Steve Madden isn’t just growing its audience—it’s keeping them engaged. With Attentive, SMS became its most engaged channel, and a key way to build relationships that last long after the first purchase.

To build stronger customer connections, Steve Madden partnered with Attentive in Australia in 2023, following earlier launches in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. in 2020. The collaboration gave them a platform and team capable of keeping pace with their global audience and evolving subscriber needs.‍

Growing subscriber sign-ups with smarter timing

To capture interest at the right moment, Steve Madden uses Attentive’s AI Grow to time on-site SMS and Email sign-up units when shoppers are most likely to engage.  By replacing its one-size fits all pop-up with personalized timing, Steve Madden saw a 36% uplift in subscriber growth across SMS and email, and a 34% increase in welcome journey revenue.

Making mobile the most engaged channel

As more shoppers turned to mobile, SMS became Steve Madden’s most engaged channel—especially among Gen Z and Millennial audiences who value quick, personal updates. 

The brand personalizes messages by location to create more relevant experiences. For example, New South Wales subscribers received invites to Sydney’s block party. Content also centers on seasonal moments. Style edits highlight what’s trending—like statement heels for party season and the bridal collection during wedding season. 

Campaigns respond to trends such as raffia, fur, and animal print, and spotlight popular products like the Teacup Bow Heel and kitten-heel thongs. They also promote sales, such as September’s winter clearance and the Boxing Day sale.

To deepen engagement, Steve Madden uses MMS to add visuals to product launches, influencer content, and key campaigns. These visuals reflect the brand’s broader storytelling across channels, creating a consistent and familiar experience. MMS also helps the brand stand out during busy moments like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, when attention is limited and competition is high.

“There’s a lot of noise during big campaign periods. MMS helps us highlight what’s unique about our offering and cut through.”
- Jamie Kouktzelas, Marketing Manager, Steve Madden

‍Personalized messages keeps shopping coming back 

Knowing that many Steve Madden shoppers often browse several times before buying, the brand focuses on staying top of mind between sessions with messages that reflect their interests. This looks like reminding them of styles they viewed or sending a follow-up message related to a campaign they’ve engaged with. For example, a follow-up Afterpay Day text to subscribers who clicked the first message drove a 23.1% CTR.

To create a 1:1 relationship with each customer, Steve Madden uses Attentive Journeys to trigger messages based on real-time behavior. Whether a shopper browses a product, leaves items in their cart, or drops off mid-session, the brand automatically sends timely, relevant messages that bring shoppers back to purchase—driving strong engagement:

• 15.7% CTR for cart abandonment 
• 12.7% CTR for browse abandonment
• 9.8% CTR for session abandonment

“We continue with our cart abandonment journeys during peak periods, like BFCM, but refresh the copy to match the moment so it stays relevant.”
- Jamie Kouktzelas, Marketing Manager, Steve Madden

Testing, learning, and growing performance

Working closely with Attentive for strategic guidance, the Steve Madden team continuously tests message formats, timing, and content to see what resonates. This ongoing experimentation keeps performance strong and strategy evolving.  The team experiments with:

• How the message looks: SMS vs. MMS formats
• When the message is received: timing and cadence by audience segment
• What the message is about: messaging aligned to influencer activity and broader marketing campaigns, such as launches or promotional periods

Continuous testing ensures messaging evolves with customer behavior and preferences, improving effectiveness over time.

“It’s super beneficial having Attentive as a partner. They bring ideas and expertise so we’re not just doing the same thing over and over again. We trust them, so we’re happy to trial and test new things.”
- Jamie Kouktzelas, Marketing Manager, Steve Madden

Faster results with less hands-on work 

Steve Madden is now testing AI Pro to personalize send times, automatically build audience segments more likely to buy, and write on-brand messages automatically. Since launching, they’ve seen:

• 26% overall revenue increase
• 25% revenue increase from abandonment journeys by recognizing returning subscribers beyond their browser cookie lifetime with Identity AI
• 112%+ revenue increase by automatically adding high-intent subscribers identified by Audiences AI to send lists

By combining automation with insight, Steve Madden is deepening customer relationships and turning more shoppers into repeat buyers.