Diving into Data: How KnoCommerce Drives Key Growth Insights for SwimOutlet

SwimOutlet, the leading online retailer for all things swimming in the U.S., prides itself on its innovative approach to connecting with customers. As a company obsessed with growth and retention, they’ve always been on the lookout for ways to better understand their customers and deliver exceptional experiences. 

Adam Hayim, Director of Growth, Acquisition, and Retention at SwimOutlet, shares how KnoCommerce transformed their approach to customer data and enabled them to unlock key business opportunities. 

Before Kno, they relied on assumptions and traditional metrics. Now, with targeted surveys and rich zero-party data, SwimOutlet has the insights to make strategic, data-driven decisions that fuel their growth.

Here’s how they did it—and the incredible results they’ve seen.

The Challenge: Customer Assumptions Were Holding SwimOutlet Back

Before Kno, SwimOutlet was using traditional customer feedback methods like NPS (Net Promoter Score) surveys. While helpful, these surveys weren’t immediate and often didn’t capture the essence of what was driving customer behavior on the site. 

Adam explains, “It’s great to get feedback after the fact, but by then customers may not remember their exact experience on the website. We wanted something immediate and more actionable.”

At the same time, SwimOutlet, like many other DTC brands, faced a common dilemma: understanding the true impact of top-of-funnel marketing activities, especially in areas like Connected TV (CTV) or digital ads on platforms like TikTok and Meta. 

There were always questions about whether these campaigns were worth the investment. Adam needed concrete data to inform SwimOutlet’s resource allocation and strategic decisions.

The Solution: Introducing KnoCommerce’s Post-Purchase Surveys

SwimOutlet implemented Kno to gather zero-party data directly from customers immediately after their purchase. This allowed them to ask relevant questions while the customer experience was still fresh. 

Adam explains, “We were already big believers in connecting with our customers. KnoCommerce allowed us to go deeper—almost like opening a door into their minds—by asking the right questions.”

What made Kno stand out among competitors was its ability to offer advanced logic, customization, and seamless integration with SwimOutlet’s platforms. Plus, Kno’s response rates were consistently above the industry average (36% on average, to be exact), making it a natural choice for Adam and his team.

One of the standout features for Adam was the ability to introduce new questions and segment customers based on their responses:

“We can focus specifically on new customers from paid ads and understand what drove them to us. What are their pain points? Where did they come from? This allows us to get real, actionable insights fast.” Adam explained.

Building a More Effective Loyalty Program Through Data-Driven Adjustments

One of the most immediate benefits for SwimOutlet was their ability to settle long-standing debates about top-of-funnel marketing.

Adam shares, “There’s always been this debate around the impact of top-of-funnel campaigns. With KnoCommerce, we now know when a customer tells us they found us through a TV ad or a YouTube video. This level of insight helps us make better business decisions and allocate resources more effectively.”

Another valuable insight came from SwimOutlet’s loyalty program using KnoCommerce’s post-purchase surveys. By analyzing feedback, SwimOutlet identified why new customers hadn’t opted into the membership program and discovered what existing members valued most about their experience. 

For instance, many members highlighted the benefits of exclusive pricing and accumulating rewards credits of up to 5%, as well as the appeal of early access to new products. These insights guided SwimOutlet in refining their messaging to emphasize these valued perks, helping to increase opt-ins and reduce churn rate. 

Additionally, by understanding which features were most appreciated, SwimOutlet was able to phase out less relevant benefits, focusing instead on the aspects that resonated most deeply with their loyal customers. This allowed the team to connect more meaningfully with their audience, tailoring the program to better meet customer needs.

“We used to have assumptions about what customers wanted from our membership, but now we have hard data. That’s invaluable,” says Adam.

Surprising Insights That Reshaped SwimOutlet’s Targeting

One of the most surprising discoveries came when SwimOutlet introduced a question about customers’ association with swim teams. 

Before Kno, the team assumed that the majority of their customers—around 80%—were part of swim teams. However, the data told a different story. In reality, only 51% of their customers were affiliated with swim teams, while the other half represented a much broader audience, from recreational swimmers to those who simply loved being in the water.

This insight led to a significant shift in how SwimOutlet approached product offerings and marketing. 

Adam explains, “We realized that half of our business wasn’t tied to swim teams, which was eye-opening. It showed us there’s a whole audience out there that we weren’t catering to fully. KnoCommerce helped us see that.”

SwimOutlet also discovered that over 80% of new customers from paid channels didn’t associate with swim teams. 

This finding proved that their paid acquisition efforts were not cannibalizing existing customer segments, but instead bringing in incremental business. “That really helped build trust in our paid channels and allowed us to invest more confidently in them,” says Adam.

The Results: Smarter Decisions, Happier Customers

Since implementing KnoCommerce, SwimOutlet has been able to:

• Increase participation in their loyalty program by addressing customer pain points.
• Make more strategic marketing decisions based on real-time customer data.
• Tailor messaging across channels by better understanding the demographics of their audiences.
• Gain trust in top-of-funnel marketing efforts, leading to more efficient budget allocation.

Adam sums it up best: “KnoCommerce has unlocked areas for us that we didn’t even know were possible. We’re not just guessing anymore. We’re making informed, data-driven decisions that are helping us grow faster and serve our customers better.”

Looking Ahead: The Future with KnoCommerce

With Kno’s post-purchase surveys becoming an integral part of their growth strategy, SwimOutlet is continuing to explore new ways to use customer insights to refine their offerings and improve the customer experience. From product development to marketing campaigns, zero-party data is now at the core of their decision-making process.

“At the end of the day, our customers’ feedback is gold,” says Adam. “And KnoCommerce is the tool that lets us mine that gold.”

Ready to unlock customer insights like SwimOutlet?

Book a demo with KnoCommerce today and see how zero-party data can help you grow faster, smarter, and more efficiently.

Our team is here to help you find the right fit for your business.

Start with a template