TOTE is a retail tech startup that bridges the gap between online shopping and in-store experiences, and has been building on its strong momentum and success since rolling out its product last year. The company quickly gained traction in the retail industry, partnering with 80+ stores across 50+ brands, ranging from independent boutiques to large retailers with 10+ store locations, including well-known names such as Simkhai, Billy Reid, Bandier, Still Here, Sabah, Ramy Brook, Susan Alexandra, and more.
TOTE redefines the shopping experience by allowing customers to select items on a brand's website and have them waiting in a fitting room to try on in-store. Online-only retailers can also leverage the platform to book virtual styling sessions, or to send shoppers to their stockists' locations. With onboarding that takes less than 24 hours, TOTE seamlessly integrates with brands' ecommerce frontend and their store inventory on the backend. Retailers have access to a dashboard where they can manage fitting room bookings and see purchasing and revenue data. On top of its core offering, TOTE built its own artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) algorithm to power recommendations based on the color, patterns, and general aesthetic of what a shopper already wants to try on. The product also offers a store flow management solution to track how shoppers move through stores and fitting rooms as well as individual employee profiles for clienteling.
As consumer expectations continue to shift towards convenience, personalization, and sustainability, the company is well-positioned to lead the charge in the retail industry. Recently, TOTE was referred to MAG PR by a VC partner, with the goal to execute a targeted 45-day press launch project to bolster its fundraising efforts.
The Challenge: Generating Brand Recognition & Credibility
TOTE had built a cutting-edge platform and a strong customer base. However, despite their product’s unique value proposition, the company’s media exposure was extremely limited. Their challenge was twofold:
Lack of Brand Awareness—TOTE needed to break through to key retail and tech media outlets to establish themselves as a leader in retail technology.
Positioning for Growth—As TOTE prepared to scale, they needed a consistent, streamlined narrative to connect with media, potential investors, and new customers.
The Strategy: Landing a Breaking News Exclusive
TOTE partnered with MAG PR to execute a targeted media outreach strategy. The goal was to secure an exclusive with a top tier retail outlet, with comprehensive, impactful coverage to follow. MAG PR’s approach included:
Strategic Planning: Identifying key media targets and aligning outreach efforts with TOTE’s messaging goals.
Pre-announcement Communication: Crafting compelling press materials, including a detailed press release, embargoed pitch, and media kit, to provide journalists with all necessary information ahead of the embargo lift.
Exclusive Coverage Management: Locking in a top tier journalist to cover the story with a deep-dive feature.
Day-of Coordination: Ensuring seamless execution on the announcement day, with real-time support to manage any unexpected issues.
Post-announcement Media Relations: Developing creative, thought-leadership focused pitches to shop around after the news broke to continue the momentum.
Key Outcome: Top-Tier Coverage & Brand Awareness
MAG PR successfully managed to secure an exclusive with WWD, ensuring a deep dive feature was locked in with a top-tier retail-focused media outlet. From there, we led a full-court press once the news broke to generate widespread coverage once the embargo lifted. The press release highlighted key aspects of TOTE’s value proposition, product features, the company’s mission, customer references, and plans for scalable growth.
The strategic outreach resulted in significant media coverage across influential publications, amplifying TOTE’s message and reaching a highly targeted audience. Key results included:
Top-Tier Coverage: An exclusive with WWD and other coveted industry outlets including media opportunities with the Wall Street Journal, Retail Brew, Authority Magazine, Yahoo! News, the e-Commerce edge podcast, and more.
Top-of-Funnel Awareness: The Retail Brew article in particular directly correlated to an inbound lead from a Fortune 500 global retailer.
Website Traffic Increase: TOTE’s site benefitted from a 243% jump in traffic.
“Working with the MAG PR team was a great experience. Not only did they land key placements for TOTE, but they explained and simplified the world of PR for us, which was extremely helpful as we navigated things for the first time. I’m really excited to continue working with them on our longer term PR strategy going forward.”