Optimization & Performance
Automations, Segments, and Smarter Sends
There’s a difference between sending a lot of texts and sending the right ones. Optimization is where your SMS program shifts from good to great—from broadcasting messages to engineering a revenue machine.
If list growth fills your tank and conversations make your engine hum, optimization is the tuning that ensures every drop of fuel is used efficiently.
This guide covers how to squeeze more revenue from every message you send—without annoying your subscribers or burning through your list.
Why Optimization Matters
Even with a healthy list and a strong conversational strategy, many brands are still leaving money on the table. Why?
Typically because they are:
Over-sending to disengaged subscribers
Under-utilizing automations
Running generic campaigns instead of segmented sends
The fix isn’t necessarily sending less. It’s sending smarter, through better targeting, better timing, and better use of automations.

Automations: Your 24/7 Revenue Engine
Let’s start with the biggest opportunity most brands still underutilize: automations.
You probably already have an abandoned cart flow and a welcome series. Great! Now it’s time to expand and refine. Here are some underrated, high-ROI Automations we recommend:
Link Click Abandonment: Targets shoppers who clicked a product page but didn’t add to cart
Price Drop Alerts: Notifies subscribers when a viewed product goes on sale
Post-Purchase Journeys: Customizes follow-up messages based on purchase count (first-time vs. loyal customers)
Re-engagement Flows: Target subs who opted in but haven’t purchased in 30+ days
Back in Stock: back in stock have some of the highest EPMs compared to other automations (avg. $11.86 overall industries)
Each of these automations acts as part of the revenue engine, firing at the exact right moment in the customer journey with minimal ongoing effort.
Segment Like a Strategist
Blasting your entire list should only be allowed for major sales and announcements. Otherwise? It’s a recipe for opt-outs. Instead, create dynamic segments based on:
Recent clicks or purchases
Level of engagement (opened/clicked in the last 30, 60, 90 days)
Survey responses from previous conversational campaigns
Lifetime purchase count or total spend
By messaging each segment with unique content, you:
Save money by not sending to the unengaged
Personalize copy (so it feels relevant)
Increase ROI (by focusing on the folks most likely to convert)
Testing: The Most Underutilized Tool in SMS
It’s easy to A/B test two message variants and call it a day. But here’s what you could be testing:
Different CTAs or tones of voice
Timing (sending at noon vs. 8 PM)
Audience size and segmentation
Cadence of sends within a campaign flow
Different incentives like discounts vs CashBack
Example: True Classic tested their offer. It paid off.
Example: True Classic tested their offer. It paid off.
True Classic ran an A/B test on its standard 20% off welcome coupon vs. a 20% CashBack offer through Fondue. The feedback was undeniable: thanks to CashBack, they saw a 4.6% profit margin boost and a 67% increase in welcome series revenue. The only way they could’ve seen those results is by testing.
Challenge all assumptions and continue to test your marketing strategies over time, not just once. What works in July might flop in December. Optimization is a living process.

Engagement Tiers Will Save You Tears
Not all subscribers are created equal. Some open and click everything. Others are ghosts.
By building engagement tiers, you can:
Send more frequently to high-intent subscribers and stay top of mind
Win back past purchasers with personalized reactivation messages
Pause sends to completely inactive subscribers to help preserve your sender reputation
Example Tiering Framework:
Tier 1: Clicked or purchased in last 30 days
Tier 2: Clicked in last 60–120 days
Tier 3: No activity in 120+ days
Each tier gets its own cadence, tone, and offers. Think of it like a built-in loyalty program that rewards your subscribers and keeps campaigns efficient.


Optimize like Portland Leather
Portland Leather used AI to test and optimize abandoned cart messages across new and returning customers.
Results:
34% lift in conversion rate for returning customer abandoned cart messages
96% increase in CTR for new customer abandoned cart messages
31% lift in EPM for returning customer abandoned cart messages
They didn’t guess what would work. They tested it—with automated variant generation and real holdout methodology.
Optimization & Performance? Check. Here’s what’s next:
SMS Audit
We’re all-in on SMS—and we’ve built the solutions designed to make SMS your #1 revenue channel.
