Copy Love #7: Hoxton Street Monster Supplies

Go big or go home 👹

Mar 26, 2021

Hey there copy lover,

I hope everything’s good with you. I’m going to keep this brief because, quite frankly, it’s been one hell of a week and I’m fresh out of words. Enjoy! 😘

What is Hoxton Street Monster Supplies?

Hoxton Street Monster Supplies (Monster Supplies for short) is a purveyor of quality goods for monsters of every kind.

The love list

Visiting Monster Supplies’ website is a magical experience for kids and big kids alike. Here are my three favourite aspects of their copy that spark delight and are truly joyful:

Monstrous microcopy
Unearthly Easter Eggs
Supernatural social proof

Monstrous microcopy

Copy Love OGs will know I love a good bit of microcopy (see Copy Love #4) so Monster Supplies’ website had me in raptures. The thoroughness and consistency are incredible, and no stone is left unturned when it comes to diabolical details.

Not only does this make you smile, it encourages you to keep browsing, exploring and uncovering surprises. Before you know it, you’re ten pages deep and your casket (basket) is full of minty maggots and sugar dusted bogies.

None of us needs sugar dusted bogies, of course. But for “rational” creatures, we make a hell of a lot of emotional buying decisions. Microcopy is an excellent way to tap into this by making the browsing experience a fun voyage of discovery. It puts people in the buying mood and makes them more likely to come back for more.

Something to think about for the next eCommerce website you work on.

Unearthly Easter Eggs

Not strictly copy, but I love a website Easter Egg almost as much as microcopy. When I worked in-house I was forever pestering the dev team about Easter Eggs to add a little lightness to Very Serious Websites

Monster Supplies’ translation Easter Egg is a brilliant touch and bang on brand (the vampire bats option is my personal favourite).

Like the microcopy, it encourages exploration in search of buried treasure. It also adds to an unforgettable browsing experience. When I need birthday treats for kids, I know exactly where I’m heading. In a sea of websites selling children’s gifts, that’s a huge win.

Supernatural social proof

I know I don’t half harp on about social proof (see Copy Love #1 and #5), but that’s because it’s really important yet so often overlooked. I love it when a brand gets intentional and strategic, rather than just slapping a boring old testimonial carousel on their homepage and hoping for the best.

Monster Supplies have enlisted their horde of legendary patrons to provide product reviews. Charmingly offbeat, each one introduces a new character to add rich layers of context to the Monster Supplies world.

I could spend hours hopping between product pages reading the reviews. Like Recess’s drink yearbook profiles (see Copy Love #2), this is an example of the much-lauded concept of creating “consumer delight” in action.

Few brands manage to get it right (and plenty don’t even try) but Monster Supplies have nailed it.

Room for improvement?

I had to dig deep to find anything I’d improve about Monster Supplies’ copy. And really, this is more of a missed opportunity.

When I signed up for their newsletter I was hoping for a deliciously devilish welcome email, perhaps written by Igor who mans their social media accounts.

None arrived, which made me a little sad. I’d recommend putting together something short, sweet and on-brand to complement the Monster Supplies’ browsing experience and bring joy to inboxes everywhere.

The final verdict

Captivating copy from start to finish without ever feeling forced, Monster Supplies have gone all-in on their theme and I can’t get enough. File under “go big or go home”.

Up next Friday: Statamic 🤖