2017 FOUR SIGMATIC WEBSITE

In 2017, mushroom coffee was still a new concept in the U.S. market, hence the initial positioning focused on education and process-focused imagery relating to the first shift above.

🖥️ THE NOT AS EFFECTIVE CUSTOMER'S EXPERIENCE: 

• EDUCATION OVER BENEFITS: The emphasis on educating about mushrooms rather than highlighting individual benefits may deter casual consumers, leading them into a passive learning mode.
• PRODUCT FOCUSED COMMUNITY: The section beneath the social proof of Times/Forbes urging users to "Join the Mushroom Coffee Revolution," emphasizes community over the actual benefits of the mushrooms—again turning the positioning focused on the product then the customer.

• HEAVILY PROCESS FOCUSED: The images depicting the 3 Step Process add simplicity (actually mirroring my own morning routine with a similar coffee mug.)
• Yet, their placement on the page right after the above the fold section sacrifices valuable space that could be better utilized for testimonials or highlighting benefits that helps shorten the buyer timeline. NOTE: This oversight has been corrected on the 2024 website.

• PERFORMANCE  POSITIONING: They were more heavily focused on the positioning as a enhancement or performance type product suite. The performance angle isn't good or bad. It just depends on who they are trying to attract, what their buyers needed, and where the market shifted.
• DEMOGRAPHIC MISMATCH: The branding and chosen images creates the impression of a 'perform better' angle versus an overall wellness positioning they've taken now.
• NOTE: This would be a perfect position still if they were going for the Keto, Whole30, 75 Hard crowds. Even though it is still wellness, these specific niche buyers are performance focused that aligns with this website's current messaging. Which is why it's important to know the exact demographic you're selling to so your messaging is in alignment with the desired demo.

• OK FOUNDATION: While the webpage isn't inherently bad, it could have benefitted from a shift towards a more benefit-focused approach earlier on, leveraging the abundance of testimonials available. Nevertheless, the new website seems to rectify this.
• ORIGIN MENTION: I appreciate the nod to their Finnish origins and it being at the end of the page so it doesn't take up more important real estate above. It can help to mention Personally didn't know about their backstory until now. 

 🧾 IMPACT ON SALES:

• The current educational focus fails to bridge the gap between product benefits and consumer needs quickly. Potential clients likely explored the website extensively, given the plethora of content available, including videos and the Mushroom Academy. The lack of product benefit integration suggests a more education-centric approach rather than one focused on driving conversions.
• Potentially delaying purchase decisions as customers sift through extensive educational content.
• With the performance angle alienating first time website visitors who are more general wellness focused and believe this is not for them and click off.
• This could also result in higher bounce rates and lead drop-offs as visitors navigate the website leading dozens to hundreds of sales left on the table.

Now let's see how this first positioning shift evolved into a more impactful second shift on their website and marketing below.

2024 - FOUR SIGMATIC WEBSITE

You can tell the time (and most likely lots of money to A/B testing and conversion rate optimization) was put into this homepage. It highlights nearly all 4 buyer types' natural feature or psychological trigger they look for in the purchase consideration process.

🖥️ AN EFFECTIVE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE: 

• BENEFIT FOCUSED START: They've optimized their above-the-fold section with a header image that invokes a feeling i.e. her smiling. Along immediately showing social proof of 100k+ 5 Start Reviews. Plus benefit restated below in a wrap around of one word phrases that the customer would be thinking about when considering if this mushroom coffee brand is for them.
• PROFITABLE PRIORITIZATION: The prioritization of starter kits or bundles, likely due to higher profit margins, is evident. They display a wide range of terms their products can address creating a well-structured layout with ample white space, a significant improvement over the previous webpage.

• WELLNESS-ORIENTED TARGETING:  The new positioning targets wellness-focused individuals, with branding that primarily appeals to women while maintaining gender neutrality. It focuses less on scientific details as the 'mushroom academy' was and more on the benefits consumers can experience. And using alongside testimonials from celebrities or influencers, reinforcing credibility.

• INTENTIONAL PSYCHOLOGICAL TACTICS: The website strategically uses anchoring bias presented with the recency effect. This strategically presents information in a specific way to influence customers’ perception by highlighting the product’s most attractive benefits and features at the end with the mention of 'helps with focus, energy and mood' at the bottom right to have the consumer recall it quicker.

• USER-CENTRIC FOCUS: Initial overwhelm might occur, depending on whether users scroll first or attempt to read through the content. However, the website effectively counterbalances this by prompting users to identify their needs and guiding them with interactive testimonials and exit pop-ups offering discounts, potentially boosting conversion rates.

• ALIGNED MARKET BRANDING: The brand's positioning aligns with clean living brands like Thrive Market, fostering familiarity and trust through similar branding, ultimately enhancing brand recognition and consumer confidence.

• ORIGIN MENTION: As shown in the last website they kept the Finnish mention at the end along with a new built-in feature at the bottom right of the website (not pictured) showing 'Meet the Founder' where Tero shares their mission. Fostering more of that intimacy that can be lost as you scale into a bigger company.

 🧾 IMPACT ON SALES:

• This home page, even though longer and more scrolls than the 2017 iteration truly is well optimized. From the beginning with the emotional appeal is conveyed through images like the smiling woman in the first picture and other strategically placed elements. Allowing each lead to be primed and know how this can immediately benefit them to have higher CTR (clickthrough rate) to the 'add to cart' page.
• This would help create faster decision making with less buyer remorse so that they're sales scale without a higher return rate. 
•  

Key Takeaways

Four somatic has done a great job on leaning into the benefits, and the big components of what makes an easy yes for their consumers.

As someone who is a long time customer, I think it's interesting to take a look and see how they're bringing new customers with the added layer of six years of conversion, marketing and position experience.

This was mainly meant to highlight. Things are doing well and give a better look on how things get translated from a position inside into more copy rather than an audit with deeper changes.

What I do love is they never went down the negative route of demonizing traditional coffee - trying to use the us vs them narrative. Which would have gone against their branding and can back fire even if there is merit to it like certain coffees having potential for toxins and mold in it.

Demonstrating there are so many ways to position your product or offer as you expand into new audiences or adding in new products so that it still is in alignment with the value of the company and strengthens your relationship with the customer.

How to Use This For Your Business (EASY Action):

1. Maximize Above-the-Fold Impact: Ensure that the above-the-fold section of your website effectively communicates key selling points and benefits to visitors. Use compelling header images and concise bullet points to convey value propositions upfront, minimizing the need for extensive scrolling (linked to discussions on maximizing above-the-fold section and product-focused community).

2. Strategically Prioritize Product Offerings: Identify high-profit-margin products or bundles and prominently feature them on your website. Utilize testimonials from influencers or celebrities to reinforce credibility and showcase the array of terms your products can address. Additionally, consider restructuring your website layout to emphasize benefits and create better white space for improved readability (linked to discussions on profitable prioritization and balanced growth strategy).

3. Enhance User Experience for Higher Conversions: Optimize the user experience by addressing potential visitor overwhelm and guiding them through clear conversion paths. Incorporate interactive elements such as prompts to identify user needs and exit pop-ups offering discounts to encourage conversions. Prioritize user-centric design elements to improve engagement and conversion rates (linked to discussions on user-centric experience and aligned brand positioning).

The easy actions might help spike some sales - but to create positioning and funnels that keep up with the pace of your business growth you might need a bit more support than a couple one-off actions.