How Gorilla Bow Increased Average Order Value with Social Proof Upsells

From gym buddies to business partners: The journey of Gorilla Bow

Gorilla Bow founders Chris and Tom regularly worked out together and went on bow hunts. Their shared passion sparked the inspiration for Gorilla Bow Home Gym Equipment: “Anything that could be done with a barbell could be done using a bow and resistance bands.”

They were right.

After a massive hit on Kickstarter in 2017, not only did they have enough funds to build the products, but also the social proof to back up their idea. People loved what Gorilla Bow was offering, and they were able to start building their brand around a very passionate community.

Navigating customer acquisition struggles

To tackle rising customer acquisition costs and the death of third-party cookies, Gorilla Bow didn’t just increase their ad spend. They also invested in their community.

“We used Yotpo for a few years. It was as confusing to use as it was expensive. That’s why we switched to Loox. It’s easy to use and effective. I couldn't believe how intuitive it was to set up and use."

Patrick Maness

VP Marketing, Gorillabow

Social Proof Marketing is Gorilla Bow’s growth engine. And with Loox, they’ve taken their social proof game to the next level.

Building an effective techstack - on a budget

For Gorilla Bow to succeed, it needed solutions that are proven to compete in the crowded 160 billion-dollar fitness industry. High impact and fair pricing are the focus of Gorilla Bow, a bootstrapped company. Growth at all costs is not an option.

What started with the decision to sell on Shopify Plus expanded into a tech stack that supports their strongest growth channel: Social Proof Marketing.

Alongside more Loox products, Gorilla Bow leverages the conversion-optimized and visual-first review grid to display the experiences of thousands of happy customers - both on their product pages and their homepage. 

Kristopher M.

If you like resistance bands, this is the cream of the crop, the wide angle if the bow really allows you to torque up the resistance and get the most out of your workout while focusing on key areas!

For more inspiration on how to display conversion-optimized reviews, visit our inspiration page.

How Gorilla Bow collected over 2K reviews

In a perfect world, customers leave reviews without being asked. But that’s not how it actually works. That’s why Gorilla Bow decided to send review request emails through Loox, with a focus on driving visual reviews and review conversions. 

For maximum impact, they adjusted the review request settings according to their needs. Now, customers are being automatically asked to leave a review five days after the product has been delivered. This gives the customer enough time to try the product and give an honest opinion on it. And they’re seeing an above-average response rate of 35%! 

Amy R.

Finally found the solution to being able to lift while living tiny. We've been living in our truck camper for 4 years- slowly traveling and working seasonal jobs.

Clayton W.

I have been a personal trainer and athlete. As I age I have moved more towards band type workouts and I knew this would fit the bill for me. It actually has exceeded my expectations and the classes are very well put together.

To encourage customers to add a photo or video to their reviews, Gorilla Bow uses Loox to offer a 20% discount on the next purchase if they add a photo or video to their review. This way, Gorilla Bow not only increases the amount of UGC they collect from their customers but also the customer lifetime value.

Smashing industry standards for Post-Purchase Upsell

Gorilla Bow was among the first users of the Loox Post-Purchase Upsells - a product that displays Loox reviews on post-purchase upsell offers to increase the average order value (AOV). It was an easy decision for them because they knew the conversion power of visual reviews from their experience with the Loox Product Reviews Widget. 

High impact at no additional costs was again the main driver behind this decision. 

“Visual reviews on the upsells are extremely important for Gorillabow because a photo compliments a written review by adding another layer of authenticity to it."

Patrick Maness

VP Marketing, Gorillabow

By offering a substantial discount on a complementary product to the Original Gorilla Bow, and adding a limited-time-offer countdown to create urgency, they see an 11% conversion rate on post-purchase offers. That's 3x the industry standard. And they made an additional $3.6K in revenue.

What started with a prototype in a garage grew into a worldwide success. Chris, Tom, and the team of Gorilla Bow continue to shine in one of the most competitive industries. Their focus on product development and Social Proof Marketing has brought them where they are. And there’s no sign of stopping anytime soon.

Key Takeaways

• Social Proof Marketing is a high-impact, low-cost marketing channel.
• Collect photo reviews at scale by offering discounts for media submissions. This allows you to build a library of UGC and encourage repeat purchases.
• Post-purchase upsells that highlight visual reviews add authenticity and trust to post-purchase offers. Gorilla Bow uses Loox Post-Purchase Upsells to achieve a 11% conversion rate on post-purchase offers.

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