A Case Study in Google & Facebook Ads for E-Commerce: Growing a Business with AdHawk

When Rich and Brett of Modkat said “We want to cut our digital advertising budget in half while maintaining the same sales revenue,” AdHawk delivered. In only one year, AdHawk helped put Modkat’s products in front of a whole new audience.

Brett and Richard have their roots in digital strategy. As graphic designers working in the early days of the internet, they were highly sought-after to design and build websites. Before Modkat, they owned a graphic design business that catered to businesses both small and large.

Technically, Modkat was the brainchild of Rich’s wife. Frustrated with the current models of litter boxes on the market and knowing they weren’t the only ones with this problem, they needed a solution—and fast.

The Modkat Debut: Off to a Stellar Start

In 2008, the duo debuted a prototype of their first litter box at New York’s International Contemporary Furniture Fair. Simply put, it was a smash hit. “We had probably the most people of anyone at the show at our booth the whole time,” Brett said. “Our neighbors wanted to be next to us again the next year.” That day, competing against furniture giants such as IKEA, they won the fair’s award for best accessory.

After the conference, Modkat was featured in a number of major publications, so “sales skyrocketed kind of quickly, and then a month later sales dropped off,” Brett explained. They knew they had something great, but it needed more attention—so Brett and Rich quit their jobs and went full-time into Modkat. With an initial push into print advertising, their product was picked up by boutique stores all over the country. But this proved difficult to maintain, so they quickly took their business entirely online.

AdHawk + Modkat: A Success Story

Modkat became the 276th store on Shopify, and after some back and forth with another agency (and a short-lived attempt to bring their digital advertising in-house), they partnered with AdHawk. Finally, Modkat had a partner that could bring spending down while increasing sales—giving Brett and Rich “peace of mind knowing professionals were doing it.”

AdHawk offered Brett and Rich the perfect combination of hands-on and hands-off management. While the two wanted to entrust the day-to-day responsibilities of eCommerce digital advertising to professionals, they also wanted to maintain oversight and stay in the loop.

AdHawk delivered on all fronts. As Brett explains, “Weekly and bi-weekly calls with our Account Managers have been really helpful. We can let [them] in on the nuances of the product and the customer.” Knowing that AdHawk is on the job allows them to confidently tackle new opportunities.

Growing Modkat through Facebook and Google Ads

In the year since Modkat been partnered with AdHawk, they have seen their:

• Number of sales increased 70% due to Facebook Ads and 60% due to Google Ads.
• Cost per click decrease by 30%.
• Conversion rate increase by 30%.

By putting their digital advertising in the hands of AdHawk, Modkat was able to grow from one product—a new and improved litter box—to a whole line of litter boxes, liners, and other accessories. Simultaneously, they were able to develop one of the few successful cat-centric blogs on the internet.

And There’s More to Come from Modkat

Brett and Rich aren’t even close to finished. While the entire Modkat line is still sold exclusively online (where sales continue to thrive) there’s much more to come—so keep an eye out for the many new products in Modkat’s pipeline! With AdHawk’s help, you’ll be seeing them soon.