STATE OF MORTARR | Q3
BY: MORTARR STAFF CREATORS
FALL UPWARD
The Forum recently sat down with Mortarr’s Leadership Team to get a recap of Quarter 3 and to see what’s on the horizon for the rest of 2018.
First, congrats on your first full quarter live!
Amy: Thank you! It’s really exciting to see where we are right now, especially since Mortarr has only been live since May. It’s been quite the journey!
Thinking back on Quarter 3, what were some of Mortarr’s biggest accomplishments?
Steve: We made huge strides forward in Quarter 3. We rolled out several enhancements to make the users’ experience on the site that much better. A good portion of that was through database and mobile-friendly improvements. Our Accounts team was focused on our subscribers’ presence on the site, ensuring profiles were complete, adding additional imagery, tagging and keywords were optimized — all so when users come to mortarr.com, they can find exactly what they are looking for.
Abby: It was very affirming to look the site data from this quarter. As a start-up, it can be a little nerve-racking putting a tool out in the world that never existed before – particularly within an industry that traditionally is slow to adopt new technology, especially when it comes to marketing. But our numbers proved that there is an audience in need, they are coming to the site and better yet, finding the inspiration for their projects. Traffic to mortarr.com more than doubled this quarter, and users spent 3 minutes on average browsing the site. Our page views increased nearly 30% from last quarter and engagement on pro and brand profiles increased substantially. This is really a testament to the pros and brands that are showcasing their amazing work. The portfolio of projects and products our subscribers are displaying is drawing in and engaging an audience looking for inspiration, professionals, and products to drive future projects.
Amy: Hands down, brand tagging has been the highlight of the last few months. Pro and brand tagging were both integral parts of the initial vision for the platform and we’re excited to have both of these features fully available to the Mortarr audience in Quarter 3.
Pro tagging gives Mortarr subscribers the ability to tag the professionals they've worked with in their project galleries and showrooms, right?
Amy: Yes, and those tags then lead site users to the profiles and work of those professionals. Pro tagging really provides our subscribers with third party validation. Decision makers, such as developers, can use pro tagging to vet the companies they choose to work with.
How does brand tagging work?
Amy: Brand tags feature product information at the image level and can include the product description, link to specs and direct users to the brands’ Mortarr profile if they want to see more from that particular brand. Site users can now identify and spec the products they want for their next brick-and-mortar spaces within a finished space by simply hovering your mouse over the photo. This feature truly brings an end to those endless rabbit-hole internet searches. Want to know where those light fixtures came from, or that flooring? Just Mortarr it.
I love it! Just Mortarr it!
Abby: Yes! We found that “Just Mortarr it” was a huge aha moment for students, as well. We introduced our Mortarr in the Classroom initiative to the design schools at Arizona State University, University of Minnesota, and Texas Tech University in Q3. I wish I could sum up their enthusiasm over the platform – especially at the sight of brand tagging.
What is Mortarr in the Classroom?
Abby: The initiative encourages the next generation of pros, and those guiding their education, to leverage Mortarr in how they teach and learn. We discovered that students are facing many of the same pain points the pros are. Mortarr streamlines the way students source inspiration for their project and course work, and the functionality of our Design Room feature allows them to collect and group inspirations, create digital pin up boards, spec products – thanks to brand tagging – and collaborate online with their classmates and instructors.
What else?
Steve: We introduced a chatbot on our site as well, which serves as an educational tool for site users. We really want to ensure that when individuals come to Mortarr they understand the capabilities of the site and get answers to any questions they may have in a timely manner. Our chatbot helps us do that.
Tell me you named the chatbot Mortie!
Steve: Mortie! Nice! Actually, the great thing about our chatbot is that real people are working behind the scenes to help users. So, at any given time you could be talking to Jace in our Colorado office or Sadie right here at our Minnesota HQ - really any member of our Accounts team could be supporting the user behind the screen. That’s the magic of combining artificial intelligence with an individual – we can provide immediate replies to the most common questions, but still offer that level of personal support when needed. For that reason, we haven’t labeled the bot with a name. Maybe we should take suggestions – put those in the comments.
So, what’s on the horizon for the rest of 2018?
Steve: The biggest thing we’re gearing up for in Q4 is the release of our app, which will be available on iOS and Android. The app brings all of the components of our full site, so we can meet our users wherever they are.
Amy: We’ll also be completing a front-end rebuild on the site, which will refine the user experience, enhance photo viewing, photo display, search functionality, and continuous scrolling on the site — no more clicking between search pages!
Abby: And be sure to watch for us in the press with features this fall in the Star Tribune, Twin Cities Business magazine and The Business Gist Podcast. There is always heightened level of validation when press outlets want to pick up our story. We are so appreciative of every opportunity to tell the Mortarr story and even more-so, the additional opportunities to highlight our subscribers and their work to another audience.
Well, cheers to Q3. Big data, brand tagging, chat bot, wow. Here’s to topping Q3 in Q4.
Steve: Save the toast until the new year! We’ve got work to do!
