How Kiava Clothing saw increased sales through streamlined communication by using Marco Polo

Results

• From 2019 to 2020, 68% increase in YoY sales

• 11 - 25% increase in sales YoY since 2020

• Marketing team productivity through the roof!

• Substantial reduction in live meetings

Kiava Clothing is a brand founded by women for women. “Kiava’s mission is to empower women to be confident in every stage of their health and fitness journey,” says Bailey Tate, Kiava's director of marketing. And that mission of empowerment and confidence is something the entire Kiava team lives by too.

The Team

Bailey Tate, Marketing Director, Kiava Clothing

Small but mighty, the marketing team is only five members strong. Everyone works remotely, with two team members in Utah and three others in California and Arizona. The team meets in-person twice a year. 

Bailey, who is now their marketing director, actually started working for Kiava through another marketing agency, which is where she was introduced to Marco Polo. Kiava owner Olivia VanCott is a busy mother of four, so Marco Polo was the best way for her to communicate with her team while always on the go. Oliva’s enthusiasm for the app spread to Bailey, who continued to use the app when she started her own agency and when she came back to work with Kiava. 

Marco Polo is now the main mode of communication for the Kiava marketing team.

Kiava Clothing designs

A key our to success: Streamlined communication between leadership and the marketing team
Owner Oliva VanCott is not only the creative mind behind the brand, she’s also the designer behind each product. A clear and concise line of communication between her and the marketing team is an essential part of the success they’ve seen over the last few years.

There are complex product launches within the brand and conveying that information in a concise way can be difficult, especially through text-based formats.

“Before Marco Polo, there was no easy way to do it. It would take weeks to get something new on the website. After Marco Polo, it was so easy. I’d get an immediate Polo from Olivia with all the details. I could write the description, write the product details, and then start basing emails and social posts for that product on that one message. Instead of weeks, it became a five-minute process. It changed everything,” said Bailey,.

Today, the team kicks off the week with a synchronous Monday morning meeting but everything else from there happens over Marco Polo.”

A key to our success: Fewer meetings, more focus time, more transparency
Aside from that first Monday morning meeting, everything else happens over Marco Polo.

“We have a group thread, which is where all our almost immediate communication goes. So if an email goes out, I will make sure to share it there, so everyone knows to see if it’s performing well and where else to feature the product. It’s a rare week if there’s nothing shared in that thread,” said Bailey.

It’s often difficult to schedule 1:1 meetings with members of the team as well, so Bailey plans to take those meetings to Marco Polo, which she hopes will make them feel even more personal and casual.

The new labeling feature has also enabled the team to go back and reference important Polos during their recent Black Friday rush, giving every member of the team access to the information they need quickly and easily.

A key to our success: A high-performing team built on trust
Kiava has grown its remote team remotely, hiring team members without meeting in-person, and as a team, they only meet in-person once or twice a year.

“We have 100% trust built within our team and that’s entirely down to the relationships we’ve established through Marco Polo. Every member of the team feels connected and that we care about each other. I love that they feel that way regardless of whether we meet in person or not,” said Bailey.

Trust is an important part of any successful remote team, and trust has contributed greatly to Kiava’s success over the past few years.

The result: More to come


From increased sales to increased brand awareness, great things are in store for this team and this brand.