Debenhams adds text to marketing mix

Debenhams has expanded its cross-channel marketing with the introduction of mobile marketing campaigns.

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Following a launch campaign last Autumn to encourage opt-in to SMS messages, the high street retailer has since used text to alert customers to the Debenhams Sale and other offers and promotions.

Mobile marketing is being carried out using an existing marketing automation platform that allows the brand to send both text and email from the same system. By holding a single view of how customers respond to messages in either channel, Debenhams has gained insight into the customer journey and how to optimise its marketing investment.

“Centralising all our enterprise-wide customer marketing, whether mobile or email, we can conduct channel-co-ordinated, consistent and customer-relevant communications generating high response rates and sales,” says Rob Unsworth, head of trading finance and commercial insight at Debenhams.

“We defined our mobile marketing requirement, enabled and tested the mobile component in just four weeks, enabling us to launch our first campaigns in October 2010 – perfect timing for the Christmas season,” he says. The Neolane solution used by the retailer means personalised discount codes can be sent by SMS for in-store or online redemption, while customer responses by text or email can be associated and compared to sustain ongoing targeting.