SMS and Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) Beyond the Holiday Season

How To Avoid Post-Holiday Attrition

So your holiday SMS marketing campaign was a success. Congratulations!

Now you’ve got the rest of the year to sit back, do some holiday shopping of your own, and hold off planning your 2022 campaigns until the spring. Right?

Wrong!

Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) and the overall holiday season are the largest acquisition times for many eCommerce brands, especially as it relates to SMS list building. However, what you do with those newly acquired customers during the post-holiday season is just as important for your brand’s sales and customer appreciation efforts.

You captured attention (and revenue) during BFCM. Now, it’s time to convert those holiday buyers into brand loyalists. Voyage will help you navigate the after-holiday seas. Let’s explore how to achieve post-holiday retention, and drive higher customer lifetime value:

It’s all about customer lifetime value (LTV)

Although it comes at the end of the calendar year, BFCM should be viewed as the start of the customer voyage.

Your BFCM campaigns helped you build out your lists for SMS automations and acquire new customers. However, if none of those customers become repeat purchasers, you’ll lose the wind in your sails (and sales!) for 2022.

Repeat customers spend 30% more than first-time buyers. The more customers you can bring back for 2022, the more revenue you’ll drive! Use the post-holiday period to get yourself ready for a successful holiday season and beyond.

SMS marketing fuels LTV

The customer lifetime value for SMS subscribers is 3X higher than other channels.

Customers might be shopping fatigued after the holiday season, given the abundance of ads they’ll see. Tapping into SMS, a more intimate channel, ensures your brand’s message will cut through a crowded landscape.

Given that SMS has a 98% open rate, you’re increasing your likelihood to deliver meaningful content and promotions to your customers.

Related: How Instagram's New "Link Stickers" Feature Can Positively Impact SMS Marketing

SMS tips for post-holiday retention

You should never brave the seas without a lifejacket. Let Voyage’s SMS tips buoy your post-holiday spirits with tips to engage, convert, and delight your customers:

Communicate and check-in:

Don’t message just to message; deliver value to your customers strategically with each message.

Notify them of seasonal issues like inventory delays and shipping updates. Send real-time updates and notifications to keep them in the loop. We recommend sending between 4-8 messages a month for SMS subscribers.

Loyalty campaigns

Repeat customers are the most valuable, so reward them for it! Segment your customer base, and offer loyal buyers customized sales or varied promotions to clear out your unsold inventory. Make customers feel valued, and they’ll keep coming back.

Abandoned cart messages

Consider setting up SMS automations to capitalize on all those customers with abandoned carts. There’s a lot going on for customers during the holidays; they may have forgotten about that special product, or needed an injection of holiday cash in order to afford it.

Abandoned cart customers are so close: give them an SMS nudge to increase post-holiday retention.

Study your customer data

Your data on click-thru rate (CTR), conversion rate (CVR), and LTV are some of the most valuable resources you have. Analyze which messaging worked, which segments were most rewarding, and which cadence of messages proved most effective. Learn from each campaign to make the next one better.

BFCM 2022 will be coming faster than you know it! Stay holiday-season ready, all-year round, with the latest Voyage report, with guided insights to capitalize on your busy season and beyond!