The Container Store is using texts and other mobile channels to drive back-to-school sales as college students prepare to move into dorms. The company’s strategy is tailored to engage customers in the way they like without overwhelming them.
The national retailer partnered with texting platform Vibes to manage the campaign, which incorporates SMS (texts), MMS (with enhanced multimedia creative) and mobile wallet. Calls-to-action are included in complementary digital media, including social and search.
This is the third yr the corporate has used this platform. In 2022, they enrolled over 121,000 subscribers, a 61% boost from the previous yr’s list. Mobile-attributed revenue was also 3 times greater than in 2021. Over half of those on last yr’s list have remained registered for this yr.
Engaging graduates and gift-givers
This yr’s campaign is much more comprehensive since it began sooner than previous years — April as an alternative of June.
“We discovered, potentially, a missed opportunity where students are graduating from highschool, asking for gifts and asking for gift cards,” said Sydney Hamilton, senior director of digital marketing at The Container Store. “They’re planning for his or her dorm rooms and for that next step of their life. And family and friends are giving them those gifts — they’re not waiting until July.”
The retailer also doesn’t require proof of college registration or other verification so as to join. This lets relations and friends join too.
Opt-in and segmentation
Those who want to join for this system text “class” and receive a promo code for a 25% discount. They can transfer this discount right into a mobile wallet, allowing them to scan in at a brick-and-mortar checkout, or apply the code to an internet purchase.
Members of this system also receive product-related texts.
“We want to be certain that we’re engaging in the way you signed up for,” said Hamilton. “Just since you signed up for texts doesn’t mean you’re going to get our emails.
She added, “Everyone has a distinct way they like to engage. We found that keeping texts separate and messaging specific is engaging consumers in the best way they need.”
The campaign uses segmentation to group customers into common interests, ensuring that buyers aren’t flooded with irrelevant messages. The segments are informed by engagement metrics in addition to past purchases. For instance, if a customer isn’t engaging with a certain product category, they won’t be bothered with those products in future texts. High engagement, then again, indicates that certain texts are hitting their mark with a customer. And this drives up attributed revenue once they click through and buy.
A team effort for the campaign
Besides Hamilton, there is one other marketer charged with managing the text campaign. Additionally, there is a digital marketer who manages paid search, organic social and paid social. The team is in constant communication to be certain that that the campaign has a real and consistent feel.
The Vibes platform’s cost varies on the corporate’s size and message volume, so it’s possible for smaller organizations to run campaigns similar to The Container Store’s, depending on their marketing budget and the dimensions of their texting list.
The key to intelligent texting is matching customers with the suitable products. The Container Store continues to expand its offerings for people like college students who live in small spaces.
“There’s a degree in each dorm room where we may also help to make it higher, organized and, then some add some flair to it,” said Hamilton. “In past years and this yr specifically, The Container Store has done a extremely great job around offering products that aren’t just container-specific — as an illustration, a desktop fan, or vanity organization for jewelry and makeup, after which even some things you’ll be able to potentially take to class like a Hydro Flask (chrome steel bottle).”
The Container Store’s college promotion runs through September.
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