Client: Xena Workwear (DTC Retail)

Primary Tools: Klaviyo, HTML/CSS, Litmus, Figma 

Executive Summary

Xena Workwear had a strong brand and a growing customer base, but email was running on campaign-by-campaign thinking — each send built from scratch, lifecycle flows minimal, and behavioral data sitting unused. Production was slow, coverage outside of promotions was thin, and mobile performance wasn't where it needed to be for a brand where most customers were engaging on their phones. The goal was to shift from reactive sends to a structured lifecycle system: faster to produce, smarter about timing, and built to grow with the brand without adding operational weight.

Smarter Launch Messaging 

For limited product drops and collaborations, I moved away from broad blasts and toward trigger-based sends that reflected urgency and availability.

Emails were intentionally simple — one primary message, one clear call to action — and built with lightweight HTML so they loaded quickly even on slower mobile connections.

Lifecycle Nurture Beyond Promotions

To support long-term engagement, I helped build a multi-step nurture flow that introduced the brand’s mission and product benefits over time, rather than pushing for an immediate purchase.

Behavioral signals — such as product views and site engagement — determined which messages a subscriber received next. This allowed the brand to educate first, sell second.

As a result, open rates consistently stayed above 40%, well above retail benchmarks.

Mobile-First Conversion Design

For key campaigns, I developed modular email layouts that adapted cleanly across screen sizes.

A responsive grid layout allowed multiple products to display clearly on desktop while stacking naturally for mobile users. Every CTA was tracked individually, feeding performance data back into campaign and inventory planning.

Testing, QA & Deliverability

To ensure reliability at scale, every template was tested across major email clients and dark mode environments using Litmus. I also monitored HTML structure and engagement patterns to support deliverability and avoid spam filtering issues.

A/B testing focused on practical elements — subject lines, button placement, and layout hierarchy — helping improve click-through rates without overcomplicating production.

Measurable Impact 

Faster production cycles: Modular, reusable templates significantly reduced campaign build time and removed repetitive manual work from each send.

Stronger lifecycle coverage: Automated flows expanded email beyond promotions, supporting customers through onboarding, education, and repeat purchase moments.

Consistent engagement: Lifecycle emails maintained 40%+ open rates, outperforming typical retail benchmarks and signaling stronger message relevance.

Improved mobile conversion: Mobile-first layouts and clearer CTAs made emails easier to scan and act on, increasing engagement from on-the-go users.

Cleaner performance insights: UTM-tagged CTAs and structured reporting made it easier to understand which products and categories were driving interest and revenue.

By shifting Xena’s email program from one-off sends to a structured lifecycle system, email became a reliable growth channel instead of a production bottleneck—supporting both brand storytelling and day-to-day revenue goals without adding operational complexity. Scalable send infrastructure: Reusable modular templates reduced per-campaign build time by an estimated 60%, allowing the team to increase send frequency without increasing headcount.

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Retail email lives and dies by two things: relevance and speed. If your messages arrive at the wrong moment or take too long to produce, you lose both revenue and trust. At Xena, the shift from send-based to lifecycle-based thinking changed what email could do for the business — not just driving one-off purchases, but supporting the full customer relationship from first open to repeat buy. If your email program is stuck in campaign mode and you're ready to build something more sustainable,  Let’s connect on LinkedIn.