The problem
GraysOnline is a prominent Australian eCommerce auction platform operating across multiple product categories. Their high-end consumer AV (audio-visual) segment was in trouble. The division was either breaking even or incurring a 10% loss on lots valued at approximately $100,000 every fortnight.
This was not a minor line item. AV played a crucial role in the broader consumer ecosystem, and major vendors were losing confidence in GraysOnline’s ability to effectively manage the category. If the AV segment continued to underperform, it would damage vendor relationships across the entire consumer division.
The challenge
The challenge was twofold: drive more qualified bidders to high-value AV auctions to push final sale prices above break-even, and restore vendor confidence by demonstrating that the AV category could be commercially viable.
The auction cycle was fortnightly, which meant the campaign strategy had to work within tight, repeating windows. Every fortnight was a fresh test with real money at stake.
The question was: how do you turn a loss-making category into a revenue driver within a fortnightly auction cycle?
What we did
Print-to-digital bridge
We placed targeted advertisements in AV-focused print publications with QR codes linking directly to auction landing pages, bringing offline AV enthusiasts into the digital bidding funnel.
Category landing pages
We created dedicated landing pages for specific AV categories to improve the customer journey from search and campaign entry points. These pages also ran continuously to build SEO value over time.
Smart product sorting
We restructured product listings to display items by least bids first, ensuring the lowest current prices were dynamically shown at the top. This created urgency and encouraged new bidders to enter.
On-site cross-promotion
We promoted AV auctions across other product categories on the site, capturing audiences higher in the funnel who were already engaged with GraysOnline but had not explored the AV segment.
Timed EDM sequences
We designed a multi-touch EDM sequence segmented by category interest: an initial announcement, a mid-auction reminder, and a last-chance urgency email targeting users who had bid on AV items in previous auctions or had abandoned bids in the current one.
Social media amplification
We published targeted Facebook posts at auction open and auction close, using urgency-driven creative to push last-minute bidding activity.
Cross-channel EDM support
We cross-promoted the AV auction within other category EDMs, exposing the auction to a broader segment of the GraysOnline database.
Performance reporting
We implemented comprehensive analytics reporting after each auction cycle, documenting wins, losses, and actionable learnings to refine the strategy for the next fortnight.
The result
The AV segment generated $120,000 in revenue, 26% above the $95,000 target, decisively turning the category from a loss-maker into a profitable operation. Website visits increased by 30%, and users spent significantly more time on the platform, indicating deeper engagement and more active bidding behaviour.
The campaign framework became a repeatable model applied to subsequent auction cycles across the AV category and adapted for other underperforming segments within GraysOnline’s business.
This project combined our digital strategy, email marketing, social media, and website optimisation capabilities into a single cross-channel campaign.
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