How Cariuma Increases Customer Lifetime Value With Personalized Text Messaging

Challenge

Cariuma was looking for a new way to keep customers coming back to their website. They knew their first step was quickly growing a list of subscribers they could text. Then, they needed to personalize their subscriber’s experience to keep them engaged—and shopping. 

Solution

Cariuma recognized that their SMS subscribers were some of their most loyal customers. They wanted to further scale their list of text messaging subscribers and grow their list of email subscribers at the same time. They decided to use Attentive's 2-in-1 list growth solution to build both lists simultaneously. Subscribers are incentivized to sign up for email and texts to get exclusive perks (like free insoles and shoelaces) to add to their Cariuma collection. 

Cariuma connects with subscribers over their shared passions: sustainability and fashion. Starting with their triggered welcome flow, Cariuma invites new subscribers to join their sustainability efforts. The brand also celebrates each subscriber’s taste by providing exclusive opportunities to pre-order their favorites in new colors, or pre-order new shoes similar to their existing wardrobe staples.  

SMS marketing has driven tremendous growth and repeat purchases. The number of people coming back for their third, fourth, and fifth-plus purchases has significantly grown. Subscribers who have made five or more purchases now make up nearly 10% of our repeat purchases. We’re impressed by the success of this channel, and excited to see where we can take it.

- Jennifer Chiang, Head of Email & Retention Marketing, Cariuma

Strategy

List growth 

Cariuma’s first step to getting shoppers to return to their website was growing their list of text messaging subscribers. The more subscribers they could text, the more web traffic they could drive. After seeing consistent list growth, Cariuma began looking for ways to fuel opt-ins. 

“We changed the design of our sign-up creatives and started testing incentives,” said Chiang. They decided to test whether offering complementary items subscribers could add to their existing collection would help drive sign-ups. “When we began offering free insoles to new subscribers, our opt-in rate increased tremendously. We out-performed our list growth goal, doubling our list in just six months.”

Drive pre-orders

Cariuma taps into their audience’s passion for fashionable sneakers with pre-order invitations. SMS subscribers can pre-order new products before anyone else. This “VIP” approach helps Cariuma immediately drive orders. 

We’ve achieved a lot of success giving SMS subscribers first access to our launches and new colors. They love knowing that they’re getting the chance to shop before anyone else, and it drives immediate engagement. 

- Jennifer Chiang, Head of Email & Retention Marketing, Cariuma

Sending relevant content and promotions to subscribers is key to driving repeat purchases. Using Attentive’s Segmentation Builder, Cariuma tailors their pre-order announcements based on a subscriber’s past purchase and browsing history. “When we add new colors or styles to our collections, we text subscribers who have already purchased the product first,” said Chiang. “We know they love the collection. Giving them first access to pre-orders helps us optimize for ROI.”  

Text messaging subscribers also get exclusive first access to offers. The brand gives subscribers 24 hours to enjoy gifts (like complementary socks and shoelaces) before offering them to anyone else. For example, Cariuma sent subscribers a secret code to receive free socks or shoelaces with their next purchase. “The text message felt super exclusive because the promotion only worked once they entered the secret promo code. They knew it wasn’t open to anyone else yet, so it drove a lot of engagement,” said Chiang.

Educate subscribers about sustainability and ethical fashion‍

Sustainability is at the core of Cariuma’s business. The brand connects with their audience over their shared passion for ethical and sustainable fashion through triggered and campaign text messages. 

Cariuma gets their subscribers involved from the get-go. The brand welcomes new subscribers with an educational text about their purchase’s impact. Sustainability is also baked into Cariuma’s campaign messages. When the brand launches new products—or promotes popular ones—they highlight the sneaker’s eco-friendly features. 

Subscribers get involved with Cariuma’s commitment to sustainability outside of their purchases, too. The brand frequently texts subscribers with tips to live more sustainably. These monthly tips—like a recipe for homemade oat milk—help align Cariuma with their audience’s daily efforts to lead a more eco-friendly life. “These lifestyle tips help us build subscriber loyalty,” said Chiang. “Every time we send a tip, a ton of people reply back, thanking us for sharing this content.”

Text messaging is an intimate, personal channel. It’s a natural fit for sharing more on sustainability with our subscribers and getting our mobile audience more invested in living their most sustainable life. Whether we’re educating subscribers about how our products are crafted or how they can create small, eco-friendly habits that have a big impact, SMS is one of the channels we rely on to help our customers get even more involved.

- Jennifer Chiang, Head of Email and Retention Marketing at Cariuma

Engage shoppers after their purchase

Once a subscriber has made a purchase, Cariuma automatically keeps them engaged with a triggered post-purchase flow. “We want to teach customers about our brand,” said Chiang. “We don’t know whether they found us from an ad, an influencer, or from their own research, so we want them to learn about our sustainability practices and what we’re doing as a company.”

• 24 hours post-purchase: Cariuma educates subscribers about their purchase’s impact, letting them know that for every pair they purchased, two trees will be planted in the Brazillian rainforest. Subscribers can click to learn more about the brand’s sustainability efforts while they wait for their items to arrive. 
• First-time customer, 45 days post-purchase: Subscribers are only invited to join the referral program if they’ve shopped with Cariuma before. Subscribers who refer a friend will have 30 trees planted in their honor, along with an exclusive perk. “We’ve learned that word-of-mouth promotion is one of the best acquisition tools we have,” said Chiang. “Inviting customers to refer a friend is a valuable customer retention and acquisition strategy.”
• Repeat customer, 45-days post-purchase: If a subscriber is a returning customer—or if they haven’t made a second purchase within 45 days—Cariuma incentivizes them with an exclusive code for free shipping.
  

Results 

Since they began testing their sign-up incentives in January 2021, Cariuma has achieved a 150%+ list growth rate. Cariuma's text messaging strategy has driven results like 20%+ click-through rates and 35%+ conversion rates on their welcome message. Their post-purchase educational message has driven a 20%+ click-through rate, increasing customer loyalty and their positive environmental impact. 

Their channel's impact on driving repeat purchases continues to grow. In Q1 2021, Cariuma's SMS program drove nearly 4% of all second purchases, over 5% of third purchases, and over 7% of fourth purchases. Text messaging drove nearly 10% of fifth or more purchases, proving that Cariuma's text messaging subscribers are staying highly engaged. 

I'm truly impressed with how fast our subscribers are joining our text messaging program. Giving them early access drives incredible engagement and conversion rates. The metrics we see from this channel blow my mind with every campaign. Our subscribers are super engaged, and they’re staying engaged.

- Jennifer Chiang, Head of Email & Retention Marketing, Cariuma