Case study
How a D2C Apparel Brand Grew Repeat Revenue 2.8x with Lifecycle Email
An anonymised client, a D2C apparel brand, acquired new customers profitably through paid social but had almost no repeat-purchase engine — one-off buyers rarely returned and the email list sat largely unused. VR Digital built a full lifecycle email and SMS programme that turned the existing customer base into the brand's fastest-growing revenue channel.
Client
Anonymised client
Industry
Fashion & Apparel D2C
Engagement
6 months · ongoing
Services
Email Marketing + SMS & Push
Anonymised client
An anonymised client, a D2C apparel brand, acquired new customers profitably thr…
Repeat Purchase Revenue
2.8x
↑ Client-reportedRevenue from Email/SMS
41%
↑ Client-reportedAverage Order Value
+22%
↑ Client-reportedInbox Placement
99.2%
↑ Client-reportedObjective
80,000+ email subscribers with almost no automated flows — nearly all campaigns were manual one-off sends. Repeat purchase rate significantly below category benchmark. Inconsistent inbox placement, with a meaningful share of sends landing in Promotions or spam. No SMS channel despite a young, mobile-first customer base. No segmentation — every subscriber received the same generic weekly promotional email.
Challenges & Solutions
What stood in the way, and what we changed.
80,000+ email subscribers with almost no automated flows — nearly all campaigns were manual one-off sends.
- Repeat purchase rate significantly below category benchmark.
- Inconsistent inbox placement, with a meaningful share of sends landing in Promotions or spam.
- No SMS channel despite a young, mobile-first customer base.
- No segmentation — every subscriber received the same generic weekly promotional email.
Built welcome, browse-abandonment and cart-abandonment flows segmented by first-purchase category.
- Designed a post-purchase sequence timed to apparel repurchase cycles with personalised restock and cross-sell recommendations.
- Launched SMS for time-sensitive drops and restocks with full consent management.
- Ran a full deliverability rebuild: SPF/DKIM/DMARC authentication, list hygiene and a cold-subscriber re-engagement campaign.
- Segmented the list by RFM tier and browsing behaviour to personalise every campaign send.
- Instituted weekly A/B testing on subject lines, send times and offers, compounding results month over month.
Our approach. 4 phases
Four phases, each with a clear output.
Step 01
Audit and research
The starting point, the data available and the questions customers ask.
Step 02
Plan
Priorities, measures and the work agreed in writing.
Step 03
Build and launch
Tracking, pages, campaigns and content go live.
Step 04
Measure and improve
Results reviewed against the agreed measures, with changes logged.
Results.
Repeat-purchase revenue grew 2.8x over six months. Email and SMS combined now generate 41% of total revenue, up from under 12%. Average order value on flow-driven purchases rose 22% through better cross-sell targeting. Inbox placement improved from 89% to 99.2% across major providers. Winback flow alone recovered 7% of previously churned customers in the first quarter.
Repeat Purchase Revenue
2.8x
↑ Client-reported
Over 6 months · client-reported
Revenue from Email/SMS
41%
↑ Client-reported
Across the full engagement period
Average Order Value
+22%
↑ Client-reported
Across the full engagement period
Inbox Placement
99.2%
↑ Client-reported
Across the full engagement period
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The starting state
80,000+ email subscribers with almost no automated flows — nearly all campaigns were manual one-off sends. Repeat purchase rate significantly below category benchmark. Inconsistent inbox placement, with a meaningful share of sends landing in Promotions or spam. No SMS channel despite a young, mobile-first customer base. No segmentation — every subscriber received the same generic weekly promotional email.
What we changed
Built welcome, browse-abandonment and cart-abandonment flows segmented by first-purchase category. Designed a post-purchase sequence timed to apparel repurchase cycles with personalised restock and cross-sell recommendations. Launched SMS for time-sensitive drops and restocks with full consent management. Ran a full deliverability rebuild: SPF/DKIM/DMARC authentication, list hygiene and a cold-subscriber re-engagement campaign. Segmented the list by RFM tier and browsing behaviour to personalise every campaign send. Instituted weekly A/B testing on subject lines, send times and offers, compounding results month over month.
“We were sitting on an 80,000-person list and treating it like a megaphone instead of a relationship. VR Digital turned it into our most profitable channel — and it costs us nothing per acquisition.”
Client team (anonymised)
Co-Founder, Thread & Co
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Case study FAQs
How should I interpret the reported results?+
Read the figures alongside the stated challenge, timeframe and channels. Ask about the metric definitions and supporting evidence before using a result in your own forecast.
Will my business achieve the same outcome?+
Results vary with audience, competition, budget, offer and execution. A published case study is an example of an engagement, not a guarantee for another business.
Which parts of the approach can be applied elsewhere?+
The research, tracking and testing process can inform other projects. The channel mix and messaging need to fit your own customer journey.
How do you set goals for a new campaign?+
We review the starting point, available data and commercial priorities, then agree deliverables and relevant success measures.
Can we review the scope before starting?+
Yes. Your proposal should explain the work, responsibilities, reporting and separate media or tool costs before delivery begins.
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- Founder industry experience
- 8 years
- Based in India
- India
- Digital services
- 9
- Strategy & automation
- Custom