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Email & SMS Marketing Playbook

1. Why TBYB Changes the Email/SMS Playbook

Traditional email/SMS relies on a standard offer playbook (free shipping, discounts, new products) mixed with branded moments to drive conversion. With TBYB, merchants have a compelling, customer-centric, and novel offer that resonates with all shoppers. Given TBYB reduces risk and friction to place an order, the job of lifecycle marketing shifts:

  • From: "convince me to buy"
  • To: "convince me to try"

The TBYB Advantage

  • Risk-free proposition eliminates purchase hesitation
  • Differentiated value prop that competitors can't match
  • Higher engagement rates due to broad-based customer appeal
  • Improved customer lifetime value through increased first-order value and more cross-category buying

2. Key Objectives

Primary Goals

  • Acquire new customers: Powerful way to build trust with first-time shoppers who are hesitant to purchase from an unknown brand
  • Increase LTV: By getting more products into the shopper's home on the first order, Try Before You Buy consistently drives higher Net LTV cohorts
  • Reduce discount dependency: Because the cart value is $0, shoppers are less price sensitive and more willing to try premium products

Secondary Benefits

  • Conveys confidence: Merchants offer Try Before You Buy when they’re confident in what they sell
  • Improve brand perception: Positions your brand as customer-first and confident in product quality
  • Reduce return anxiety: Customers feel more comfortable ordering multiple items or variants

3. Must-Have Email & SMS Flows [Illustrative Example]

A. Welcome / Acquisition Flow

Goal: Educate new subscribers about TBYB and drive first trial

Email #1 (Immediate - Welcome)

  • Subject: "Welcome! Try before you buy - it's that simple 🛍️"
  • Content: Introduce TBYB concept with clear value prop
  • CTA: “Try Before You Buy” or "Start Your Free Trial"
  • Include discount if offered during lead capture signup
  • Template: "Keep what you love, return the rest. No upfront payment, no commitment."

Email #2 (Day 2 - Social Proof)

  • Subject: "See what others are saying about trying before buying"
  • Content: Customer testimonials and reviews from TryNow Merchant Portal
  • Include before/after scenarios or "I was skeptical but..." stories
  • Identify common shopper objections and overcome them with Try Before You Buy (”Not sure which shade/size/color/item to try?)
  • CTA: "Try Before You Buy"

SMS #1 (Day 3 - Simple Reassurance)

  • Message: "Try Before You Buy: Choose up to [x] items, try at home for [x] days. Only pay for what you love! Start here: [link]"

Email #3 (Day 5 - How It Works)

  • Subject: "How Try Before You Buy works (spoiler: it's easy)"
  • 3-step visual guide
    • Choose up to [x] items
    • Try for [x] days after delivery
    • Only pay for what you love — free (or easy if not free)) returns just in case
  • Address common questions/concerns
  • Include return process explanation

SMS #2 (Day 7 - Last Nudge)

  • Message: "Still thinking it over? Try [merchant] risk-free for [x] days. No payment until you decide to keep something ✨ [link]"

B. Browse & Cart Abandonment

Goal: Convert browsers and abandoned carts by removing purchase friction

Browse Abandonment Email (2 hours after browsing)

  • Subject: "Still thinking? Try it at home and only pay if you love it."
  • Content: "Bring our store to your front door with Try Before You Buy. Checkout for $0 and only pay for what you love."
  • Show recently viewed items with TBYB badges
  • Include objection handling

Cart Abandonment Email #1 (3 hours after abandonment)

  • Subject: "Your items are waiting - try them risk-free"
  • Content: Show cart contents with TBYB option highlighted
  • Address common objections (returns, sizing, quality concerns)
  • Clear CTA: "Try Your Cart for Free"

Cart Abandonment SMS (6 hours after abandonment)

  • Message: "Your items are still waiting! Try at home for free and only pay if you love them: [link]"

Cart Abandonment Email #2 (Day 2)

  • Subject: "What if you could try before you buy?"
  • Focus on risk elimination and convenience
  • Include customer success stories
  • Last chance messaging

C. Cross-Sell / LTV Flow

Goal: Increase customer lifetime value through additional trials

Post-Purchase Email (3 days after keeping items)

  • Subject: "Loved your [product]? Try these customer favorites"
  • Content: Recommend complementary products
  • Emphasize that they already know the quality/fit
  • CTA: "Try More Favorites"

Seasonal Cross-Sell Email

  • Subject: "New season, new styles to try"
  • Showcase seasonal collections
  • Reference past successful tries
  • Offer curated selections based on kept items

SMS Cross-Sell (Weekly for active customers)

  • Message: "Perfect match for your [kept product]: Try [Product X] before you buy. Free to try: [link]"

Win-Back Email (30 days since last order)

  • Subject: "We miss you! Try our newest arrivals risk-free"
  • Highlight new products since last purchase
  • Remind of previous positive TBYB experience
  • Special incentive for returning

D. Educational/Nurture Flow

Goal: Build confidence in TBYB process and brand trust

Email: "The Try Before You Buy Difference"

  • Compare traditional online shopping vs. TBYB experience
  • Highlight unique benefits
  • Customer testimonials

Email: "Tips for Your Try Before You Buy Experience"

  • Best practices for trying items at home (text a friend, take an unboxing video to post on social, etc.)
  • How to make the most of trial period
  • Return process made simple

4. Advanced Segmentation Strategies

New Shoppers (0 previous orders)

  • Focus: Education and trust-building
  • Messaging: Emphasis on risk-free trial, easy returns, quality assurance
  • Frequency: More educational content, gentle nurturing
  • Subject lines: "New to [Brand]? Try risk-free"

Returning Shoppers (1+ previous orders)

  • Focus: Cross-category exploration and discovery
  • Messaging: "Since you loved X, try Y" recommendations
  • Frequency: Can handle more frequent communication
  • Subject lines: "More styles you'll love"

High AOV Keepers (top 20% by value kept)

  • Focus: Premium product upsells and VIP treatment
  • Messaging: Early access to new collections, premium options
  • Frequency: Priority communication for new launches
  • Subject lines: "First access: Premium collection"

Seasonal Shoppers

  • Focus: Seasonal relevance and urgency
  • Messaging: "Try summer styles before they sell out"
  • Frequency: Seasonal pushes with weather/event relevance

5. Best Practices

TryLinks

  • Leverage TryLinks to create try-only flows, which improve conversion by 50-100%
  • Create a unique TryLink for each email or flow to allow for tracking in TryNow Merchant Portal

Use Shopper Feedback for Copy

  • TryNow collects unfiltered shopper feedback and populated within TryNow Merchant Portal
  • Export TryNow shopper feedback and feed it to an AI tool (e.g., ChatGPT or Claude)
  • Prompt the AI to generate marketing copy based on the actual shopper feedback you uploaded

Email Frequency

  • New subscribers: 2-3 emails in first week, then 1-2 per week
  • Engaged customers: Up to 4-5 emails per week during peak seasons
  • Re-engagement needed: Reduce to 1 per week, focus on value

SMS Frequency

  • New subscribers: 1-2 SMS in first week; 3-5 per week thereafter
  • Active customers: 3-5 SMS per week
  • High-value segments: Up to 1 SMS per day during sales/launches
  • Always provide easy opt-out options

Campaign Sequences

Many successful brands follow this pattern:

  1. Week 1-2: Lead with TBYB education and first-try incentives
  2. Week 3-4: Social proof and customer stories
  3. Month 2: Mix TBYB with complementary offers (TBYB + small discount)
  4. Ongoing: Segment-specific messaging based on behavior

6. Discount Strategy & Offer Hierarchy

Primary Approach: Value + Reassurance First

  1. Lead with TBYB as the primary value proposition
  2. Layer discounts strategically for incremental conversion
  3. Test combinations of TBYB + discounts to find optimal offer mix

Offer Testing Framework

A/B Test Scenarios:

  • Lead capture: (A) Discount vs. (B) TBYB vs. (C) TBYB + smaller discount
  • Abandonment: Lead with Try Before You Buy first, follow with TBYB + discounts

Discount Deployment Strategy

  • New customers: Start with TBYB, introduce discounts in follow-up communications
  • Returning customers: Can combine TBYB with discounts from first touch
  • High-value segments: Focus on exclusive access over discounts
  • Price-sensitive segments: TBYB + discount combinations perform best

7. Content & Creative Best Practices

Subject Line Formulas That Work

  • Curiosity: "What if you could try before you buy?"
  • Benefit-focused: "No payment, no commitment, no risk"
  • Social proof: "Join 100K+ customers who try before they buy"
  • Urgency: "Try new arrivals before they sell out"
  • Personal: "Hand-picked for you to try at home"

Message Frameworks

AIDA for TBYB:

  • Attention: "Tired of online shopping guesswork?"
  • Interest: "Try Before You Buy eliminates the risk"
  • Desire: "Get exactly what you love, return the rest, only pay for what you love"
  • Action: "Start your free trial today" or “Try Now”

Visual Guidelines

  • Hero images: Product imagery, unboxing content, products being tried at home
  • CTAs: Use action words like "Try," "Discover," "Experience"
  • Trust signals: Return policy, customer reviews, testimonials

8. Inspiration Library (Examples from Live Brands)

9. Metrics & KPIs to Track

Primary Metrics

KPIs are available for viewing in TryNow Merchant Portal

  • TBYB trial conversion rate: Percentage of email/SMS recipients who start a trial
  • Success rate: Percentage of orders with 1+ kept item
  • Email/SMS attributed revenue: Revenue directly from email/SMS campaigns
  • Customer Lifetime Value: Net LTV of customers acquired through TBYB campaigns

Secondary Metrics

  • Open rates and click rates by segment and campaign type
  • Unsubscribe rates to monitor message fatigue
  • Time to first trial from email signup
  • Cross-sell success rate from TBYB campaigns

Optimization Opportunities

  • Segment performance: Which audiences respond best to TBYB messaging?
  • Content performance: Which subject lines and messages drive highest engagement?
  • Timing optimization: When do your customers most engage with TBYB offers?
  • Channel effectiveness: Email vs. SMS performance for different campaign types

10. Implementation Checklist

Setup Phase

  • Set up TBYB-specific email/SMS segments
  • Create welcome flow automation
  • Design abandonment flow sequences
  • Build cross-sell campaign templates

Content Creation

  • Write TBYB-focused subject lines and preview text
  • Create customer testimonial content library
  • Design mobile-optimized email templates
  • Develop SMS message templates under 160 characters
  • Create visual assets showing TBYB process

Testing & Optimization

  • A/B test TBYB vs. traditional discount offers
  • Test optimal send times for your audience
  • Experiment with message frequency
  • Monitor and adjust based on performance data

Advanced Tactics

  • Implement dynamic product recommendations
  • Set up behavioral triggers based on browsing/trial history
  • Create seasonal campaign calendars
  • Develop VIP/loyalty program integration
  • Plan customer feedback collection and integration