USI’s Performance Marketing

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Building Muscle in the Market: USI’s Performance Marketing Success

Brand Overview

USI (Universal Sports India) is one of India’s most trusted legacy brands in sports and fitness gear, with over 60 years of expertise. Renowned for its commitment to quality, innovation, and durability, USI manufactures a wide range of equipment including boxing gear, MMA kits, gym accessories, sportswear, and home fitness equipment.

With a strong B2B presence and a growing D2C footprint through usiuniversal.com, the brand caters to athletes, fitness enthusiasts, and training academies across India and overseas.

USI’s mission is to empower every athlete to perform at their best through world-class gear designed with precision and performance in mind.

The Challenge

  • Intense competition from global and domestic sports brands entering the Indian market.
  • Limited online visibility and low brand recall among younger, digital-first fitness consumers.
  • Inconsistent D2C performance despite a strong product range and manufacturing legacy.
  • High bounce rate and cart abandonment on the e-commerce site.
  • Underutilized potential of social media to build brand storytelling and engagement.

Objectives

USI partnered with T-Rex Agency to strengthen its digital presence and online sales performance while staying true to its legacy and authenticity. The primary goals were to:

  • Scale D2C sales through performance marketing and e-commerce optimization.
  • Build stronger brand awareness among Gen Z and millennial fitness audiences.
  • Reduce cart abandonment and improve the overall conversion rate.
  • Position USI as the go-to Indian brand for professional-grade sports and fitness gear.

Duration: 4 months

Our Approach

1. Performance Marketing Strategy

We designed a full-funnel campaign across Meta and Google to drive awareness, consideration, and conversion:

  • Top / Awareness: Focused on storytelling ads around “Built for Champions”—showcasing USI’s 60-year heritage and product craftsmanship.
  • Middle / Consideration: Highlighted product USPs—durability, safety standards, and affordability—through carousel and video creatives.
  • Bottom / Conversion: Used retargeting and offer-based ads for high-intent audiences, recovering drop-offs with limited-time discounts and free shipping.

Budgets were optimized weekly to prioritize top-performing categories like boxing gloves, home gym kits, and resistance gear.

2. Creative & Content Strategy

  • Produced UGC-style product demo videos with fitness creators and athletes to show gear performance in action.
  • Developed “Legacy + Performance” creative theme, blending trust and innovation across ads.
  • Created seasonal campaigns (e.g., “New Year Fitness Goals,” “Train Like a Pro”) to drive high engagement during peak purchase cycles.
  • Designed high-impact visuals for Meta and Google Display featuring product benefits, price highlights, and quick CTAs to drive clicks.

3. Website Optimization & Automation

  • Improved landing page flow by adding trust signals (reviews, certifications, athlete endorsements).
  • Streamlined the checkout process, reducing steps to improve conversion rates.
  • Implemented cart abandonment recovery via email and WhatsApp automation.
  • Introduced cross-sell recommendations (“Pair it with…” for gloves, belts, wraps, etc.) to improve average order value (AOV).

4. Data-Driven Optimization

  • Monitored campaign data daily — focusing on ROAS, CPC, conversion rates, and top SKUs.
  • Conducted A/B testing for ad creatives, headlines, and CTAs to continuously refine results.
  • Created custom audiences from high-value purchasers and retargeted them with new arrivals and loyalty offers.

Results

Metric Before After (4 Months) % Improvement
Monthly Online Sales ?12 lakhs ?42 lakhs +250%
Website Conversion Rate 1.1% 3.2% +190%
Average ROAS 1.9X 4.1X +116%
Cart Abandonment Rate 68% 38% –44%
Repeat Customer Rate 18% 40% +2.2×

Additional Highlights

  • Increased visibility among fitness enthusiasts and combat sports audiences through niche targeting and influencer-driven creatives.
  • Established USI’s brand narrative as “India’s Homegrown Performance Brand.”
  • Achieved consistent ROAS above 4X with scalable campaign structure.
  • Enhanced brand engagement and follower growth through product demo reels and athlete endorsements.

Takeaways & Learnings

  • Blending legacy storytelling with performance marketing can reignite brand relevance in competitive categories.
  • UGC and athlete-led videos significantly outperformed static visuals in driving conversions.
  • Streamlined website flow and automated cart recovery improved AOV and overall purchase rate.
  • Data-led audience segmentation ensured cost-efficient scaling while maintaining a strong ROAS.
  • Strategic ad placement and cross-sell automation helped USI evolve from a manufacturer-first brand to a digitally dominant D2C force.