Marketer Story
Maya Nair, CMO of Botanica Beauty, a £25M D2C skincare brand, sat across from Alex, Progency’s VP of Growth Partnerships, in her London office. The quarterly board meeting was just two weeks away, and Maya’s biggest challenge remained unsolved: how to grow revenue whilst improving profit margins in an increasingly competitive market.
Alex: Maya, I’ve reviewed Botanica’s customer data, and I can see why you’re frustrated. You’ve got 40,000 customers in what we call the ‘Rest’ segment—they’ve purchased before but their engagement has declined significantly. That’s roughly 40% of your database generating just 30% of your revenue. What if I told you we could double their contribution without any upfront cost to you?
Maya: I’ve heard this before, Alex. Every martech vendor promises better engagement and higher returns. What makes Progency different? And what’s this ‘ZeroBase’ model you had mentioned in your email?
Alex: ZeroBase means exactly what it sounds like—you start at zero cost. No monthly fees, no implementation charges, no platform subscriptions. We only get paid when we generate measurable revenue increase from your Rest customers above their current baseline. If we don’t deliver results, we don’t earn anything.
Maya: (leaning back) That sounds too good to be true. How do you stay in business if you’re working for free?
Alex: Because we’re not working for free—we’re betting on our ability to deliver results. We use AI agents that operate 24/7, personalising experiences for each customer based on their purchase history, browsing behaviour, and engagement patterns. When these customers increase their spending, we earn a percentage of that incremental revenue. Last quarter, our average client saw 70% uplift in Rest customer revenue.
Maya: 70%? Come on, Alex. I’ve been in marketing for fifteen years. Those numbers don’t add up. What’s the catch?
Alex: No catch, but let me be transparent about the challenges. First, we need deep integration with your customer data and purchase systems. Second, it takes 90-120 days to see meaningful results—this isn’t a quick fix. Third, we focus specifically on Rest customers, not your entire base. And fourth, our success depends on having quality data about customer behaviour.
Maya: Okay, so you’re not promising overnight miracles. But how do I know you won’t just spam my customers and damage our brand reputation?
Alex: That’s exactly why ZeroBase works in your favour. If we damage relationships, those customers spend less, not more, and we don’t get paid. Our AI agents are trained on your brand voice and values. Every communication feels authentically Botanica. We’re not sending more emails—we’re sending smarter emails. Quality over quantity.
Maya: (pulling up spreadsheet on laptop) Let me show you our problem. Our Rest customers spent an average of £85 last quarter, down from £120 the previous year. We’ve tried reactivation campaigns, discount offers, new product launches—nothing moves the needle meaningfully. How would your approach be different?
Alex: Traditional reactivation treats all Rest customers the same—send everyone a 20% discount and hope for the best. Our AI agents create individual customer twins that predict what each person actually wants. Sarah might need a skincare routine refresh, while Jessica is price-sensitive and responds to bundled offers. David might be interested in your new men’s line but doesn’t know it exists. We personalise at the individual level, not segment level.
Maya: Individual level sounds expensive. How do you make the economics work?
Alex: That’s the beauty of our AI Agents Collective—they scale infinitely without proportional cost increases. One agent can simultaneously personalise for thousands of customers. The marginal cost of adding another customer approaches zero, whilst the marginal revenue from better personalisation keeps growing. It’s why we can afford ZeroBase pricing.
Maya: (checking her phone) I’ve got a board meeting in two weeks where I need to show a path to improved margins. Even if your approach works, how quickly can we see results?
Alex: For your board meeting, we can implement tracking and start showing engagement improvements within two weeks. Meaningful revenue impact typically shows in 60-90 days. But here’s what I’d propose for Botanica: let’s start with just 25% of your Rest customers—about 10,000 people. If we can’t show clear results within 90 days, you’ve lost nothing except some data integration time.
Maya: What kind of results are you talking about specifically?
Alex: Based on Botanica’s data, I’m confident we can move your test group from £85 average quarterly spend to £130-150 within 90 days. That’s roughly £450,000 to £650,000 in incremental revenue from just the test group. Our fee would be 15% of the incremental revenue above the £85 baseline.
Maya: (calculating on her laptop) So you’re saying if each customer goes from £85 to £150, that’s £65 incremental per customer. Times 10,000 customers is £650,000 additional revenue. Your 15% would be… £97,500. And if they only improve to £130, you’d earn £67,500.
Alex: Exactly. And if they don’t improve at all, we earn nothing. But Maya, here’s the crucial part—this isn’t a one-time boost. As our AI agents learn more about your customers’ preferences and behaviours, performance compounds over time. Quarter two typically shows even better results than quarter one.
Maya: What about attribution? How do I know the revenue increase comes from your interventions versus natural customer behaviour or our other marketing efforts?
Alex: We create a control group from your Rest customers—similar profiles, purchase histories, and engagement levels. The control group receives your standard marketing whilst the test group gets our AI-powered personalisation. We measure the difference between the two groups to isolate our impact. Clean attribution is crucial for ZeroBase to work.
Maya: (pausing thoughtfully) I have to ask—what’s your success rate? How many clients actually see these results?
Alex: Honestly? About 85% of our clients achieve meaningful uplift within the first 90 days. The 15% who don’t typically have data quality issues or unrealistic baseline expectations. That’s why we’re selective about partnerships and why the pilot approach makes sense.
Maya: And the clients who do succeed—what happens next?
Alex: Most expand the programme. Once you see 10,000 Rest customers generating an extra £650,000 quarterly, the natural question becomes: what about the other 30,000 Rest customers? That’s when ZeroBase really demonstrates its value—scaling proven results across your entire underperforming segment.
Maya: (closing laptop and leaning forward) Alex, I’ll be direct. I’ve been burned by marketing vendors before. Lots of promises, fancy dashboards, but no real business impact. Your ZeroBase model addresses my biggest concern—paying for results, not just activity. But I need to protect Botanica’s brand and customer relationships.
Alex: I completely understand, Maya. That’s why I’d suggest starting with your most disengaged Rest customers—the ones spending the least and engaging the least. If our approach damages those relationships, you’re not losing much. But when it works, you’re reactivating revenue you’d essentially written off.
Maya: (standing up) Alright, Alex. I’m willing to try this with 10,000 of our lowest-engagement Rest customers. But I want weekly reporting, complete transparency on what communications are sent, and the ability to pause the programme if I’m not comfortable with the approach. And we’ll need legal to review the revenue-sharing agreement.
Alex: (shaking hands) Absolutely. Full transparency, weekly check-ins, and your brand guidelines are our operating principles. I’ll have our legal team send over the pilot agreement today. Maya, I’m confident that in 90 days, you’ll be presenting some very positive numbers to your board.
Maya: I hope you’re right, Alex. Because if this works, you might just have helped me solve the growth versus profitability challenge that’s been keeping me awake at night.
Alex: That’s exactly why ZeroBase exists, Maya. We win when our customers win. Let’s make sure you sleep better and your board sees the results they’re looking for.
As Alex gathered his materials, Maya felt something she hadn’t experienced with a vendor in years: genuine optimism about finding a true growth partner rather than just another service provider.
