Simplifying retirement savings for small businesses.
The challenge
Saving for retirement isn’t always easy. Many American workers haven’t saved a fraction of what they would need to retire comfortably, and more than 5 million U.S. employers — many of which are small businesses — don’t currently offer a retirement plan. Principal Financial Group® recognized the need for a simple, affordable online 401(k) option for small businesses, and they worked with Ubiquity Retirement + Savings® to create a first-of-its-kind solution that would be a true disruptor. To bring Simply Retirement by Principal® to market, they not only needed a website with an interactive planning tool, but also a plan to launch it during a global pandemic.
Our approach
Principal® tapped into the specialties of Anthologic for a solution that was tailored to two different audiences: small business owners and their financial professionals. The bar was high: they wanted a revolutionary user experience with seamless ease from start to finish, knowing the UX would be critical to the product’s success or failure. With that in mind, we built the prospect and customer experience from the ground up — designing every aspect for simplicity. Our focus was on creating a clean, modern solution with user-friendly tools in keeping with the human-centered approach of the Principal brand.
The solution
As a new solution to the market, Simply Retirement by Principal® required a significant development effort that went far beyond a website. The Anthologic team worked with Principal and Ubiquity developers to create a simple, seamless process for users to create a 401(k) plan proposal and submit it for purchase. We also developed the product story from scratch, getting to the core of what mattered most to each target audience and creating a distinct personality for the product within the overall Principal brand.
During the development process, we engaged a variety of user groups to test the website and give feedback to help tailor the content effectively. And when the COVID-19 health crisis emerged, we took a fresh look at messaging and created additional guidelines. When the website was ready for launch, we implemented a go-to-market plan including digital display ads, tradeshow marketing, email, video, social media and a strategy for CRM engagement.
The outcome
Simply Retirement by Principal® launched in the summer with an initial focus on financial professionals. By the end of the year, sales were up 50% — with additional small business marketing efforts and new site enhancements to help financial professionals sell Simply Retirement by Principal® on the horizon.
