Latest / The Retention Marketing Podcast with Fexingo: Email, SMS, and Loyalty for Repeat Customers / How a Pet Accessory Brand Uses SMS for Customer Retention
Transcript
- Lucas: So, Luna, I want to talk about a brand that's doing something really smart with SMS — and it's not a fashion or beauty brand, which is where we usually see this. It's Wild One, the pet accessory company. You know, the ones with the sleek leashes and carriers. Luna: Oh, I love their stuff. Very Instagrammable. What are they doing with SMS? Lucas: They've built a post-purchase SMS sequence that is almost entirely about care and community — not promotions. The moment you buy a leash or a harness, you get a text that says something like, 'Your new Wild One harness is on its way! Here's a quick video on how to adjust it for your pup.' Then a few days after delivery, they send another text asking for a photo of your pet wearing it. Luna: That's smart. They're turning a transactional moment into an emotional one. And it's not just a generic 'how are you liking it?' Lucas: Exactly. And the third text is where the personalization kicks in. Based on the size of the harness you bought — small, medium, large — they send a tailored tip. For small dogs, it might be about adjusting the fit for a puppy that's still growing. For large dogs, it's about durability and cleaning. Luna: So they're using the product data they already have to segment the SMS. That's low lift but high impact. Lucas: Right. And the results are pretty impressive. According to a case study they shared, customers who received this three-part SMS sequence had an 18 percent higher repeat purchase rate within 90 days compared to those who didn't. And customer service inquiries about product usage dropped by 25 percent. Luna: That's a double win — more repeat sales and fewer support tickets. How many of those texts are they sending total? Isn't there a risk of SMS fatigue? Lucas: That's the key — it's only three texts over about two weeks. They're not hammering people with daily offers. The texts are spaced out: one at shipping, one three days after delivery, and one a week later. And the content is genuinely useful. If you're a new pet owner, you might actually need that harness adjustment video. Luna: So the utility is what keeps people subscribed. They're not opting out because the messages feel like help, not spam. Lucas: Precisely. And it ties into their broader retention strategy. The SMS sequence is designed to feed into their email loyalty program. After the third SMS, they send an email inviting the customer to join Wild One's loyalty club, which offers points for purchases and social shares. Luna: So SMS is the warm introduction, and email is the deeper relationship. That's a smart handoff. Lucas: Yeah. And they're also using SMS to re-engage customers who haven't purchased in a while. But with a twist — instead of a discount, they send a text saying 'We miss your pup! Send us a photo for a chance to be featured on our Instagram.' That's gotten a 40 percent response rate. Luna: Forty percent? That's huge for a re-engagement campaign. And it's all user-generated content they can repurpose. Lucas: Exactly. So they're getting engagement, content, and — because people who send photos are more emotionally invested — they're more likely to buy again. It's a virtuous cycle. Luna: I think the lesson here is that SMS doesn't have to be about discounts. It can be about education, community, and delight. So many brands default to '20% off your next order' and wonder why their SMS list churns. Lucas: Right. And Wild One's approach is a great example of using SMS for what it's best at: immediate, personal, and conversational. Not as a broadcast channel for offers. Luna: Before we go further — and I say this because I genuinely find these retention strategies useful — if you've gotten value from these conversations, the show stays ad-free because of listener support. If that matters to you, you can buy us a coffee at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. That's it. Just a way to keep this going. Lucas: I appreciate that, Luna. And yeah, every bit helps. Now, back to Wild One. One other thing I find interesting is how they measure success. They don't just look at click-through rates or conversion. They look at something they call 'relationship depth' — a composite score of how many interactions a customer has had across channels. Luna: That's a really smart metric. It moves beyond last-click attribution to understand the cumulative effect of these touches. Lucas: Exactly. And they found that customers who engage with two or more channels — say, SMS and email or SMS and Instagram — have a lifetime value that's three times higher than single-channel customers. Luna: So the SMS sequence isn't just a retention tactic in isolation; it's a gateway to a multi-channel relationship. Lucas: Right. And I think that's the bigger takeaway for any brand thinking about SMS. Don't treat it as a standalone channel. Use it to hand off to more scalable channels like email or loyalty programs. Luna: Wild One seems to have figured out that SMS is the tap on the shoulder, not the whole conversation. Lucas: Exactly. And they keep the conversation natural. They're not afraid to use emojis or casual language. One of their re-engagement texts just says '🐾 Hey, we haven't seen you in a while. How's your pup doing?' That's it. No link, no offer. And people reply. Luna: It's almost like a text from a friend. And that's the power of SMS — it's the most personal channel a brand has. Lucas: So if you're a marketer listening and you're considering SMS for retention, think about whether you're leading with value or with a discount. Wild One's data suggests value wins every time. Luna: And their repeat purchase rate proves it. All right, Lucas, any final thoughts? Lucas: Just that the best retention strategy is one that makes the customer feel seen, not sold. And Wild One's SMS approach does exactly that. Luna: Agreed. Thanks for the deep dive. Until next time. Lucas: Take care, everyone.