Latest / The Retention Marketing Podcast with Fexingo: Email, SMS, and Loyalty for Repeat Customers / How a Denim Brand Uses SMS to Turn One-Time Buyers into Regulars
Transcript
- Lucas: Today I want to look at a denim brand called Unspun — they make custom jeans, each pair is made to order. They’ve been around since about 2017, but what caught my attention is their SMS retention play from late last year through this spring. Luna: I know Unspun. They use body scans, right? You send in measurements or use an app. So SMS feels very on-brand for a personalized product. Lucas: Exactly. The whole value prop is fit — you get jeans made for your body. So the post-purchase experience has to match that level of personalization. They launched a three-message SMS sequence triggered after the first purchase, and according to data they shared at a retention marketing conference in April, repeat purchase rate among SMS subscribers went from 18 percent to 24 percent in six months. Luna: That is a solid lift. Thirty-five percent relative increase. What’s in those three texts? Lucas: First message goes out five days after delivery. It’s not a thank-you or a review request — it’s a care guide specific to the fabric of that customer’s jeans. Raw denim needs different care than washed denim, and Unspun actually built a lookup tool that pulls the fabric type from the order and sends a personalized washing instruction. They tested a generic care tip versus the personalized version and saw click-through rates nearly double. Luna: So the first touch is pure utility. No sell, no ask. Just, ‘here’s how to make your purchase last.’ That builds trust. Lucas: Right. The second message lands at day thirty. This one is a style recommendation based on the wash and fit the customer bought. So if someone bought a slim-straight in dark indigo, the SMS might suggest a lighter wash for a second pair, or a different cut like a tapered fit for variety. It includes a direct link to a curated product page — not the homepage, not a category — a page with two or three options that genuinely complement the first purchase. Luna: And that keeps it feeling curated, not spammy. I have to imagine the copy matters a ton here. A text that says ‘You might also like these’ is very different from ‘Shop our new arrivals.’ Lucas: Absolutely. The copy they settled on after A/B testing was something like: ‘Since you loved the, we think you’ll like. Here’s a link to see it.’ Very low pressure. And they actually include a note that says ‘no rush, we’ll remind you later if you want.’ That last part drives a 12 percent opt-in to a later reminder — which feeds into the third message. Luna: I love that. Let the customer choose to be nudged. So the third message is the follow-up from that opt-in? Lucas: Partially. The third message is sent at day sixty, and it’s an early access preview to a new drop — but only for customers who bought at least once and opted into SMS. Unspun releases limited capsule collections about every six weeks. So the SMS subscribers get a 24-hour window before the general email list. The open rate on that text is over 80 percent, and conversion rate from click to purchase is around 9 percent. Luna: That’s remarkable for a text message. Most brands see conversion rates under 3 percent on SMS. The exclusivity piece really works. Lucas: It does. But here’s the thing — none of this works if the opt-in rate is low. Unspun’s overall SMS opt-in at checkout is around 22 percent, which is decent for apparel. But they found that customers who bought through an SMS campaign originally — say from a welcome discount — were far more likely to opt in again. So the acquisition channel actually predicts retention behavior. Luna: That’s a really important insight. If someone came in via text, they’re already comfortable with that channel. So you’re not asking them to adopt a new behavior. Lucas: Precisely. And they also segment by purchase history. If someone only bought one pair, the sequence is as I described. But if someone buys a second pair, they skip the style recommendation and go straight to care + early access. They don’t want to keep suggesting basics to someone who already bought a second pair — at that point you’re a repeat customer, and the relationship changes. Luna: Smart. It’s almost like a loyalty tier, just based on behavior not points. So the SMS becomes a channel for relationship progression, not just transaction reminders. Lucas: Exactly. And one more detail — they track SMS unsubscribe rate by message. The care guide has virtually zero unsubscribes. The day-30 style recommendation sees about 0.5 percent churn. The day-60 early access sees about 0.8 percent. But the overall churn across the entire sequence is under 2 percent, which is extremely low for SMS. Industry average is closer to 5 to 10 percent per campaign. Luna: Because the messages feel earned. They’re not blasting the list. Three texts in sixty days — that’s very restrained. I think a lot of brands overestimate how often they can text. Lucas: Yeah, and the flip side is that if you text too often, even good content becomes noise. Unspun is disciplined. They don’t send any other SMS during that sixty-day window unless the customer initiates a conversation. So the sequence is the only touchpoint. Luna: That makes me think about the bigger lesson here. A lot of brands think SMS is for flash sales or abandoned cart recovery. And it can be. But this is a playbook for building habit around a product that isn’t consumable. Denim lasts years. You can’t rely on repurchase frequency like a coffee subscription. So you have to stay top of mind with value. Lucas: Right. And if you’re a brand selling something with a long purchase cycle, you need to earn the right to message months later. Unspun earns it by being useful first. And honestly, that’s a model for any retention strategy — not just SMS, but email, loyalty, whatever. Give before you ask. Luna: Speaking of giving before asking — if today’s episode gave you something you can actually use, we do have a small way listeners can support the show. It’s just a coffee — or whatever feels right to you. There’s a link at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. And that literally helps keep these conversations ad-free and independent. Lucas: Yeah, we really appreciate it. And it’s not a requirement, it’s just an option if you found value. So back to Unspun — I think the real takeaway is that the sequence works because it mirrors the customer’s own journey. New buyer gets care, then inspiration, then exclusivity. Each step deepens the relationship without ever feeling pushy. Luna: And the numbers back it up. A 35 percent lift in repeat rate is not trivial. For a brand that sells a product averaging around $150 a pair, that’s real revenue. Lucas: Absolutely. And they’re now testing a fourth message at day ninety — a ‘we miss you’ text with a small incentive like free hemming. That’s still in early stages, but initial data shows a 15 percent conversion from that text among customers who haven’t bought in three months. Luna: That’s a smart win-back. And it’s still value-add — free hemming is a service, not a discount. It reinforces the customization promise. Lucas: Exactly. And I think that’s the thread through all of this: the brand promise doesn’t end at checkout. The jeans are custom, so the care should be custom. The recommendations should be custom. The early access should feel like a perk for being a customer. If you treat SMS as just another channel to push product, you lose the advantage. But if you treat it as an extension of the product experience, it becomes a retention engine. Luna: So for a marketer listening — what’s the first step if they want to try something like this? Let’s say they sell a non-commodity good with a long purchase cycle, like furniture or electronics. Lucas: I’d start with one thing: identify the highest-value post-purchase moment that is not a transaction. For Unspun, it was care. For a furniture brand, it might be assembly tips or styling ideas. For electronics, it could be a setup guide or a hidden feature. That first message sets the tone. If you nail that, then you can add the second and third messages over time. Luna: And don’t forget to test the opt-in ask. Unspun’s 22 percent is good, but some brands see higher with a post-purchase popup that explains exactly what they’ll get. The more concrete the value promise, the higher the opt-in rate. Lucas: Exactly. So to wrap — Unspun’s three-text sequence gives us a repeatable framework: utility, then inspiration, then exclusivity. And the whole thing is paced to the customer’s lifecycle, not the brand’s calendar. That’s worth thinking about for any retention marketer. Luna: Yeah, I think this one is going to stick with me. Next time I buy a pair of jeans, I’m going to be paying very close attention to what shows up in my texts. Lucas: Same. And if you’ve got a retention tactic that’s working for your brand, we’d love to hear about it. You can reach us through the show page. Thanks for listening.