Where we started01
Every owned-channel dollar came from email.
Before ATTN, KONG sent no SMS at all.
- No SMS list
- No opt-in on site
- No texts in any automation
Powered by Klaviyo SMS
Launching SMS from zero.
Five months, one new channel, and texts that out-earned email per message.
KONG had no SMS program when we took over. Five months after launch, SMS had its own growing list, drove about a tenth of owned-channel revenue, and was out-earning email on a per-message basis in both flows and campaigns.
Net SMS subscribers
4,500+
From zero, in five months, with every month adding to the list.
Flow revenue per recipient
2.5x
SMS against email, in the flows we built.
Of email + SMS revenue
~10%
By month three, up from nothing.
SMS-attributed revenue, June to August
+241%
Growth in SMS revenue across the first full summer of the program.
Net SMS subscribers, first five months4,500+ from zero
SMS-attributed revenue, June to August+241%
SMS share of email + SMS revenue0% → ~10%
Flow revenue per recipient, SMS vs. email2.5x
Flow conversion rate, SMS vs. email2.4% vs. 0.9%
Campaign revenue per recipient, SMS vs. email~11x
Welcome text conversion rate7.2%
Flow comparisons: ATTN-built flows over the first five months. Campaign comparison: the three most recent full months.
The approach02
Build SMS into the moments that matter.
How most brands launchA second blast channel
Texts on the same calendar as the emails.
How we built KONG'sFlows first, campaigns sparingly
Texts where a shopper is already leaning in.
- 01
Opt-in at the front door
SMS consent built into the new quiz pop-up, so every text subscriber also told us whether they shop for a dog, a cat, or both.
- 02
Texts inside the flows
Timed alongside email, so a shopper heard from KONG on the channel most likely to reach them.
- Welcome Series
- Cart Abandonment
- Abandoned Checkout
- Winback
- Post-Purchase
- 03
Campaigns kept rare
Only a handful of SMS campaigns each month, reserved for moments worth a text. That protected the new list while it grew.
Payoff03
A new channel that paid off from the start.
The SMS list grew every month after launch, and its share of email and SMS revenue climbed from 3% in June to about 10% by August.
Conversion04
Where SMS converts.
The highest-performing texts were the ones sent at a moment of intent: the first welcome, and the reminder after a shopper left their cart or checkout.
SMS messageConversion rateRevenue per recipient vs. SMS flow average
Welcome Series text
7.2%
3.0x
Second welcome text
6.7%
2.6x
Abandoned Checkout text
5.0%
1.9x
Cart Abandonment text
1.8%
0.8x
The line on each revenue bar marks the SMS flow average (1.0x).
A welcome text converting at 7.2% is the clearest proof of the approach: the right message, to someone who just raised their hand, on the channel they check most.
Why flows first05
SMS wears out fast when it's used like email.
SMS is personal and immediate, which is exactly why it wears out fast when it's used like email. Putting it inside the flows first meant every early text arrived when a shopper was already leaning in. The channel earned trust and revenue before it was ever asked to carry a promotional calendar.
Your turn
What would this look like for your brand?
Tell us where you are and what you are trying to hit. We will tell you honestly whether we can get you there.
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