LTV Lab: We Bought from KITSCH
We bought directly from Kitsch, tracked every campaign, and reviewed the entire customer experience from pop-up signup to post-purchase emails. Here’s what stood out, what missed, and actionable takeaways for any brand aiming to improve retention.
Brand Overview
Kitsch is a trendy personal care and accessories brand, best known for their satin pillowcases, hair ties, shower bars, and beauty accessories. Their core customer is young, digital-first, and values affordable premium essentials with “cute” branding. Kitsch leans on its female-founded story and offers a wide, “just add to cart” product catalog, available online and in retail stores like Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie.
Customer Journey Breakdown:
Website Experience:
The website is easy to navigate and well-organized. You can shop by collection or bestseller lists, and the site pushes auto-ship subscriptions—though there’s little incentive or clarity about subscription benefits at checkout. The welcome pop-up is straightforward and offers 20% off. Product information is clear, but tools like hair/skin quizzes are hidden or come post-purchase, missing an opportunity to guide buyers early and showcase personalized recommendations.
Email & SMS Marketing:
Transactional emails (order, shipping, and delivery) are standard and reliable. Campaign flow is heavy—expect daily emails about sales, bundles, and bestsellers, often arriving before the product is delivered. Memorial Day and sitewide deals are constantly running, along with appeals to join a Facebook community (not relevant for younger customers). Data collection via surveys is solid, but segmentation and personalized flows are inconsistent; post-purchase tips are surprisingly only sent for the razor bundle and not other products. Rewards and loyalty programs are buried in emails and on the site—no education or incentives to engage past order confirmation. There are positive moments: proactive delay emails reassure customers their order isn’t lost, and opt-out options for holidays help prevent unsubscribes. However, replenishment and upsell messages skew generic, and some sales campaigns reach customers before they've tried the product, risking opt-outs due to volume.
Unboxing & Product Experience:
Orders arrive in plain (but sturdy) packaging with packing slips only—no branded info cards, instructions, or inserts. All products look cute and feel premium for the price (razor handle is heavy, hair ties are sturdy, body bar smells as promised). Instructional content is included on the products, not in the box. The experience matches expectations but doesn’t surprise or delight, and auto-ship options are not promoted in-box.
Strengths (What Worked Well):
Solid product quality and consistent branding from site to unboxing.
Proactive order delay email prevents unnecessary customer service inquiries.
Post-purchase email for the razor bundle contains helpful usage info and relevant upsell.
Opt-out feature for holiday-related campaigns respects customer preferences.
Dedicated personalized storefront landing page (after purchase), though it’s not deeply tailored.
Content, creative, or strategy examples to emulate:
Proactive customer service communications during order delays.
Thematic sales campaigns and upsell codes for post-purchase replenishment.
Categorized product recommendations based on buyer profile.
Weaknesses (Opportunities Missed):
Lack of effective personalization in campaign and post-purchase flow—only the razor bundle gets full treatment, other products get generic campaigns.
Rewards program is not explained or promoted in transactional or campaign emails.
Post-purchase surveys happen after, rather than before, purchase; onboarding quizzes are buried.
Too many generic campaigns—daily sales before delivery crowd out onboarding and education.
Recommendations and landing pages don’t leverage quiz or order data for specificity.
Auto-ship and subscription pushes disappear after checkout; clear pathways to subscribe are lacking.
Unboxing doesn’t include info or materials that encourage further purchase, refer-a-friend, or loyalty engagement.
Several campaigns (like Target launch) sent to Canadian buyers with no relevance.
Key Lifecycle Marketing Lessons for Other Brands
Personalization shouldn’t end after the survey—carry customer data into campaigns, landing pages, and recommendations for relevance and repeat sales.
Space out campaign emails, invest in segmentation, and focus on post-purchase education, not just quick promotions and sales.
Highlight and explain rewards and subscription benefits clearly, not just in the site footer or a post-purchase module—make the program valuable at every touchpoint.
Proactive communication wins trust, but make sure it’s relevant—don't rely on generic product blocks and overused sale messaging.
Kitsch nails product quality and order experience, but real retention and growth will come from a smarter, more personalized lifecycle marketing strategy—better use of customer data and incentives will keep buyers coming back for more.
