Boots

Unreachable Skin Seekers

Boots has a best-in-class digital strategy for delivering lifecycle CRM for their number one skincare brand, No7, with sophisticated email and app programmes driving customer engagement and repeat purchase. However, a larger proportion of their Advantage Card base only had direct mailable consent, leaving an untapped audience for customer contact. They wanted to test a customer-responsive automated mail journey in a physical format to enhance their CRM programme and unlock new sales from this hard-to-reach segment, particularly for their scientifically-backed No7 Retinol range which requires education and replenishment reminders.

Beauty Treatment Plan

In collaboration with Paperplanes, Boots initiated a trial on their No7 Retinol range, replicating their existing purchase-triggered CRM email and app programme structure as a 3-stage, customer-responsive automated mail journey. Each envelope was unique, using letter format in clear address carrier envelopes with strong Boots Advantage Card and No7 branding to differentiate from traditional one-page mailers. The creative integrated with the No7 Retinol brand campaign, weaving together succinct callouts alongside lifestyle imagery across 2 sides of A4 with clear visual hierarchy and personalised titles. Their third mailing included an optimised offer with both barcode and media code, giving customers freedom to shop in-store or online, whilst additional nudges encouraged email opt-in and app downloads via QR codes.

Youthful Returns

Boots’ targeted 3-step mail customer lifecycle programme successfully drove both product replenishment and cross-sell of the No7 Pure Retinol franchise, generating a 114% uplift in spend per mailed customer and a remarkable 195% uplift in No7 Skincare incremental sales. The programme paid itself back within the first 4 weeks of launch, proving the commercial viability of investing in physical mail for customers with mail-only consent. The success demonstrated that programmatic direct mail could effectively replicate complex digital CRM journeys whilst unlocking a previously untapped customer segment. Boots were able to expand their lifecycle marketing beyond email and app to reach their entire Advantage Card base with personalised, purchase-triggered communications.