Scaling Heritage Craft to $100K Revenue in 4 Months

Industry

E-commerce

Services Provided

PPC Management

Email Marketing

Content Marketing

Growth Marketing

INTRODUCTION

Building Global E-Commerce Success for Artisan Banarasi Textiles

Our client, a Varanasi-based handloom brand specializing in authentic Banarasi sarees, lehengas, and fabrics, had established a strong product line rooted in centuries-old weaving traditions. Their pieces were heirloom-quality, each carrying the story of master weavers and traditional craftsmanship. However, their digital presence wasn't translating this heritage into consistent online sales. Despite having a Shopify store and running sporadic advertising campaigns, revenue remained unpredictable, averaging under $12K monthly with inconsistent return on ad spend.

The brand needed a comprehensive digital commerce strategy that could reach global NRI audiences in Singapore and the United States while maintaining strong performance in the Indian market. Over four months, we implemented full-funnel performance marketing, retention email systems, and website experience optimization. The results exceeded expectations, generating $100K in total sales with an average ROAS of 850% while building a foundation for sustainable growth beyond the initial engagement period.

Note: The original name of the client has been withheld to comply with NDA obligations. A placeholder name has been used where required for documentation purposes only.

BACKGROUND

The brand had invested considerable effort into product development, working directly with Banarasi weavers to create contemporary designs that honored traditional techniques. Their catalog included wedding sarees, festival wear, everyday handloom pieces, and custom fabric options. The quality was exceptional, but digital sales weren't reflecting the product value.

Several challenges became apparent during our initial assessment:

The client's advertising efforts had been inconsistent and unfocused. They ran Meta campaigns sporadically during festival seasons but lacked a sustained performance marketing strategy. Ad creative emphasized product features rather than connecting emotionally with occasion-based buying moments like weddings and cultural celebrations.
Geographic targeting was underdeveloped. While the brand had customers in Singapore and the United States, advertising wasn't optimized for these high-value NRI markets. Campaign structure treated all locations uniformly rather than acknowledging different customer behaviors and price sensitivities across geographies.
The Shopify store had structural issues that hurt conversion rates. Navigation was confusing, with sarees and lehengas mixed together rather than organized by occasion or style. Product detail pages lacked the rich storytelling needed to justify premium pricing for handloom products. Page load speeds were slow, particularly problematic for mobile shoppers in India.
Customer retention was almost entirely ignored. There were no email flows for cart abandonment, post-purchase engagement, or win-back campaigns. First-time buyers rarely returned for second purchases, despite the brand's focus on building lasting relationships with customers who appreciate artisan craft.
Return on ad spend fluctuated wildly between 200% and 400%, making it difficult to scale confidently. The client couldn't predict which campaigns would perform, leading to conservative ad budgets that limited growth.
Revenue averaged around $12K monthly, with significant spikes during Diwali and wedding season but long quiet periods in between. The business needed more consistent month-to-month performance.

The opportunity was clear: connect the authentic craftsmanship story with targeted digital marketing that reached the right audiences at the right moments, while building website infrastructure that supported premium pricing and repeat purchases.

APPROACH

Our strategy balanced aggressive customer acquisition with retention mechanisms designed to increase lifetime value:

Multi-Geography Performance Marketing

We structured separate campaign strategies for India, Singapore, and the United States, recognizing that each market had distinct customer profiles and willingness to pay. Indian campaigns emphasized value and festival occasions, while NRI-focused campaigns in Singapore and the US highlighted authenticity, heritage storytelling, and the connection to Varanasi's weaving traditions. We built full-funnel systems on both Google and Meta, using Search and Performance Max campaigns on Google to capture high-intent queries, alongside Meta prospecting for audience expansion and dynamic retargeting for abandoned browsers.

Occasion-Based Creative Strategy

Rather than generic product advertising, we developed creative angles tied to specific buying occasions. Wedding season campaigns featured bridal lehengas and sarees with messaging about heirloom pieces and family traditions. Festival campaigns during Diwali and Navratri emphasized celebration wear and gifting. We also created awareness around the brand's Varanasi studio visits, positioning them as experiences rather than just shopping trips.

Audience Segmentation and Testing

We built lookalike audiences from existing customer data, segmented by geography and product category. Interest-based targeting focused on traditional Indian fashion, handloom advocacy, and sustainable fashion communities. Behavior targeting identified people actively researching weddings, shopping for ethnic wear, or engaging with premium Indian brands.

Retention Email Infrastructure

We implemented a complete lifecycle email program through Klaviyo, starting with foundational flows that every e-commerce brand needs: welcome series for new subscribers, browse abandonment for engaged shoppers, cart abandonment for high-intent visitors, post-purchase sequences to build brand affinity, review request flows, and win-back campaigns for lapsed customers. Beyond automation, we built segmentation based on geography, product preferences (sarees versus lehengas versus fabrics), and purchase frequency.

Website Experience Overhaul

The Shopify store received comprehensive UX improvements. We restructured collections to support occasion-based browsing (wedding wear, festival collection, everyday handloom), implemented better filtering for fabric type and price range, rewrote product descriptions to tell the craft story behind each piece, and optimized page templates for faster load times. Every element was designed to support the premium positioning while reducing friction in the purchase journey.

Messaging Consistency Across Channels

We aligned value propositions and brand messaging across paid ads, on-site content, and email campaigns. Whether a customer discovered the brand through Instagram, Google Search, or an abandoned cart email, they encountered consistent messaging about authenticity, craftsmanship, and heritage.extual CTAs and downloadable resources to capture research-phase prospects.

SOLUTION

Scaling to $100K Revenue with Profitable Unit Economics
The transformation occurred rapidly once all systems were operational:

Month 1: Foundation and Initial Traction

We launched the restructured Google and Meta campaigns across all three core geographies. The website UX improvements went live, immediately reducing bounce rates on key landing pages. Initial email flows were activated, capturing quick wins from cart abandonment sequences. Revenue reached $18K, a modest increase from the baseline but showing early positive signals. ROAS stabilized around 650% as we optimized targeting and creative.

Month 2: Campaign Optimization and Scaling

Meta prospecting campaigns found their stride, particularly in the US and Singapore markets where handloom storytelling resonated strongly with NRI audiences. Google Shopping campaigns benefited from improved product feed quality and better page experience. Wedding season campaigns launched with occasion-specific creative that drove higher engagement. Email flows began contributing meaningful revenue as the automation caught abandoned carts and re-engaged browsers. Monthly revenue jumped to $24K with ROAS improving to 780%.

Month 3: Sustained Performance and Geographic Expansion

The full-funnel system matured with prospecting feeding consistent new customer acquisition while retargeting and email retention drove repeat purchases. We expanded budget allocation to the US market after validating strong performance metrics. Festival season campaigns around Navratri generated significant sales spikes. Revenue reached $27K with ROAS pushing above 900% as campaign efficiency improved and retention revenue grew.

Month 4: Peak Performance and Repeat Customer Growth

By month four, all systems were operating in sync. Paid acquisition brought new customers efficiently, website experience converted them at higher rates, and email retention brought them back for second and third purchases. The brand's Varanasi studio visit promotion gained traction, creating both direct bookings and increased brand awareness. Monthly revenue hit $31K, bringing total four-month sales to approximately $100K.

Measurable Business Impact:

Total revenue of $100K over four months (from $48K baseline in prior four-month period)
210% increase in sales compared to the previous period
Average monthly revenue of $25K, more than double the historical baseline
Average ROAS of 850% across all paid channels
Customer acquisition cost decreased by 42% as campaigns optimized
Repeat purchase rate increased from 8% to 23% through retention email flows
US and Singapore markets grew from 15% to 38% of total revenue
Website conversion rate improved from 0.9% to 1.8% following UX optimization

Sustainable Growth Infrastructure:

Beyond the immediate revenue impact, the engagement established systems designed for long-term scalability. The email retention flows continued generating revenue with minimal ongoing input. The audience segmentation and campaign structures provided frameworks for future seasonal campaigns. The website improvements supported higher conversion rates that benefited all traffic sources, not just paid advertising.

This project demonstrated that heritage craft brands can achieve e-commerce success when digital strategy respects the product's authenticity while applying modern performance marketing principles. The client's commitment to quality products combined with systematic acquisition and retention marketing created profitable growth that honored their artisan partnerships and traditional craftsmanship values.