additionally, it was our S. Director’s goal to get more recognition for our team.

  • Activation items drew from data-proven successes in prior activations for other brands in Japan and Australia—our company's largest markets—where similar tactics yielded 25-40% uplift in conversion rates and $50K+ in incremental revenue per activation.

  • By conducting early data analyses and gathering effort estimation from PMs and Engineers, the estimated revenue calculation made getting the buy-in smoother.

  • Each item included estimated hours to implement (factoring in design, testing, and launch), projected gross revenue based on historical benchmarks, and net revenue after deducting time costs.

The initiative exceeded expectations, delivering US $105,000 in net revenue within the quarter—a 20% uplift from baseline.

  • +352bps

    Mobile CTR engagement boost with improved UX

  • +778bps

    Increased CVR for new page - Back In Stock

  • $105k

    Total quarterly incremental revenue impact

Comparison of two smartphones displaying an online store page for Jo Malone exfoliating shower gel, showing different product options and prices.
key takeaways

This case demonstrates how targeted, data-backed UX design can swiftly address revenue challenges in luxury sectors.

By blending proven tactics with brand-specific tailoring, we achieved measurable gains with minimal resource investment.

The ripple effect— from regional success to pan-APAC collaboration—highlights the value of cross-functional advocacy and scalable strategies in driving enterprise-wide growth.

A young man in a navy blue suit and tie with a white shirt, standing against a black background.

Isabel’s standout strength is her exceptional communication skills, which made complex UX/UI concepts accessible to everyone, from engineers to executives. She leads with empathy and clarity, ensuring seamless stakeholder engagement and alignment across teams in the APAC region.

Daniel Li, Product Manager, Estée Lauder Companies