Be Thrift Proud®.
GTM 2024: Launching 23 New Stores, Thrift as Culture
In early 2024, Savers/Value Village teamed with The Shelf to execute a go-to-market activation that coincided with the opening of 23 new stores across North America — a leap not simply in footprint, but in brand positioning. Thrift wasn’t just about savings; it was about self-expression, sustainability, and a “treasure-hunt” culture that speaks to Gen Z and younger millennials.
The launch campaign leveraged in-store moments, creator-led content, short-form storytelling and paid amplification (all grounded in a modular system built for scale). The goal: make the red-cart, the up-cycled home décor find, the thrift flip as socially shareable as any trend. The result was not only volume but velocity — a more emotionally resonant launch that turned store openings into cultural drop moments.
- Brand: Savers / Value Village — GTM campaign tethered to 23-store launch in 2024.
- Agency Partner: The Shelf — strategy, creator sourcing, content engine & paid amplification.
- Audience: Gen Z & younger Millennials (18-35); strong female skew; interests in fashion, home décor, sustainability.
- Scope: Launch-phase program; 23 new stores; combination of store-opening hype + creator content + always-on paid support.
- Results: 23 stores opened; 93M+ impressions; 16.9% engagement rate; 2,600+ assets created; $1.84 average CPM (≈35% below benchmark).
Goals & Target Audience
Strategy & Creator Activation
To build buzz around each grand opening, The Shelf activated a diverse mix of nano, micro, and mid-tier influencers across TikTok and Instagram—prioritizing creators with deep thrift credibility and strong local followings. The goal was to meet audiences where they were already scrolling, with creators who could make secondhand shopping feel exciting, aspirational, and highly shareable. Instagram Reels and Stories led the content strategy, supported by TikTok videos and carousels built for deeper engagement and reuse.
Influencer Activation
Creators were briefed to produce immersive “shop with me” content that showcased each store’s personality—from the layout and lighting to standout product finds. Deliverables centered on in-store hauls, thrifted outfit styling, DIY projects, and voiceover storytelling that highlighted the emotional thrill of the hunt. Each creator was tapped to generate both pre- and post-opening momentum, ensuring sustained visibility at the local level while contributing to a broader narrative: secondhand is not second-best—it’s the smarter, cooler, more conscious way to shop.
Post Types
TikTok
Videos
In-Feed Posts
Stories
YouTube
Videos
Performance Results & Key Metrics
This wasn’t just a campaign—it was the launch sequence.
Savers gave us the roadmap for 23 new store openings across North America. Our job? Build anticipation, drive foot traffic, and turn each grand opening into a local event that felt cultural. That meant activating creators not just to post, but to spark buzz, anchor store narratives, and translate secondhand shopping into scroll-stopping content.
And it worked. Across TikTok and Instagram, creators showed up with thrift flips, chaotic haul energy, and store walkthroughs that made each location feel like a hidden gem waiting to be discovered.
What surprised us? The scale of conversion signals, particularly on platforms like Instagram, where Story engagement rates doubled benchmarks and allowed us to measure curiosity turning into clicks.
Creators like @theglobalghanagirl and @lopezbrit didn’t just meet expectations—they blew past them. We saw nano influencers in Cherry Hill and Centereach drive more excitement than anticipated, leveraging their hyperlocal following to pull in views, comments, and real-life traffic.
Meanwhile, paid amplification turned top organic content into geo-targeted conversion machines. Our allowlisted ads averaged a 24% view-through rate—three times stronger than the norm—while keeping CPMs comfortably under goal in both the U.S. and Canada.
Even with TikTok’s shifting algorithms and engagement dips, we managed a 650% YOY impression lift. On Instagram, content told the rest of the story. Reels carried reach. Carousels carried ER. And Stories? They acted like personalized invites to the party.
By the end of the campaign, we hadn’t just launched stores—we’d field-tested and proven a repeatable GTM engine powered by creators, localized content, and a content mix built for both discovery and delivery.
📊 Performance Overview
🛍️ Store Launch Visibility
• 148.8M total impressions across paid + organic (↑ 27.5% above goal)
• 117 creators activated across U.S. and Canada
• 428 posts and 1,255+ assets generated — including Reels, Stories, TikToks, and Carousels
📈 Engagement & Amplification
• 366.7K total engagements
• Instagram In-Feed ER: 4.49% (↑ 35% vs benchmark)
• Instagram Story ER: 2.21% (↑ 121% vs benchmark)
• TikTok ER: 1.97% — slightly under benchmark, but YOY impressions ↑ 650%
• Sentiment: 86.7% positive, 1.1% negative, 12.2% neutral/mixed (based on 9K+ comments)
💰 Paid Media & Performance Marketing
• Allowlisted content VTR: 24% average — 3x the industry benchmark
• CPM (U.S.): $4.63 | CPM (Canada): $5.52 — both under target
• Top TikTok VTR: 49.9% (Swanson Street campaign)
• Top Canadian VTR: 29.2% (Toronto — @baublestories)
🧲 Conversion Signals & UGC Utility
• 4.9K link clicks | 6.7K sticker taps | 1.3K replies | 1.2K profile visits
• 87% positive sentiment reflected in share-worthy content and savings-driven storytelling
• Content designed around store walkthroughs, thrift flips, and “shop with me” videos ranked highest in saves, shares, and time-in-feed
Influencer Highlights
Viancey Peraza @viancey_peraza
Viancey’s carousel featuring a New Year’s Eve thrift find drove a 35% engagement rate, more than 10x the benchmark. Her visually-rich styling made secondhand feel premium—and her audience responded with saves, shares, and love.
Miriam of @baublestories
Her calm, narrated Reel previewing the Edward Street store in Toronto delivered a 29.2% view-through rate, the highest of the campaign. The “two-level treasure trove” storytelling made it a standout asset for both organic and paid.
Beth of @bjonesstyle
Beth brought the “What I Thrifted vs. How I Styled It” concept to life with a relatable flair that resonated on Instagram Reels. Her top-performing posts reached over 111K impressions, landing above the 90th percentile for sponsored content. By styling thrifted treasures in chic, everyday looks, Beth turned sustainable shopping into an art form.
Some of Our Favorite Campaign Videos
To really put the icing on the cake, each influencer created polished step-by-step videos explaining their recipe in detail. These were great for brand repurposing goals!! (Not to mention, great for their followers too.)
Kara of @smallmuseum_
Kara’s Instagram Reels embodied the perfect mix of creativity and sustainability. With 30.2K impressions, her content invited followers into the world of thrifting and styling, showing how pre-loved fashion can feel fresh, exciting, and completely on-trend. Kara’s storytelling struck a chord with a generation embracing secondhand shopping.
Shavonne
Shavonne took the thrift flip trend to new heights, especially with her home decor content. Her creative vision turned overlooked items into stunning upcycled masterpieces, consistently driving engagement on Instagram. Shavonne’s ability to transform secondhand finds into enviable decor pieces made her a perfect fit for the Savers campaign.
Tanieka @thisborrowedhome
Tanieka Harris is a home decor enthusiast who brings warmth and creativity to her content. In the 2022 campaign, her engaging posts garnered 316,624 impressions and 34,860 engagements, highlighting her ability to connect with audiences through her unique style. Tanieka’s knack for transforming thrifted items into stylish home pieces made her a standout contributor to the campaign’s success.
Campaign Wrap-Up
This campaign turned 23 store openings into 23 cultural events. With 148.8 million impressions, above-benchmark engagement, and localized creator content that moved people from feed to storefront, we didn’t just launch stores—we launched stories. The results? A repeatable GTM engine powered by creators, optimized for traction, and built to scale.
🧠 Key Takeaways
- Creators fueled foot traffic: Localized content from nano and micro influencers sparked real-world store visits
- Performance was the strategy: Every asset was designed to drive visibility, clicks, and brand affinity—not just likes
- Platform-fit content wins: Reels delivered reach, Stories delivered action, and TikTok scaled discovery
- Allowlisting unlocked lift: Paid support tripled view-through rates and extended the shelf life of creator content
- GTM framework built for scale: Savers now has a repeatable influencer-powered launch playbook
Bold ideas. Cultural relevance. Data-first strategies.
At The Shelf, we create the blueprint that drives results for brands and inspires the industry. Ready to see what we can do for your brand?Let’s talk.
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