Company Overview

Lula is a high-growth Fintech business and a pioneering online lending company in South Africa, specialising in providing fast and easy working capital funding to small businesses. Initially focused on loans and funding, Lulalend recently expanded by launching a banking service. Recognising that data is key to its strategy, the company wanted to leverage data to drive growth, operational efficiency, and personalised customer experiences.

The Challenge

Despite having some foundational MarTech tools Lula needed to revamp its data infrastructure and marketing strategies to support its rapidly expanding offerings. Key objectives included:

• improving data governance and quality,
• increasing visibility into the customer journey and customer acquisition,
• enabling operational teams to scale efficiently and effectively,
• creating a seamless customer experience.

The Solution

Lula partnered with Mammoth Growth because our expertise closely aligned with their objectives. Mammoth Growth has extensive experience working with high-growth technology companies, specialising in building modern data and MarTech stacks using best-in-class tools and processes. Combined with being tool-agnostic and ISO 27001 compliant we were ideally positioned to address Lula's needs.

Mammoth defined how the customer could propel their data-driven growth and operational efficiency goals by documenting use cases. To improve tools, we focused on boosting the value Lula received from existing platforms like Mixpanel, implementing Segment, and evaluating replacements for legacy systems by considering scalable alternatives like Snowflake. Moreover, development workflows were enhanced, including CI/CD processes and security controls.

We identified essential roles and advised on hiring priorities, leading to the onboarding of a new Head of Data Engineering. By centralising business logic we also enhanced data trust and developer productivity, embedding data governance into existing processes and clarifying when to utilise the MarTech stack versus the data stack. Robust data governance practices were established, with a roadmap for future data sources.

Through optimising their Mixpaned implementation, Mammoth enabled Lula to identify UX issues in the signup and funding application processes. Marketing efficiency was improved by strengthening conversion signals to Google and Meta Ads through server-side integrations, enabling better bidding strategies. We also implemented Iterable to elevate customer engagement and established a continuous test-and-learn process for lifecycle marketing. In addition, we developed data pipelines for lead scoring and generating call lists for the sales team, further enhancing customer acquisition and retention efforts.

The Impact

Through its collaboration with Mammoth Growth, Lulalend achieved a remarkable 55% increase in conversion rates for its funding customers within less than six months. This major improvement underscores the effectiveness of its enhanced customer acquisition and retention strategies.

By building a data infrastructure model combining people, processes, and technology, the company achieved top-class data quality and productivity. This enabled the creation of more personalised and consistent customer experiences across all touchpoints. In addition, investing in data governance established trust in their data practices, ensuring compliance and positioning the company for sustainable growth

Finally, refining operational processes drove efficiency in customer interactions and the enablement of specialists contributed to early successes and fostered a culture of data-driven decision-making.

These impacts have significantly advanced Lulalend's mission to support small businesses across South Africa with greater efficiency and personalisation.

Conclusion

Through their partnership with Mammoth Growth, Lulalend transformed its data infrastructure and marketing strategies. By aligning on vision, enhancing tools, empowering the team, optimising processes, and solidifying data governance, Lulalend dramatically improved conversion rates and positioned itself for sustainable growth

Our collaboration demonstrates how effectively leveraging data can drive significant business outcomes, enabling Lulalend to continue supporting small businesses across South Africa with unparalleled efficiency and personalisation.