From CRM makeover to Black Friday takeover: how McMullens is winning big!

From CRM makeover to Black Friday takeover: how McMullens is winning big!

Our story with McMullens kicks off in June 2023, when they onboarded their 86 venues onto Airship, leaving behind two separate systems for their CRM and database. This move marked the beginning of streamlined operations across their pubs and hotels, setting up a complete transformation.

With a growing database, starting at 170,000 opted-in contacts and now climbing to over  400,000, McMullens knew they needed a more efficient, scalable system to manage their marketing efforts. Enter Airship, and with it, a whole new way of connecting with their guests.

One of the most exciting changes for McMullens was the ability to give their newsletters a much-needed overhaul. With seven unique concepts across their venues, they had a big job. Airship’s content manager, paired with dynamic content tools, made it easy to personalise newsletters for each venue. Instead of manually editing and sending separate emails, McMullens can now drop in tailored content and send everything in one go, cutting down on manual work and creating a consistent brand experience across the board. The results speak for themselves: an impressive 50% open rate and a 10% click-through rate (CTR), showing just how engaged their guests are.

Automated birthday treats (and a huge success)

One of the biggest transformations has been McMullens’ approach to birthday emails. Before Airship, these were sent manually and were very time-consuming... we’re talking someone in the back office sending individual emails out to every single person who had a birthday coming up! Now, they’ve fully automated the process. Guests receive a bespoke birthday email with a Toggle voucher, for a bottle of prosecco or wine. The journey sees emails sent two weeks before the guest’s birthday, with follow-ups one day before and one week after (if the voucher is unredeemed).

Between October 2023 and September 2024, they sent out £240,000 in birthday vouchers, achieving a 73% redemption rate—a testament to the power of automation!

But what has made their Airship experience great so far:

➡️ Unlimited support from the team, working closely with Danielle and Georgina collaborating on platform requests and seeing them quickly implemented. Airship’s ability to adapt to McMullens’ needs by offering customisations has been a game changer.

➡️ Despite having no prior CRM experience, McMullens’ team found Airship intuitive and easy to navigate. From segment targeting to building engaging email campaigns, they quickly got up to speed.

Looking ahead: Black Friday and beyond

This year marks a new milestone for McMullens; debuting their first ever Black Friday promotion using Toggle! After just over a year on the platform, they’ve already seen nearly £100k in gift card sales without much effort—previously, only 40 pubs sold gift cards, but now, with just posters, cards, and instructions, 65 locations are actively selling them. Now, they’re ready to take things up a notch, running a 20% uplift promotion on Black Friday, boosted by social media pushes and in-venue POS promotions.

Lucy Day, Digital Marketing and CRM Executive at McMullen’s has shared with us a bit about their experience so far. - "I’ve really enjoyed working with Airship and discovering all the amazing things we can do via Airship & Toggle. It’s been a game-changer - and the next financial year is going to bring some really exciting changes to Mac’s because of these systems!"

Before you go, here’s a sneak peek at what’s coming next for McMullens:

👋 Welcome journey: McMullens is gearing up to roll out a brand new welcome journey to enhance guest engagement from the moment they sign up.

🏨 New hotel in Soho: In January, they’ll be opening hotel rooms in their pub, the Spice of Life, in the heart of Soho.

🍸 The Duchess and Dressmaker, Brentwood: on 30th October, McMullens will unveil The Duchess & Dressmaker, a brand-new high street cocktail bar, and the latest pub joining the McMullen’s family

From CRM makeover to Black Friday takeover, McMullens is reaping the rewards of their digital transformation—and they’re just getting started!

To gift McMullens to your nearest and dearest, head over to their Toggle shop  ➡️ https://mcmullens.mytoggle.io/shop/gift-voucher

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