In the fast-paced and competitive world of e-commerce, businesses must leverage the latest digital marketing technologies to stay ahead. Successful e-commerce marketing is about more than just having a great product—it's about reaching [the right audience](a-complete-guide-to-email-lifecycle-marketing-for-ecommerce) at [the right time](how-marine-layer-scaled-their-brand.html) with the right message. This case study examines how Linksoul, a golf apparel company, achieved remarkable success by implementing marketing automations using Klaviyo, resulting in significant improvements in efficiency and sales.
Founded in 2009 by John Ashworth and Geoff Cunningham, Linksoul aimed to revolutionize the world of golf apparel by creating a community-centered around the sport and artistic expression. While their mission resonated well with customers, they faced several marketing challenges that hindered their growth and efficiency.
One significant challenge was their initial SMS marketing provider, Attentive. Despite an initial quick adoption—20,000 subscribers within weeks—the platform's limited capabilities in segmentation and customer profile management did not meet the needs of Linksoul’s empathetic and tailored marketing approach. Additionally, the support experience was subpar, with promised monthly calls occurring quarterly at best (source: Klaviyo).
Recognizing the limitations of Attentive, eCommerce Manager Brandi Cantrell decided to transition to Klaviyo for both email and SMS marketing. Her prior experience with Klaviyo's email platform, particularly its easy onboarding, robust support, and powerful segmentation features, played [a crucial role](keep-track-of-profiles-that-are-currently-in-klaviyo-flows.html) in this decision.
However, the transition wasn't entirely smooth. Attentive's policies restricted the transfer of creative and historical performance data, and the process of downloading their SMS contact list required assistance from Attentive’s support team. Nonetheless, once the contact list was obtained, integrating it into Klaviyo took just an hour, allowing Linksoul to quickly get their new SMS marketing system up and running.
One of the initial strategies involved increasing the frequency of SMS sends. Cantrell harbored concerns that ramping up the sends would lead to a spike in unsubscribes and customer dissatisfaction. However, under the guidance of Klaviyo support, she found that sending weekly SMS messages actually resulted in fewer unsubscribes. This approach kept Linksoul top-of-mind for their customers, enhancing engagement without crossing the line into spam territory.
Another impactful strategy was incorporating SMS into existing email flows. Linksoul discovered that adding text messages to their email automation sequences increased overall flow revenue by 82% year-over-year. The combination of email and text messaging created a cohesive, multi-channel communication strategy that resonated with their audience. According to Cantrell, "The majority of that flow revenue came from SMS," demonstrating the significant role that SMS played in their marketing mix (source: Klaviyo).
Effective segmentation is a cornerstone of successful digital marketing, and Linksoul leveraged Klaviyo’s powerful segmentation capabilities to enhance their SMS campaigns. By segmenting each SMS send based on recent engagement and purchase history, Linksoul was able to tailor their messages more precisely to their customers' interests and behaviors. This approach not only increased relevance but also boosted SMS click rates by 20% year-over-year.
The strategic implementations that Linksoul made with their digital marketing efforts through Klaviyo yielded impressive results:
Linksoul's experience offers several critical lessons that e-commerce and digital business owners can apply to their own marketing strategies:
Linksoul’s journey with Klaviyo showcases the transformative power of marketing automations in driving efficiency and sales growth for e-commerce businesses. Their strategic use of SMS and email integration, combined with robust segmentation and frequent engagement, highlights the importance of utilizing advanced digital marketing tools to connect with customers more effectively. By applying these insights and strategies, e-commerce founders and owners can enhance their own marketing efforts, achieving better results and building stronger relationships with their customers.
For more detailed information on how Linksoul achieved these results, check out the full case study on Klaviyo's website.