Latest / The Retention Marketing Podcast with Fexingo: Email, SMS, and Loyalty for Repeat Customers / How Cashmere Brands Use Email to Retain Customers
Transcript
- Lucas: So there's this cashmere brand I've been following, and they're doing something really interesting with their email retention strategy. They're not just sending the usual 'we miss you' or 'here's 20 percent off' — they're actually building a whole ecosystem around the product itself. Luna: What do you mean by ecosystem? Like, they're sending more than just promotional blasts? Lucas: Exactly. So the brand is called Naadam, and they're known for sustainable cashmere. But what caught my eye is how they handle their email flow. When you buy a sweater from them, you don't just get a receipt. You get a series of emails that start with care instructions — like how to wash it, how to store it, how to keep it from pilling. Luna: That's smart. Most people don't know how to care for cashmere, and if they ruin it, they're not buying again. Lucas: Right. And that's the core insight. They're reducing the risk of a bad experience before it happens. But they go further. After a few weeks, they send a follow-up asking how the sweater is wearing. And if you reply, you get a personal note from their team. This isn't automated — or at least it feels like it isn't. Luna: So they're actually reading those replies? That's a lot of manual work. Lucas: It is, but it's scalable in a way. They've built a system where the first touch is automated, and then a human steps in to continue the conversation. And here's the kicker: they found that customers who engage with those care emails are 35 percent more likely to make a second purchase within three months. Luna: 35 percent is significant. What's driving that? Is it just the care instructions, or something else? Lucas: I think it's the combination of education and personal connection. When you teach someone how to care for a luxury item, you're giving them confidence. They feel like they're part of a club, not just a transaction. And then, right around the time the weather changes — maybe four or five months later — they send out a 'welcome back' email with a preview of next season's colors. But it's not for everyone. It's sent only to people who've opened their previous emails and engaged with the brand. Luna: So they're segmenting based on engagement. That's a smart way to avoid annoying your best customers with generic blasts. Lucas: Exactly. And that preview has a really high open rate — like 68 percent, which is double the industry average for retail emails. They're treating it like a VIP event, and the exclusivity makes people feel special. Luna: I love that. It's not about discounting; it's about making the customer feel like an insider. Lucas: Precisely. And this is a trend I'm seeing across luxury retail. Instead of relying on price cuts to drive repeat purchases, brands are using storytelling and education to build loyalty. Cashmere is a perfect category because it's a product that requires care — it's not like a t-shirt you throw in the wash. Luna: So what about the timing? How are they spacing out these emails? Is there a set schedule or is it triggered by behavior? Lucas: A bit of both, actually. The initial care series is automated based on purchase date. But the 'welcome back' email is triggered by the season — they know that in early fall, people start thinking about cozy sweaters again. So they send it around late September, regardless of when you bought. And then if you don't open that, they might wait a few weeks and send a slightly different angle — like 'your cashmere care guide' again, but with a new tip on storing for winter. Luna: That's interesting. They're not giving up on people who don't engage the first time. They're retrying with different content. Lucas: Exactly. And the key is to not be annoying. They cap it at three emails per quarter for non-engagers. After that, they move them to a 'sleeping' segment and only re-engage if they click through from a different channel, like SMS. Luna: So SMS is part of it too? That's a whole other layer. Lucas: Yeah, but only for their highest-value customers. If someone's spent over five hundred dollars in the last year, they'll get a text message on their birthday with a free scarf. That's a nice touch — it's not a discount, it's a gift. And it's personalized based on the colors they've bought before. Luna: Okay, so that's the loyalty playbook. But what if you're not a luxury brand? Can any of these tactics translate to something like, say, a software company or a consumer goods brand? Lucas: Absolutely. The core principle is to provide value beyond the transaction. So instead of care instructions, a software company might send onboarding tips or advanced tutorials. Instead of a seasonal preview, they might send a beta invite for a new feature. The exclusivity and education are the universal part. Luna: That makes sense. It's about creating a relationship, not just pushing another sale. Lucas: Right. And I think the most important takeaway is this: email isn't dead. It's just that the old playbook of blasting the same 10 percent off to everyone is dead. The brands that are winning are the ones that treat email as a conversation, not a megaphone. Luna: Before we go deeper, Lucas, I keep thinking about something you said earlier about the personal notes. That feels like it could be a huge differentiator, but also a huge time sink. How do they manage that at scale? Lucas: Good question. So they have a team of three people who handle all the replies. But they've also built templates that they personalize with specific details — like the color of the sweater or the customer's name. It's not fully manual, but it's not fully automated either. The key is that the reply actually reads like a human wrote it, not a bot. Luna: And that's probably what drives the loyalty. People can tell when it's real. Lucas: For sure. And speaking of real connections, I want to mention something that we rarely talk about on this show, but it's important to us. This podcast is ad-free, and that's only possible because of listeners who support us directly. If you've gotten value from these conversations — maybe you've applied a tactic we discussed — a couple of dollars a month genuinely keeps us going. You can support us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's a small way to make a big difference for us. Luna: Yeah, and we don't take that support for granted. It's what lets us keep doing deep dives like this one. Lucas: Alright, back to cashmere. I think there's one more tactic worth talking about — the post-purchase email that asks for a review. But here's the twist: they don't just ask for a star rating. They ask customers to share a photo of the sweater being worn, and they feature the best photos on their website. Luna: Oh, that's clever. It's user-generated content that also serves as social proof for new visitors. Lucas: Exactly. And they've seen that customers who submit a photo are about 70 percent more likely to become repeat buyers. It's a psychological thing — once you've publicly endorsed the product, you're more invested in the brand. Luna: That's the power of social commitment. And it's a nice way to end the episode on a high note. Lucas: So to wrap it up, the lesson from Naadam is to build a retention strategy that's as thoughtful as your product. Care, education, exclusivity, and a bit of human touch. That's what turns a one-time buyer into a customer for life.