Newquay Surfing School
"Running the promotions has boosted our customer numbers by 50% and kept us busy during the quieter months, which was key business objective for us. We have seen a wider variety of people attend the lessons, particularly from further afield – some have travelled from Bristol and other parts of the country to attend! What’s more, they’ve returned with the hunger to keep surfing."
About Newquay Surfing School
Newquay Surfing School runs seven days a week during March-November and is based in Cornwall, England. Young entrepreneurs, Gareth Beckett (a former-chef) and Adam Griffiths (a professional surfer), set-up the school in 2008 to fulfil their passion for the sport. They started by running the business within a local hotel taking bookings from the guests, but in 2013 it relocated to an exclusive, beach-front location.
The school offers a wide range of classes, which cater for complete beginner’s right up to experienced surfers wishing to improve their technique. All its instructors are Surfing GB approved and fully qualified to ensure the experience is as safe and enjoyable as possible.
The Challenge
While Newquay is the ideal location for good surf, the business faced stiff competition from the numerous other surfing schools in the area. Its main challenges were being able to stand out amongst rivals and also make sure there was a steady flow of customers during the colder months. During September until November it was difficult to run full classes several times a day, as they would in the summer months.
The Result
In 2011 the business owners started to look at ways to increase customer numbers and rise above the competition. As digitally-savvy entrepreneurs, they knew that e-commerce company Groupon was helping businesses do just this so they decided to call Groupon to discuss a partnership.
Newquay Surfing School was one of the first in the area to offer 50% off lessons, and this price point proved an instant hit.
Advertising on Groupon has boosted customer numbers for Newquay Surfing School by 50% and kept them busy during off-peak months.
Due to Groupon’s extensive online customer base and strong web presence, the partnership has also increased traffic to the Newquay Surfing School website by 70%, while dramatically improving its SEO rankings on Google – something the owners wouldn’t have been able to allocate advertising budget to. This success has carried through to the realms of social media.
"It’s a tough industry to crack and we wouldn’t have managed to stay afloat without Groupon. The partnership has not only helped us generate local awareness but reach those much further afield. In doing so, this has boosted our online and digital presence – something which is very important for small businesses today."
- Adam Griffiths, Owner
