The Kiehl’s SMS Alerts campaign reaches 90% of in-shop purchases

Kiehl’s is a chain of beauty products created in the United States and has a network of more than 250 shops around the world.

Their products encompass skin, body and hair care, with a line of products for men and another just for pets. With this background, Kiehl’s set itself the goal of improving customer loyalty and launched a pilot SMS mobile marketing campaign in 45 of their shops over the United States.

The Kiehl’s SMS Alerts campaign reaches 90% of in-shop purchases.

All the user has to do is send a message containing the Word KEIHLS to the number 25787 or subscribe on the campaign’s website to start receiving SMS messages from Keihl’s. The campaign informs the subscriber that they will receive a maximum of three messages per month, the content of which will be different according to the location of the recipient, established through geolocalization. When a user finds themselves near a Kiehl’s shop, they will receive an SMS which will inform them of promotions, content, information and exclusive offers from the Keihl’s Alerts campaign found in the closest shop of the beauty chain.

After piloting the campaign over a period of six months, Kiehl’s proceeded to analyse the results. They found that 73% of clients that subscribed to the service ended up making a purchase. In a survey carried out just after the campaign, 81% of the people polled mentioned their subscription to the Kiehl’s SMS messaging service. This means that of the people who recalled receiving messages from Kiehl’s Alerts, 90% made a purchase in a Kiehl’s shop over the six months of the campaign.

SMS mobile marketing campaign

It is important to remember that, in the United States, thanks to strict legislation, mobile applications include an opt-in option (voluntary subscription) and information about the activation of services according to geographic location.

Kiehl’s writes in detail about the terms and conditions on their website. One of the most interesting characteristics is the use of geolocation services, which allows companies to identify the user’s closest store, stay informed of the local weather, send personalized offers or other relevant content to the subscriber’s profile, immediately.

The terms of service promise to send no more than one message per week – with a maximum of three per month – and never before 10am in the morning or after 8pm in the evening. And if anything remains unclear, a simple message with the text HELP to the number 25787 will help to resolve any issues.

Additionally, if users want to unsubscribe from the Kiehl’s Alerts service (opt-out) they are offered a wide range of options. They would only have to send a message responding to any of the SMS messages in the campaign containing one of the following words: STOP, QUIT, END, CANCEL or UNSUBSCRIBE. This provides credibility and trust in the SMS mobile marketing campaign.

The campaign is still active in the United States, as another program offering benefits to people that belong to the Kiehl’s community, although the chain makes it clear in the Privacy Policy that all the information collected about users will not be shared with third parties. It even mentions that there is no network of Kiehl’s clients behind the their SMS mobile marketing campaign, not even in project phase, an attractive objective for any company in the retail sector.s