Customer Story
SportsPower Kadina drives stronger VIP event attendance with SMS
Overview
Challenge: SportsPower Kadina needed a more effective and measurable way to promote VIP sales events, as newspaper advertising and email were either underperforming or difficult to track, while in-store signage only reached nearby shoppers.
Solution: Sinch Engage SMS, used alongside email, helped SportsPower Kadina invite 2,000 VIP customers to pre-sale events, promote items and discounts, and direct recipients to the store’s Facebook page through message links.
Results: Its two most successful sales nights to date, with 30–40% of the VIP database attending the event or visiting the store in the following days, and campaigns taking only around 10 minutes to create and send.
“We use SMS because we all have busy lives, and also because it’s convenient for both us and our customers. MessageMedia’s SMS service is fast and easy to use – setting up and sending a campaign only takes us 10 minutes, much less than other platforms.“
For SportsPower Kadina, the challenge was not just getting the word out about a sale. It was finding a way to cut through busy lives and give customers a reason to come into store at the right moment. Traditional advertising was not doing enough on its own. Newspaper campaigns were hard to measure, email had not delivered the same impact, and in-store signage only reached people who were already nearby.
As a family-run sporting goods retailer that had served its community for more than 20 years, SportsPower Kadina wanted a more direct and measurable way to promote key sales events. The business turned to Sinch Engage (formerly MessageMedia) and started using SMS alongside email to invite around 2,000 VIP customers to pre-sale events ahead of its twice-yearly major sales. Messages promoted items and discounts and included links to the store’s Facebook page, creating a simple path from awareness to action.
Driving store traffic with fast, convenient messaging
The results were immediate and practical. SportsPower Kadina says its SMS campaigns helped deliver its two most successful sales nights to date, with 30–40% of its VIP database either attending the event or visiting the store in the days that followed. In a retail environment where foot traffic matters, that kind of turnout made SMS a highly effective event channel.
Speed and ease of use were also part of the value. Nathan Collins said setting up and sending a campaign took around 10 minutes, much less time than other platforms. That mattered because it made SMS easy to use regularly without creating extra workload for staff. Just as importantly, the format suited customers too: text messages were quick to read, easy to act on and better aligned with a mobile-first world where attention is limited.
