ECommerce is constantly evolving, all the more so for industries as dynamic as fashion. With trends and consumer expectations changing faster than a blink of an eye, brands need a marketing channel that is quick, efficient, and personal to maintain a competitive advantage and cultivate customer loyalty.
Nowadays, everyone is on their phones, making it crucial for businesses to engage with shoppers via mobile-first channels. With a 98% open rate and time-to-read of 3 minutes or less, SMS marketing has become the go-to choice for many brands that want to stay one step ahead of their competitors and maintain close relationships with their audiences. Moreover, as an owned marketing channel, SMS can help businesses collect valuable first-party data and use it to retarget shoppers with personalized and timely offers.
Let's look at 4 DTC brands that have successfully leveraged SMS to grow their audience, drive sales and nurture loyalty.
Princess Polly
As a global fashion leader with a solid customer base of primarily Gen Z consumers, it's no wonder that Princess Polly and SMS were a match made in heaven. The Australian brand was on the search for an effective and reliable communication channel to boost loyalty and create personalized shopping experiences on a global scale. And with a main target audience that spends 5+ hours per day on their phones, having a dedicated SMS marketing strategy was a no-brainer.
Princess Polly keeps their Gen Z community engaged with consistent sales campaigns and loyalty updates. Text marketing enables the brand to segment customers into groups to deliver ultra-targeted messages, such as loyalty vs. non-loyalty members, and send unique discount codes via SMS based on their audience preferences and previous purchase history.
LSKD
As a fast-moving brand, LSKD strives to deliver exceptional service to customers at every step of their journey. The Australian-based activewear company is at the center of an engaged community that shares its brand values of sports, fitness, and adventure. Knowing the power of SMS marketing to reach and engage shoppers, the brand was quick to incorporate it into its eCommerce marketing strategy.
"Most don't realize how powerful it is to send a text," says Jason Daniel, Founder & CEO, LSKD. "With everyone on their phones, you can actively engage with your community."
SMS quickly became LSKD's top-performing channel of communication with welcome, abandoned cart, browse abandonment, and loyalty points reminder flows. Just recently, the brand hyped up their audience about their upcoming activewear release with an SMS campaign, which resulted in a massive uptick in customer engagement and sales.
American Hat Makers
Being a family-owned brand with nearly 50 years of experience in the dynamic fashion industry, American Hat Makers were looking for new ways to engage with shoppers and remain competitive in the ever-changing landscape. Realizing that their existing channels weren't converting fast enough, the US-based company adopted SMS to drive sales and foster 1:1 relationships.
Having two-way communication with shoppers was a key growth driver for American Hat Makers. The company used powerful welcome messages to interact with shoppers and ask about their preferences, and then leveraged this information to send tailored product recommendations. Casual conversations through a direct and personal medium such as SMS helped the brand use its authentic voice to boost engagement and nurture loyalty even further.
Til You Collapse
Aiming to grow and establish Til You Collapse as a size-inclusive workout gear brand, its founders, Brian and Kelley Nabavi, needed to better understand their shoppers' interests and specific preferences. Their goal? To create an exclusive group for loyal customers and make them feel supported on their journey to healthier bodies and minds — and SMS seemed like the ideal channel to facilitate those conversations.
The brand launched an out-of-the-box text marketing program that was cost-effective and low-effort: two adjectives every business owner wants to hear. Til You Collapse leveraged SMS to collect valuable feedback from shoppers that not only improved the quality of service but also helped them create personal connections and foster loyalty.
Nowadays, consumers don't just want personalized experiences, they expect them. And with 85% of your customers eager to have their phones buzz with the exclusive news of a good deal, it is about time DTC brands add SMS to their tech stack and start texting.
