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• SMS realities: Consumers prefer SMS for urgent, transactional, and limited-time content while relying on email for editorial and browseable content; this split is captured in the Attentive SMS & Email Marketing Report (2025, UK).
• Attribution and privacy in 2025: Expect partial visibility; GA4 + server-side tagging fill gaps, while multi-touch attribution helps allocate budget more fairly than last-click, per Google’s GA4 features and reporting guide and GTM’s server-side tagging documentation.

How to run clean tests with lean resources:

• Define cohorts clearly (e.g., first-time buyers in May–June) and create a holdout (10–20%) for each new flow.
• Attribute both direct and assisted revenue. Use Attribuly’s multi-touch view to compare treated vs. control cohorts across channels.
• Track CPRC (cost per retained customer) and incremental ROAS for each retention program.
• Timebox tests (4–6 weeks) and predefine success thresholds (e.g., +3–5 points in 60‑day repeat rate or −10 days in TTS).

6) 30/60/90-day boutique rollout roadmap

30 days: Foundation and quick wins

• Implement GA4 ecommerce reporting, consent, and basic server-side tagging.
• Stand up welcome, post-purchase, and back‑in‑stock automations.
• Define VIP, replenishment, lapsed, and first‑purchase segments. Export to ESP/SMS.
• Install wallet pass infrastructure if loyalty is active.
• Instrument Attribuly for identity resolution and multi-touch attribution across email/SMS/paid.

60 days: Scale and refine

• Launch win-back sequences with phased incentives.
• Pilot one live shopping event; repurpose into shoppable video.
• Add subscription option for eligible SKUs with flexible pause/swap.
• Introduce VIP tier communications and progress nudges.
• Start holdout-based incrementality across core flows.

90 days: Compounding effects

• Optimize by cohort (source × SKU) using Attribuly insights: tailor cross-sells and content by acquisition path.
• Expand wallet-based perks and experiential rewards; test paid/VIP membership value hypothesis carefully.
• Build a quarterly insights loop: cohort LTV, time-to-second-purchase, repeat interval adherence, and CPRC by program.

7) Common pitfalls and trade-offs (and how to avoid them)

• Discount dependency: If retention only moves when you discount, you’re training price sensitivity. Shift benefits to access, services, and bundles; reserve incentives for surgical cases.
• SMS fatigue: Respect frequency caps and topic opt-ins; let customers choose cadence. Watch unsubscribes and complaint rates weekly.
• Loyalty bloat: Too many benefits without tier economics modeling will crush margins. Model earn liability, redemption, and expected lift before rollout; Antavo’s 2025 report underscores the importance of perceived value in the Global Customer Loyalty Report 2025.
• Measurement drift: Parallel-run any major tracking changes, and reconcile order counts/revenue between GA4, your platform, and attribution to maintain trust in your numbers.

Where Attribuly adds leverage (practitioner scenarios)

• Segment discovery and activation: Identify high‑LTV and churn‑risk cohorts using multi-touch attribution and identity resolution. Sync segments to Klaviyo/SMS/ad platforms for VIP perks, replenishment nudges, or win-backs.
• Server-side tracking and branded links: Recover lost signals, improve match rates, and make your remarketing lists and suppression smarter.
• Attribution for flows: Quantify the assisted and direct revenue from welcome, post‑purchase, and win‑back flows; run holdouts and compare CPRC and incremental ROAS to focus on what compounds.
• Data lake integration: Push journeys to BigQuery to analyze time-to-second-purchase by source × SKU. Feed insights back into segments.

If you’re on Shopify and need the plumbing to run those playbooks with confidence, explore Attribuly: https://attribuly.com/

Final word

Boutique retention isn’t about copying enterprise playbooks—it’s about stacking small, compounding wins. Build the data foundation, activate a handful of high-impact segments, and run scrappy but clean experiments. With a privacy-safe setup and attribution that honors the full journey, you’ll know exactly which messages, perks, and experiences turn first-time buyers into loyal advocates in 2025.