Swimwear is not "just" about swimming.
It's fashion: a choice so you can express yourself and boost your confidence.
This shift has driven growth in the swimwear industry, with the emergence of DTC brands. The swimwear ecommerce market has undergone significant changes in how it acquires customers, with email marketing and social media advertising becoming crucial components. To stay competitive, brands in this industry must continually refine their strategies and adapt to the evolving landscape to effectively connect with and engage with their target audience.
But how to stand out vs. your competitors?
Should you really just focus on acquisition during summer?
We will analyze and compare how brands in the swimwear industry are performing in their digital marketing strategy, their email marketing, and how they integrate ads in their acquisition strategy.
Email Marketing Best Practices
Email marketing has emerged as a vital asset for ecommerce, owing to its effectiveness as an acquisition channel for businesses. It can deliver customized content, earn significant ROI, nurture customer relationships, and integrate with other channels.
Articulating your mission and ecological pledge as a brand helps to build a unique and compelling identity. Kitty and Vibe, by being transparent with their materials, are able to embody their commitment to eco-consciousness, a good strategy to help customers connect with their brand on a deeper level.
Andie articulates their brand's primary mission, providing comfort and making swimwear shopping easy. Through this, they can connect with customers who prioritize both style and comfort in their clothing.
Have a monthly “it”-list
Add value by compiling items customers might have missed. It’s a thoughtful strategy that puts a spotlight on your offerings while at the same time improving the shopping experience for customers.
- Summersalt uses this strategy to ensure that their audience is consistently informed about the ‘just dropped’ items from their new collection.
- Cupshe's approach consists of highlighting the trends of the month.
Focus on the details
Swimwear should offer support and comfort while remaining stylish. Highlight these benefits in your emails to pique interest.
- Frankies Bikinis employs this strategy by showcasing and emphasizing the intricate details of their new swim set.
- Summersalt's one-shoulder swimsuit is praised in a review from Travel+Leisure, which the brand took as an opportunity to educate readers about the key features of the swimsuit, including its seaming and available sizes.
Share what your team is loving
Show your team’s favorite items or recommendations. This offers valuable assistance and has a special impact because your team knows the products well.
Dippin’ Daisy’s captures the audience’s attention with the catchy subject line 'What the team has been loving🔅🔅”. They include a clear CTA button inviting subscribers to explore the items. They also give reasons why they love them, adding an extra layer of personalization.
Recommend pieces to pair with the swimsuits
Another great approach to try is showing your subscribers how a swimsuit looks with other items. This could come in the form of a capsule wardrobe collage or a packing list.
Dippin’ Daisy’s and Cupshe go beyond merely showcasing their products. They assist their subscribers in visualizing how these items can be integrated into their wardrobes.
Simplify decision-making by comparing two items
Summersalt and Cupshe present side-by-side comparisons to differentiate products in a collection and to make it easy for customers to discern the unique features of each swimsuit.
Allow them to mix and match swimsuits
Nani takes bundling to the next level through their Mix and Match Collection. All swimsuits in the collection can match the other pieces, giving nearly endless possibilities. For example, someone can create four distinct outfits with two swimsuit sets, a tactic which provides incredible value.
Demonstrate seasonal versatility
Frankies Bikinis demonstrates its versatility and adaptability by offering swimwear suitable for various weather conditions.
They use an engaging subject line, "Your Winter Getaway Essential: Thermal Swim," to attract the audience's attention and highlight the practicality of their swimwear for winter vacations.
Additionally, they mention the specific fabric used, underlining its quality and suitability for colder seasons.
Back by popular demand
Back-in-stock (or back by popular demand) emails offer a valuable opportunity to reconnect with your audience. Brands like Summersalt and Monday use this approach to create excitement and interest in a long-awaited item.
Give them a taste of what’s coming
Let your subscribers have a sneak peek of what's coming up next to generate anticipation.
Brands like Frankies Bikinis and Kitty & Vibe use teasers to create buzz and engage with their audience.
Kitty & Vibe uses a catchy subject line ("BIG NEWS: Something's Coming 🐍") to introduce new additions to their collection.
Frankies Bikinis takes a different approach by offering a behind-the-scenes glimpse of their new collection.
Both brands effectively use clear call-to-action (CTA) buttons and provide complete information about the upcoming items, making it easy for subscribers to stay informed.
Answer a question and convey what’s special about you
Your brand's value proposition can be communicated by answering a simple question. Marda, for example, uses the question "Why is Marda great?" This straightforward approach emphasizes the unique qualities and benefits that make your brand stand out.
Helping your audience find their perfect fit
Andie and Dippin’ Daisy's help shoppers find their perfect fit in their swimsuits. This communicates that they care about their customers’ comfort, which in turn makes their customers feel valued.
- Andie encourages subscribers to take a fit quiz to find swimwear tailored to their unique preferences and body type.
- Dippin’ Daisy's highlights the adjustable strap and strings in their bikinis.
The best welcome flow
When a visitor subscribes to your newsletter, a engaging welcome sequence should be set up, offering opportunities for new subscribers to explore and connect with your brand. Let's see how Frankies Bikinis executes this.
Frankies Bikinis initiates a four-step email welcome flow that introduces their brand's value proposition. Some best practices from their flow:
- Begin with a 10% discount and give a sneak peak of the collection.
- Highlight your bestselling items.
- Try to collect more information: create a birthday offer and remind them to complete their personal information.
In the first email, they extend a warm welcome to new subscribers and sweeten the deal with a 10% discount. This initial communication sets the tone for what subscribers can expect, offering a sneak peek at their collection through images.
In the second email, Frankies Bikinis takes the opportunity to introduce their bestselling items, accompanied by images of these popular products. They also include a friendly reminder of the 10% discount offer, making it clear and enticing with a call to action (CTA) button.
In the third email, Frankies Bikinis wants to make their subscribers' birthdays special and tease an offer they say they “don’t want to miss out” on. They do this by sending a reminder to complete their profile.
In the final email, Frankies Bikinis sends a reminder to their subscribers about the discount code. This serves as a last chance for subscribers to take advantage of the 10% discount offered when they first joined the email list.
The best lost checkout flow
It's frustrating when customers load up their carts and then leave without finishing the purchase. This is where abandoned cart emails come in to rescue those lost sales. These emails remind customers of their abandoned items, offer a quick path back to their cart, address any uncertainties, nudge them towards completing the purchase, and tackle any concerns that led to cart abandonment. In a nutshell, abandoned cart emails are a powerful tool for turning hesitations into successful transactions.
Following cart abandonment, Kitty and Vibe executes a concise 3-step email sequence to reclaim the abandoned carts. This sequence includes captivating subject lines, reminders of the items left behind, discount codes, & free shipping to motivate the customer towards completing a purchase. Some best practices:
- Employ attention-grabbing subject lines.
- Use clear and visually appealing call-to-action (CTA) buttons.
- Remind recipients of the items they left in their cart.
- Craft engaging and captivating email content.
- Use a discount code to incentivize the purchase.
In Kitty & Vibe's initial email after an abandoned checkout, they employ a catchy subject line, urging customers to revisit their cart. The email includes an image of the item, a free shipping offer, and the copy ‘Don’t worry, we saved it for you!’
The second email, sent two days later, is a friendly reminder to revisit the cart. It prominently displays the abandoned item, features a clear call-to-action (CTA) button and a 10% off discount.
The third email is sent a day after. It arrives with an attention-grabbing subject line: "10% Off Your Future Favorite Swimsuit!" The email assures the customer that it's not too late to buy the cart items.
Advertising and Paid Media
The swimwear industry places a high emphasis on customer satisfaction and usually give detailed product information to customers. They create marketing campaigns that are imaginative and relatable such as guides, tips, and hacks, and showcase current trends to connect with a wide range of customers. They remain consistently in tune with seasonal changes, ensuring that their offerings are relevant to customer preferences.
The Benefits Approach
Benefit Approach With The Founder
Kitty & Vibe include their founder in their ads through the '5 things that I do not think you should miss out on' hook. In this approach, the founder shares her personal recommendations by highlighting five specific swimwear items and elaborating on the benefits of each.
Using a 3 Signs Hook
Andie uses the '3 signs' hook to spotlight their product and its benefits. By discussing the quality, fit, and timeless styles of their swimwear, Andie is not only capturing attention but also effectively conveying the unique selling points of their products.
Targeting a specific persona
Cupshe adopts a focused strategy by catering to a specific persona "experiencing postpartum changes in their bodies”. By doing so, Cupshe aims to provide swimwear solutions that address the persona’s unique needs like comfort, high-quality stretchy fabric, and support.
The UGC Approach
You have one goal here: share what customers think about your product and their firsthand experience.
Using Social Media Trends
Andie cleverly uses the social media trend of 'what I order vs. what I got'. This strategy involves customers sharing comparisons between how a product appears on the website and how it looks when worn.
This ad gives authenticity and transparency enabling potential customers to view real-life outcomes and make more informed purchasing choices.
Using Social Proof
This ad from Andie takes a powerful approach by featuring multiple customers in a single video and highlighting why they adore the swimwear. This shows a diverse range of experiences and testimonies, making the ad more impactful and relatable to potential customers.
The Social Proof Approach
By interviewing customers
This ad from Summersalt was featured on a TV show. If this is available to you, it’s a good strategy for creating social proof via word-of-mouth marketing and help you reach new audiences.
Dippin’ Daisy's, Solid & Striped and Andie effectively leverage testimonials and 5-star reviews to showcase the positive experiences of their customers. This approach is a powerful way to emphasize the quality of your products.
