--- tytul: "Surf Inc: How Marketing Automation Grew Sales 2,400%" opis: "Sales up 2,400%: a custom tracking pixel, hidden-code forms and personalised popups. See how marketing automation boosted this performance marketing case." adres: https://justidea.agency/en/blog/surf-inc-marketing-automation-sales-growth/ serwis: "JustIdea Agency" jezyk: pl zrodlo: automatyczny odpowiednik strony HTML, generowany przy każdym buildzie --- Article # Surf Inc.: how marketing automation increased sales by 2,400%? Sales up 2,400%: a custom tracking pixel, hidden-code forms and personalised popups. See how marketing automation boosted this performance marketing case. [![Aleksandra Skotnicka](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/ola-240x300-6876e203.webp) Aleksandra Skotnicka Marketing Automation Specialist](https://justidea.agency/en/author/aleksandra-skotnicka/) 2 November 2025 4 min read 6 sections ![Surf Inc.: how marketing automation increased sales by 2,400%?](https://justidea.agency/_astro/7-1-a8232d97.Dk3caGYd.webp) Marketing Trusted by ![LPP](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/lpp-logo-2-b64d3a02.svg) ![House](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/logo-house-c706eeae.svg) ![Toyota](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/toyota2-1-63c6570a.webp) ![Fame MMA](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/fame-ffb4e0d0.webp) ![Surf Inc.](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/surfinc-91e5b73d.webp) ![LyoFood](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/lyo-cb899d46.webp) ![ExpertSender](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/expert-ca00548d.webp) ![Purinova](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/purinova-217da6ab.webp) ![Mennica Gdańska](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/mennica-98166c12.webp) ![Group IB](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/group-ib-b711171e.webp) ![Smart Kids Planet](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/smart-kids-151311c5.webp) ![SuperSonic](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/supersonic-a35404fe.webp) ![Wierzynek](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/wierzynek-1-d027e7cc.webp) ![RegoBis](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/regobis-a8b446e3.webp) **In this article** 1. 01Performance vs marketing automation: two worlds that must complement each other 2. 02How did we do it? 3. 03Results of the implementation 4. 04Conclusions: why does this work? 5. 05Summary 6. 06Also check out: Share **![Mateusz Haber on stage at Event.Ecommerce.pl 2.0](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/wideo-marketing-automation.webp) Watch the talk · 14 min Event.Ecommerce.pl 2.0 · August 2024** The same implementation, told from the stage, in 14 minutes. [Watch on YouTube →](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtNGDOpkKv0) Performance marketing has been the foundation of e-commerce growth for years. But even the largest advertising budgets aren't enough if a brand can't effectively identify and engage users once they land on the site. Surf.inc, a fast-growing streetwear brand, faced exactly this challenge. Despite spending around **€75k a month on advertising** and having more than **100,000 unique users a day**, only **3% of customers** were identified. The remaining 97% stayed anonymous. That was the moment we decided to use **marketing automation to complement performance activities**. ## Performance vs marketing automation: two worlds that must complement each other Paid advertising is great at generating traffic and grabbing attention. But its biggest limitation is that **it doesn't give you full control over user data**: you reach people on Google and Meta, but in your shop they're still "strangers". **Marketing automation**, on the other hand, works more deeply: it captures that traffic, identifies users, personalises communication and closes the sale. This simple table illustrates it well: | Performance Marketing | Marketing Automation | | --- | --- | | Generates traffic and initial interest | Builds the relationship, drives repeat purchases | | Based on an advertising budget (cost per click, cost per reach) | Based on your own customer base: a marginal cost | | Works as long as you pay for ads | Keeps working even without extra budget, thanks to automation | | Reaches anonymous audiences | Turns anonymous visitors into real contacts | | Scaling = higher acquisition cost | Scaling = higher efficiency of the customer base | Surf.inc combined both approaches and proved that **real ROI starts where advertising ends**. ## How did we do it? ### 1. Marketing Automation Pixel: our own equivalent of the Facebook Pixel The traditional **Facebook Pixel** and Google Analytics tags have a limitation: they mainly work when the user is logged in or has given consent. Surf.inc used a **hybrid solution**. By implementing a solution based on a **mix of API and JavaScript**, it became possible to track not only logged-in customers, but also **users who weren't logged in, from their very first visit**. The data was saved in local storage, and when, for example, someone signed up for the newsletter, it was linked to a specific contact. The result? - User identification rose from **3% to 20%** (for active, "not bounced" users). - It became possible to run **retrospective** scenarios: for example, an abandoned-basket email would trigger even when the user only signed up for the newsletter after adding products to the basket. ### 2. Creative forms with a hidden code Inspired by discount-coupon websites, Surf.inc placed a **hidden code box** on the site, which could only be revealed after signing up. The result? - **2,000 new email addresses a month**, - a doubling of abandoned-basket scenarios (from 1,900 to 5,000 a month), - an increase in basket completions from **15% to 25%**. ### 3. Growing the database with phone numbers The same box added an option to leave a phone number. - **+900 new SMS contacts a month**, - the option to use cheaper email communication ahead of SMS, - higher conversion and more effective multi-channel campaigns. ### 4. Personalising popups and consents - Popups matched to the customer's stage (e.g. by first name, if they'd already bought). - Adding an **"accept all consents"** option increased the number of full consents. - Result: the database grew by **5,000 emails and 1,500 numbers a month**. ## Results of the implementation **+2,400% sales growth from email & marketing automation activities**. User identification: from 3% → to 20%. Basket completions: from 15% → 25%. Email database: +60% in 4 months (as much as it previously took 6 years!) This shows how **strategically combining performance marketing and marketing automation** not only increases sales but also **stabilises growth in the long term**. ## Conclusions: why does this work? - **Performance marketing attracts**, but it's automation that **closes the sale** and builds loyalty. - Thanks to integrating a tool that also tracks anonymous users, Surf.inc stopped "losing" most of its traffic. - Data from its own database became just as important as data from Meta and Google ads. This is an example of how, in e-commerce, it isn't enough to invest in advertising campaigns. **The full effect only comes when performance marketing and automation are working towards the same goal.** ## Summary The Surf.inc case shows that [marketing automation](https://justidea.agency/en/services/marketing-agency/marketing-automation/) doesn't replace performance marketing, but **makes it many times more profitable**. It's thanks to this approach that the brand not only **grew 3x in 2023**, but also achieved a stable revenue source, independent of its current advertising budgets. ## Also check out: - [From listing to leader: Solvent's success on Google Maps](https://justidea.agency/en/blog/solvent-google-maps-case-study/) - [How we scaled an online shop to 1.4 MILLION in monthly turnover thanks to a DATA WAREHOUSE?](https://justidea.agency/en/blog/how-to-increase-sales-in-your-online-shop/) - [How Podłoga 2.0 achieved TOP 1 on Google Maps for key local keywords?](https://justidea.agency/en/blog/podloga-2-0-google-maps-seo-case-study/) - [How we increased the visibility of the Profesja accounting firm on Google Maps?](https://justidea.agency/en/blog/accounting-firm-google-maps-seo-profesja-case-study/) ![Aleksandra Skotnicka](https://justidea.agency/obrazy/ola-240x300-6876e203.webp) Written by [Aleksandra Skotnicka](https://justidea.agency/en/author/aleksandra-skotnicka/) Marketing Automation Specialist Have a question about this article? 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[All certificates and awards](https://justidea.agency/en/our-awards/) Read on ## See also [Marketing 2 November 2025 Marketing automation vs email marketing: what's the difference? Aleksandra Skotnicka](https://justidea.agency/en/blog/marketing-automation-vs-email-marketing-differences/)[Marketing 2 November 2025 Best Marketing Automation Strategies That Actually Increase Sales Aleksandra Skotnicka](https://justidea.agency/en/blog/best-marketing-automation-strategies/)[Marketing 2 July 2026 What Is Marketing Automation and How Does It Work? Wiktoria Władarz](https://justidea.agency/en/blog/what-is-marketing-automation/) Contact ## A conversation about your numbers: 30 minutes The call is led by a new business specialist. When we get into the details of an account, the specialist for that channel joins in. We reply within one business day. 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