Mobiles.co.uk uses overlays to recommend plans with better value and margins

By
Rich Towey

Who are Mobiles.co.uk?

Mobiles.co.uk is a popular online retailer of mobile phones and contracts in the UK. It was founded in 1995 and has provided customers with the latest handsets and competitive deals for over 25 years. They have a wide range of smartphones from top brands such as Apple, Samsung, and Huawei.

The challenge for Mobiles.co.uk and RevLifter

Mobiles.co.uk aimed to stay profitable during Cyber Week, a time when aggressive promotions can really squeeze margins. Just pushing deals on high-margin plans was not enough to boost conversion rates.

The retailer wanted to tailor its recommendations based on what's already in the cart, helping shoppers unlock bigger savings. It’s a win-win—better results for both the brand and customers!

Let’s not forget that Mobiles.co.uk is keen to ramp up sales of premium devices, with iPhones as a prime target to kick things off.

The offers and campaigns

Sift through Mobiles.co.uk’s extensive list of eCommerce plans in real time to find the perfect match for you. RevLifter partnered with Mobiles.co.uk to enhance their retail strategy and boost revenue by creating a custom data algorithm leveraging machine learning and native overlays.

How did we achieve this optimization? First, we integrated with an exclusive BigUpData Enhanced Telco feed from the affiliate network Awin, providing our algorithm with vital information to upsell and cross-sell customers like pros.

Here’s how it works:  

  1. You spot a great handset on Mobiles.co.uk, pick a tariff, and toss it in your basket. That's when our real-time feed scan kicks in with customizable rules for enhanced conversions.  
  2. You receive a recommendation for a tariff with more data—often cheaper and better for Mobiles.co.uk’s profit margins.  
  3. Click ‘unlock your special offer’ on the basket page, and voilà! An overlay gives you even better value, swapping items in your order for maximum savings and improved average order value.

Mobiles.co.uk’s Cyber Week strategy boosted cart value and customer retention. It aimed to engage customers right when needed, keeping them focused on online shopping, especially if they were about to bail.

RevLifter identified three main scenarios to tackle:  

Low-margin baskets  

Regular customers received promotions that increased their cart value and saved money—a win-win for loyalty programs!  

iPhone customers  

Given the margins on iPhones, we used our data-driven approach to find better offers for those with iPhones in their carts. We even triggered unique overlays on product pages for those still browsing, enhancing consumer behavior insights.  

iPhone abandoners  

If someone spent over 60 seconds on an iPhone product page without taking action, we targeted them with an overlay that redirected them to a ‘Black Friday deals’ page loaded with personalized marketing offers.

Results

“Implementing RevLifter, from initial idea generation to technical implementation, has been smooth. Mobile phone purchases are subject to complex user journeys that consider thousands of variations of deals and offers.

RevLifter has created a bespoke journey which drives better value for customers and better margins for the business. We’ve recorded a positive increase in time on site and conversion while complimenting the end user’s experience.”

Jay Karsandas, Digital Marketing Manager. Mobiles.co.uk
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