Sneaker Politics adds Klaviyo SMS and grows owned marketing revenue 133%

Sneaker Politics sells the latest streetwear from brands like Adidas, Salomon, and Nike, mixed with styles from up-and-comers like Advisory Board Crystals. The omnichannel boutique has an online store and a devoted fanbase of 340K+ Instagram followers, plus 6 locations across Louisiana and Texas. Even Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban has stopped by.

Learn how Klaviyo’s all-in-one platform helps Sneaker Politics win on 3 channels

Challenge

Streetwear drops sell out quickly at Sneaker Politics—sometimes within a minute. But before launching SMS, the coolest new styles didn’t always go to top customers. Drop announcements went out via email and social, the same channels the brand uses to share non-urgent news about in-store merchandise and events. To buy, customers had to check their feeds at the exact right time.

“A lot of people would see a drop on social and get it in passing, and our most loyal customers missed out,” says Ben Bernal, director of ecommerce at Sneaker Politics.

A lot of people would see a drop on social and get it in passing, and our most loyal customers missed out.

Solution

To better serve loyal customers, Sneaker Politics launched SMS marketing with Klaviyo in summer 2022. This was despite frequent outreach from Attentive—Bernal didn’t want to add another software to his tech stack.

“I gave Klaviyo a chance first because it’s an all-in-one platform: email, SMS, and segmentations with Facebook,” Bernal explains.

I gave Klaviyo a chance first because it’s an all-in-one platform: email, SMS, and segmentations with Facebook.

In synchronous weekly meetings, a Klaviyo onboarding specialist guided the Sneaker Politics team through the legal intricacies of SMS. Within a month, the channel was ready for roll-out.

Strategy

Sneaker Politics pitched their SMS program as a VIP club, as recommended by their Klaviyo account manager and onboarding specialist. Members sign up for early access to new releases.

It’s been a hit. Today, the boutique wins with Klaviyo across 3 marketing channels:

• SMS, where they can sell hundreds of sneakers with one text, Bernal says. The channel drove 7% of total ecommerce revenue in January 2023.
• Email, where they’ve ramped up send cadence and sales CTAs to major effect—average email click rate YTD is up 101.9% YoY, and placed order rate YTD grew more than 3x YoY.
• Facebook Ads, where Sneaker Politics targeted a customer segment that had spent $500 in the last 90 days using Klaviyo’s Facebook integration—and drove a 30.8x ROAS.

Ultimately, it’s Klaviyo support that stands out the most to Bernal. “The most helpful part is that Klaviyo doesn’t leave you hanging,” he says. “The customer success manager meeting with me, making sure to answer my questions, suggesting ideas and strategies—it helped me be really confident setting up SMS.”

The most helpful part is that Klaviyo doesn’t leave you hanging.