The Cozy Earth brand aims to exude what its name implies — coziness. According to Chief Marketing Officer George Davis, the brand’s positioning “is rooted in premium quality, comfort and sustainability, elevating everyday moments from 5 p.m. to 9 a.m., when people unwind, recharge and find peace at home.”
Whether it be bedding, bath towels or a new jogger set, Cozy Earth’s products aim to create “a sense of sanctuary — luxurious, ultra-soft products that enhance the best part of your day,” Davis explained in an interview with Retail TouchPoints. Because it’s relatively easy to communicate this brand ethos through rich product page descriptions, photography and video, the brand leans heavily on strong visual creative to reinforce storytelling through its ecommerce site and social channels. However, doing so via more competitive and space-constrained touch points, like email or SMS, is a bit more challenging.
That is why Cozy Earth has adopted more direct touch points with founder Tyler Howells and more data-driven marketing: to help consumers “feel personally connected to the person behind the brand,” according to Davis. This personalized approach, powered and amplified by Attentive technology, “is now woven into both email and SMS communications.”
Enriching and Accelerating the Cozy Earth Buying Journey
During the pandemic’s peak in 2020, Cozy Earth saw an opportunity to ramp up its digital marketing efforts and drive both acquisition and growth. However, like many brands, it also found that traditional channels were getting more crowded — and expensive. The Cozy Earth marketing team sought a direct, personalized way to reach and serve customers across channels that aligned with the various buying journeys shoppers could embark on with its different product lines.
While most Cozy Earth buying journeys are highly considered, impulse purchases also occur. That is why the brand has had to develop a well-rounded marketing strategy that includes:
- Influencer and community validation, which help drive trust by providing more context into how products are used;
- SMS and email marketing campaigns that serve as nurture touch points, moving customers from discovery to conversion using tailored messaging based on engagement levels; and
- Limited-time offers and exclusive drops that drive urgency for customers struggling to make a final decision.
Attentive “has been instrumental in helping us scale without losing the personal touch,” Davis said. “Their advanced segmentation, AI-driven insights and automation have allowed us to grow revenue while strengthening customer relationships — a balance that’s critical to Cozy Earth’s long-term success.”
Orchestrating SMS and Email for Maximum Impact
Both SMS and email are integral to Cozy Earth’s marketing strategy. Taking a “cohesive approach,” where these channels complement, rather than compete, has helped the brand balance acquisition, engagement and retention while delivering the right message, at the right time, through the right channel.
Historically, the brand used Klaviyo for email and Attentive for SMS. However, this led to reporting gaps that prevented the team from fully seeing (and capitalizing on) what was working. Bringing both channels into Attentive has helped streamline measurement, reduce errors and improve flow performance. “This integration allows SMS and email to complement each other more effectively, ensuring customers receive the right message at the right time through the right channel,” Davis explained.
With every campaign, even every message, Cozy Earth has been able to understand and leverage the distinct nuances and storytelling benefits of both SMS and email. For example, SMS is a “high-intent, immediate-action channel,” Davis said, “so our messages are concise and direct, with a conversational tone to drive engagement.”
SMS messages — which are typically tailored for new and returning customers, as well as for VIPs and dormant subscribers — are optimal for highlighting unique product selling points, re-engaging with past customers and sending proactive messaging to re-engage customers who have not purchased in a while, Davis explained.
However, emails offer a richer canvas for deeper storytelling, education and brand-building. This is why Cozy Earth taps longer-form content, visuals and dynamic product recommendations to support welcome and nurture email sequences, cart and browse abandonment flows, post-purchase engagement emails and win-back/loyalty campaigns. Regardless of where customers are in their browsing and buying journeys, Cozy Earth uses data to paint a detailed picture that educates, inspires and converts.
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Taking a Data-Driven Approach to Growth
As Cozy Earth has adopted more personalized SMS and email strategies, data has been central to refining and optimizing messaging, creative, send times and more.
Before each month begins, Cozy Earth establishes an A/B testing plan that supports its “continuous optimization strategy,” Davis explained. The brand establishes “clear objectives and key learnings we aim to uncover, then we regularly test multiple flows, welcome offers and campaign elements to refine our approach and drive better engagement.”
Davis noted that Attentive has streamlined this testing process, “making it easy to execute, measure and iterate on tests, allowing us to make data-driven improvements with confidence,” he said. “Attentive’s data insights have helped us refine everything from SMS timing to abandoned cart strategies, leading to higher conversion rates and better customer retention.”
Cozy Earth is further optimizing its marketing efforts using tools like Send Time AI and Audience AI. In particular, Audience AI has been a game-changer for the brand, helping identify and retarget high-intent shoppers; personalize recommendations based on browsing behaviors; and optimize frequency based on engagement scores.
Driving Cross-Sells Across the Cozy Earth Portfolio
As Cozy Earth has evolved and expanded into new product categories and collections, Attentive’s personalization capabilities have helped the brand boost basket size and encouraged customers to venture into new areas of the portfolio. While smart recommendations are delivered based on past purchases, driving cross-sells and upsells, Cozy Earth also sends replenishment reminders that “nudge” customers when they might need new bedding or loungewear.
These tactics, combined with ongoing category education, introduce customers to new collections in relevant yet engaging ways. “Looking ahead, we’ll continue to leverage these capabilities to create a more intuitive, service-driven experience,” Davis explained, one that ties in with Cozy Earth’s “white-glove approach” and “ensures our customers feel valued from their first interaction through post-purchase support.”
