As an independent bookstore, The Wild Detectives survived the digital revolution by creating a unique experience around books, booze, and community-driven events. But with lockdown in place, they faced the challenge of having to close their doors, yet keep the business afloat. The bookstore needed a new way to engage with their customers, but also expand their base with the launch of their e-commerce platform. Unable to survive with just its local fan base, the target also included those who loved to travel but were forced to cancel or delay their plans for the year. This capitalized on all those who were searching for an escape.

When we’re looking for an escape, books allow us to travel anywhere we want. That’s why The Wild Detectives was able to turn itself into the only active online travel agency in the middle of a global pandemic.

The strategy was to create a mock online travel agency that looked like a typical travel site. But instead of offering deals on flights, customers could buy books based on their destination. The Wild Detectives used their own Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to post about their closure and business model pivot. While fans and local news outlets helped spread the word and amplify their message.

To stand out from the pandemic-ridden news cycle, The Wild Detectives announced that they’d be closing their doors to become a travel agency. Their new e-commerce website gobookatrip.com didn’t replace the bookstore but provided a travel-specific curatorial experience at a time when travel was impossible. Answering the question “Where Do You Want to Go?”, provided results as books for that destination.

With no e-commerce structure in place, The Wild Detectives needed to maintain at least 50% of sales from their previous month, pre-pandemic to meet operational costs. A difficult task given that The WD relied on revenue from in-person book sales, drinks, and food to sustain their business. Their solution to create a mock online travel agency, that instead of offering deals on flights offered customers books they could buy based on their destination, resulted in a 200% boost in sales and 30K unique visits to the site in the first three days, with zero dollar media investment.