KissKiss & co.: Examples of successful e-commerce investments

 

 

KissKiss, the first brand acquired by the Audacia Group in 2018, Stickerkid and Stickeryeti, acquired in 2019, are examples of successful e-commerce investment and support. Specializing in the online sale of adult toys and accessories and 100% customized labels and stickers for children and professionals, KissKiss, Stickerkid, and Stickeryeti perfectly represent the gambles of Audacia’s acquisition strategy.

Celebrating their 15th, 20th, and 10th anniversaries in 2024 respectively, these three brands, whose growth was boosted by the Covid period, represent Audacia’s daring and innovative e-commerce investments within niche market companies. A brief review and status update on these acquisitions, which are at the core of the Audacia business model.

KissKiss, from a Local E-shop to a Swiss Leader

Founded in 2009 in Valais, KissKiss is an online store that built a reputation locally and regionally. The first brand acquired by Audacia in 2018, KissKiss has continued its development to become a leader in Switzerland, in a niche market, fragmented and with little competition.

Consolidated in 2021 with the acquisition of Joujou, another online sex shop primarily active in French-speaking Switzerland, KissKiss continues to develop. The goal is to gain notoriety in German-speaking Switzerland and expand outside Swiss territory, into other European markets.

Since its inception, KissKiss has seen a 182% increase in new customers and its assortment has expanded by more than 20% with new references. The current catalog includes nearly 9,000 products and some 300 brands that fully contribute to the enhancement of the sexual well-being of the Swiss population. From 300 orders per day before the acquisition, KissKiss now ships about 700 packages daily, a number that can even reach 2,500 during peak periods.

Specializing in fast delivery – the day after the order if placed before 5 PM – and ultra-discreet, KissKiss launched its first in-house sex toy in 2023. The KissKiss Collection will continue to expand in 2024, a year that marks its 15th anniversary. Throughout the year, its loyal naughty community can benefit from exclusive offers, contests, and many other surprises.

Stickerkid, a Leader in the DACH Markets

Founded in 2004 in Switzerland, Stickerkid is a brand that produces and sells high-quality, innovative, and super practical personalized labels for children. Despite sector competition, the company has primarily established itself in Switzerland and the German-speaking markets in Germany and Austria.

With production sites based in the heart of the Swiss Alps but also in the United States, Stickerkid ships its children’s labels all over the world! The brand, fun and creative, which has colored the lives of more than a million families since its inception, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. And for this event, it had to undergo a makeover: brand new website, new products, features, and options but also special marketing and communication operations.

Always open to changes and on the lookout for new trends, Stickerkid makes a point of listening to its customers and their suggestions to improve their products, services, and evolve the platform according to new online consumption habits. Equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and constantly innovating in printing processes, Stickerkid has printed, in square meters of labels, the equivalent of 42 tennis courts in a year.

Stickeryeti, the Swiss Community as a Springboard

Its little sister, Stickeryeti, is a brand specialized in custom sticker printing for all types of professionals: sports clubs, associations, restaurants, and any other business wanting to make stickers a communication tool, a means of promotion, decoration, or even signaling. It celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2024.

With 98% of its clientele being Swiss, Stickeryeti can boast of relying on a loyal and engaged community on social media where professional clients constantly share their creations and how they use their stickers. Tattoo artists, artists, bar, restaurant, or hotel managers, and even communication agencies and festivals, all create their own 100% customized stickers to communicate, promote their brand, or simply decorate spaces.

Also active in other German-speaking and French-speaking markets where it wishes to develop further, Stickeryeti wants to use its Swiss base to open other countries. Always seeking innovation and excellence in Swiss Made production, equipped with the latest generation of machinery and offering custom solutions in terms of stickers for all the needs of professionals, Stickeryeti prints the equivalent of 32 tennis courts in square meters of stickers per year.

The Key to a Successful E-commerce Investment: Time-consuming Tasks, Expertise Hub, and Cost Reduction

What are the commonalities in the support of these three e-commerce brands composing the Audacia portfolio? The brands first experimented with the same market: the Swiss e-commerce market. Other key factors for the success of these e-commerce investments lie in the adoption of an effective “Plug and Play” strategy.

The creation of an “expertise hub” and the pooling of resources in certain areas, general or specific to e-commerce, allows managers of each brand to be relieved of time-consuming administrative tasks such as human resources, administration, and finance and accounting. These are entrusted to a common department within the holding.

Relieved of these tasks, the brand managers can then fully focus on the performance and development of their business. Operating in this manner is a more effective strategy than if the companies evolved individually and allows the entire group to achieve economies of scale. The brands in the portfolio, gathered in common premises, can also benefit from inter-company synergies, the sharing of knowledge, skills, and experiences with other companies.

This is how KissKiss, Stickerkid, and Stickeryeti have developed after their acquisition. Although the brands maintain separate internal departments, they can:

– rely on a division that cuts across all of Audacia.

– make the most of sharing expertise.

– and have access to talent in specific areas.

In addition to reducing certain costs, the brands in the portfolio give themselves the means to grow optimally. Something they certainly could not have achieved evolving individually and independently from the group.

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