How SMS Marketing Drove a 141% Increase in Black Friday Sales for Infamous Swim

Results snapshot BFCM campaign performance

141% increase in sales revenue (vs. day prior)

CTR up to 67% on product-specific SMS (vs. retail average 9–15%)

64% of buyers returned to shop again within 90 mins of receiving SMS

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About Infamous Swim

Infamous Swim is a bold Australian swimwear Ecommerce brand on a mission to break the mould and empower women of all shapes, sizes, and stages of life. Founded by Gemma Crowe, a passionate designer, the brand creates high-quality, fashionable, and comfortable swimwear. Infamous Swim believes every woman deserves to feel confident in swimwear that is flattering. The brand proudly supports women’s causes through its partnership with Share The Dignity and the Move4Dignity campaign, reinforcing its commitment to making a difference both in fashion and society.

The Challenge: Stand out from the competition on Black Friday 

Black Friday is the busiest and most competitive time for e‑commerce. With larger retailers saturating inboxes and feeds, Infamous Swim needed a smarter way to:

• Cut through the noise of bigger competitors with bigger budgets.

• Acquire new customers during the most crowded shopping event of the year.

• Convert high browsers into buyers at the right moment.

• Build loyalty beyond Black Friday so sales weren’t just a one‑off spike.

Infamous Swim needed a solution that could cut through the clutter of the online marketplace and make their offerings stand out, all while driving a significant return on investment.

The SMS Solution: A 4‑Touch Full‑Funnel Campaign

Partnering with Kudosity, Infamous Swim launched a 4‑stage SMS strategy mapped to the customer journey (Awareness, Interest, Consideration, Decision). Over 10 days, more than 200,000 subscribers received personalised, timely, high-urgency SMS messages that kept them engaged throughout every stage of Black Friday.

Stage 1: Awareness stage - Teasing the Sale

At this stage, we aimed to build brand recognition and generate sufficient anticipation about Infamous Swim's biggest sale of the year, Black Friday.

SMS Campaign Tactics:

• Early teaser SMS built anticipation (“Sale is coming,” “1 hour to go!”).

• Data was Segmented by time zone for optimal delivery windows (3pm sends).

• Urgency-driven copy (“#BREAKING BLACK FRIDAY SALE is coming,” “1 HR TO GO!”) primed customers to take action.

• Trackable links drove traffic to a dedicated Black Friday landing page to sign up for discount SMS alerts.

Performance Highlights:

• CTRs of 22–30% showing strong engagement before launch.

• Customers were trained to expect the upcoming sale and be “online ready.”

Stage 2: Interest - Launch excitement

The objective was to generate interest with specific product categories while adding sense of urgency. Messaging shifted from broad “Black Friday” to emotional hooks like “BIGGEST EVER” and “selling out fast.”

SMS Campaign Tactics:

• Announced live sale with clear product categories (Bikinis, Resort, Kids, Men).

• Scarcity messaging drove urgency (“selling out fast!”).

• Timed morning sends ensured high visibility at the start of the day.

Performance Highlights:

• Consistent CTRs around 17% showed continued momentum.

Stage 3: Consideration - Personalised offers

Engage with your most engaged customers, showcasing specific products, best sellers, and limited-time offers.

SMS Campaign Tactics:

• Highlighted collections (“Aphrodite & Tangerine”) and price points.

• Flash discounts & gamification (“40% off for 40 minutes”).

Performance Highlights:

• CTR peaked at an impressive 67% on a price-drop SMS. Proving product‑specific hooks convert best.

Stage 4: Decision / Urgency – Closing out the sale

A sequence of SMS messages aimed to make the sale easier for shoppers, offering further discounts and adding a sense of urgency.

SMS Campaign Tactics:

• Final reminders with “Further Discounts” and “Final Hours” created FOMO.

• Multiple touchpoints across Nov 28–29 and Dec 1st, reminding customers that the BFCM was ending.

Performance Highlights:

• A steady CTR of 17% ensured a strong close and ensured inventory sell-through.

• Final hours messaging ensured the sell-through of the remaining inventory.

The Results & Learnings

Key outcomes:

• 141% sales increase on Black Friday vs. the previous day

• New customers up 329%, proving SMS worked as an acquisition engine

• 64% of buyers returned to purchase again within 90 minutes

• CTR consistently above industry benchmarks (Retail avg: 9–15%)

Key Takeaways for Ecommerce Retailers 

• Early anticipation pays off: Teasers primed customers to be “online ready.”

• Product‑led, price‑specific offers convert best: Highest clicks on exact discount/product drops.

• Urgency drives action: FOMO messaging (“Final Hours”) pushed last‑minute conversions.

• SMS is a high-performing, direct engagement channel for retail and ecommerce brands.

• Timely, relevant messaging can significantly improve both acquisition and retention.

• For value-driven brands like Infamous Swim, SMS becomes more than a sales tool—it’s a community builder.

How SMS strengthens customer loyalty 

"After launching our Black Friday SMS campaign, we saw an impressive 64.29% of customers returning within the first 90 minutes. Our first-time customer base grew by over 3x (329%) compared to the previous day —a direct result of delivering the right message to the right audience at the right time. With a click-through rate of 16%, SMS has proven to be an essential tool for building customer loyalty and driving repeat purchases."

— Gemma Crowe, Owner and Director at Infamous Swim

Looking ahead- Is SMS marketing your revenue driver?

If you're an Ecommerce business using Shopify, we offer an integration service to help you connect your store to Kudosity quickly and start sending campaigns like cart reminders, post-purchase messages, and promotions.