How high-end fashion house Victoria Beckham grows and engages a global audience with help from Attentive, driving a 1 in 5 customer retention rate.

Elevating customer touchpoints in luxury

In collaboration with Attentive, the Victoria Beckham team set out to explore and test using SMS marketing in the luxury space, proving that when done thoughtfully, text messaging can become a powerful, premium channel for customer engagement, acquisition, and retention.

Operating across multiple global regions—including the UK, US, and Australia—the brand has built a high-performing strategy that integrates seamlessly with its broader marketing ecosystem.

“We treat our database like VIPs and reward them for sharing their details. SMS isn’t a traditional luxury channel, but it helps cut through the noise.”
- Lisa Nielsen, Senior Digital Marketing Manager, Victoria Beckham

Using Victoria Beckham's voice to create a premium experience

At the heart of their marketing transformation is the power of voice. Leveraging Victoria Beckham's own voice—both literally and figuratively—creates an intimate, VIP connection that feels personal, authentic, and deeply aligned with the brand’s DNA. SMS in this context becomes an elevated, high-touch experience when grounded in authentic storytelling.

Victoria Beckham has plenty of cultural moments to tap into, such as the release of Beckham-related documentaries on platforms such as Netflix. For her fashion brand, these moments present an opportunity to amplify visibility and drive engagement. These events drive major spikes in web traffic, which the brand uses to acquire new subscribers, and that’s exactly where Attentive comes in. Attentive-powered pop-ups, timed to intercept this surge, have proven especially effective. In one campaign, the viral quote “be honest” was woven into cart abandonment messages, boosting both sign-ups and message relevance during peak cultural moments.

“Pop-ups are super important around key brand moments. Attentive is compliance-ready from the start.”
- Sabrina Dhesi, Junior CRM Manager, Victoria Beckham

Sustaining prestige through value and full-priced strategies

This same commitment to authenticity and exclusivity extends to how the brand nurtures its subscriber base. One of the more unique challenges in luxury marketing is maintaining brand equity across channels. Rather than leading with discount-led promotions in sign-up units for first purchases, the Victoria Beckham team builds loyalty through experiences that reflect the brand’s premium positioning, such as, giveaways, first access to collections, and subscriber-only birthday drops.

Adding a pre-engagement step to the sign-up unit—such as asking for a birthday—can significantly improve subscriber quality from the outset. In Attentive’s 2025 UK consumer survey, 44% of respondents said they value answering a question if it leads to a benefit, 30% felt it enhanced the overall site experience, and 26% said it made the sign-up process feel more personal. These simple, value-driven interactions can make a strong first impression and accelerate list growth.

“Our sign-up units are designed to reward loyalty—being the first to know, winning exclusive pieces, and accessing limited drops.”
- Sabrina Dhesi, Junior CRM Manager, Victoria Beckham

Global reach, local resonance

While exclusivity and value drive loyalty at the individual level, regional nuance ensures the brand stays relevant across global markets. In the United States and UK, where Victoria’s celebrity persona resonates most strongly, engagement tends to be driven by messages that lean into her influence. Campaigns that spotlight pieces she wears have achieved CTRs of 15%.

In contrast, the Australian market responds more strongly to lifestyle-driven content, tapping into aspirational narratives around seasonal living, such as alfresco dining or travel. Campaigns in that style have seen a CTR of 13%.

Across all regions, their voice is intentionally less formal and more conversational, allowing the brand to respond quickly to cultural moments and shifting customer expectations. This approach is particularly effective in boosting engagement, as the team has found that aligning tone and timing with what’s happening in the region leads to stronger results. Responsiveness at the right moment has become a defining feature of their strategy.

Using segmentation to deliver personalized experiences

Just as the brand adapts its approach across markets, it also fine-tunes messaging at the customer level. Rather than sending generic mass messages, the team uses engagement signals to shape who receives what and when. For example, customers who are less engaged are excluded from sale notifications, while loyal and active subscribers are rewarded with early access to new products or collections.

Their segmentation extends to behavior, with triggers timed around common shopping cycles like paydays. This approach is supported by findings showing that 35% of consumers agree brand messages are more relevant just after they receive their paycheck. With some of their product releases offering only seven to twenty units, ensuring the right audience gets the right message at the right time is key.

“Sending the right message to the right audience is crucial as SMS becomes more expensive.”
- Lisa Nielsen, Senior Digital Marketing Manager, Victoria Beckham

Transforming their lean team with AI Pro

Building on this foundation of careful segmentation, Victoria Beckham’s team turned to AI Pro’s full suite to take personalization to the next level. Initially tested in the US market with a 50/50 control group, AI now powers more than 90% of SMS journeys in that region. They have seen a 635% increase in clicks, 321% increase in purchases, and 420% increase in revenue, totaling a 30x ROI from AI alone.The results have not only exceeded expectations but also enabled the team to shift their focus toward creative storytelling rather than technical execution.

“AI Journeys have been a cost-saving measure, helping our lean team focus more on creativity. Attentive is on the forefront and great at steering us.”
- Lisa Nielsen, Senior Digital Marketing Manager, Victoria Beckham

Balancing SMS and email to reach customers at the right time

With AI streamlining execution, the team can concentrate on orchestrating the broader customer journey across channels. SMS is treated as an essential layer within a wider strategy that includes email, direct mail, and digital campaigns. Different messages are assigned to the channels best suited for them: for instance, time sensitive messaging such as limited-edition product drops and last chance messaging are often prioritized for SMS, ensuring they don’t get buried in inboxes. If there’s no conversion via text, a follow-up email ensures the message still lands. This integrated orchestration creates a seamless brand experience, regardless of how or where the customer engages.

“With limited edition drops where we have only a handful available, SMS delivers on the promise that they’ll be the first to know.”
- Sabrina Dhesi, Junior CRM Manager, Victoria Beckham

Even during rare sales periods—typically limited to one or two per year—the brand uses SMS as the primary communication channel. Its speed and visibility are key to maximizing short windows of opportunity.

AI and RCS as growth accelerators

As the SMS channel continues to evolve, the Victoria Beckham team is excited about the future. They are currently exploring RCS (Rich Communication Services), a next-generation messaging format that supports multimedia and interactive content. Perfect for a luxury brand seeking to elevate its mobile experience. Early results from the US have been promising, and plans are underway to roll this out in the UK and Australia.

Continued AI adoption is also on the horizon, with deeper segmentation and journey optimization already delivering measurable benefits. The team is preparing for another wave of brand buzz as the latest documentary is expected to drive further interest and acquisition.

A blueprint for luxury marketing

Victoria Beckham’s fashion brand offers a compelling blueprint for how high-end businesses can approach marketing without compromising their identity. With Attentive as a strategic partner, the team has achieved a rare balance of personalization, efficiency, and brand integrity.

Attentive plays a dual role in the brand’s strategy, both as an acquisition tool and as a loyalty engine. The team places strong emphasis on cultivating lifetime value, especially in the UK, where 21% of SMS subscribers have made more than one purchase. This level of repeat purchasing reflects not just the quality of the products but the depth of engagement.

Their advice to other marketers in the luxury space considering SMS is simple and grounded in experience: “Why not try it and see how it goes? Let the data speak for itself.”