GAP is one of the world’s most iconic clothing retailers, known for timeless essentials and everyday fashion. With a massive global audience and strong brand recognition, GAP had the scale and the data — but their email program wasn’t delivering the performance it should.
The Challenge
Despite GAP’s size and resources, their email marketing was in serious disarray:
Fragmented automations: Multiple teams had set up flows at different times, resulting in conflicting triggers, duplicate sends, and inconsistent messaging.
List quality issues: Years of unchecked growth left them with disengaged and unverified subscribers, hurting deliverability and inflating costs.
Inefficient content production: Campaigns took weeks to design and deploy, with little consistency across regions.
Generic segmentation: Every email felt “batch and blast,” leaving customers overwhelmed and disengaged.
The result? Low ROI, falling open rates, and missed revenue opportunities — all while competitors were winning with smarter email strategies.
The Strategy
We approached GAP with a reset and rebuild mindset. Our strategy was to bring order, clarity, and performance back to their email program by:
Auditing the CRM foundation – We conducted a full audit of their Klaviyo + CRM setup to map out broken automations, duplications, and wasted segments. From there, we built a clear framework for how the system should function.
Re-engineering automations – Rather than adding new flows on top of old ones, we started fresh. We aligned triggers, delays, and exclusions across the customer journey to eliminate overlaps and ensure consistency.
List hygiene + segmentation overhaul – We cleaned their database by removing inactive subscribers, setting up sunset flows, and rebuilding audiences around engagement, purchase history, and lifecycle stage. This not only boosted deliverability but also cut ESP costs.
Streamlining content production – GAP’s campaigns were slowed by bottlenecks between design, copy, and deployment teams. We introduced modular templates and content blocks, allowing regional teams to launch localized campaigns in hours, not weeks.
Balancing brand + performance – GAP needed to maintain its global branding while hitting revenue targets. We developed a content strategy that blended brand storytelling with conversion-focused messaging — ensuring every send felt on-brand and drove results.
The Solution
We implemented a comprehensive rebuild of GAP’s email program, including both flows and campaigns:
Flows (Automations Rebuilt & Expanded):
Welcome Series (Rebuilt): Polished 4-part flow that showcased GAP’s heritage, sustainability values, and seasonal best-sellers, with incentives to drive first-time purchases.
Cart Abandonment: Structured 3-stage sequence with urgency messaging, limited-time discounts, and styling inspiration using carted items.
Checkout Abandonment: Payment and shipping reassurance, paired with personalized product blocks.
Browse Abandonment: Triggered based on product category (denim, basics, seasonal collections), showing customers exactly what they were browsing.
Post-Purchase Flow: Encouraged cross-sells (pairing jeans with tops, accessories with basics) and shared care tips for product longevity.
Win-Back Flow: Playful messaging around “It’s been a while — let’s get you back in style” with personalized discounts.
Loyalty/VIP Flow: Exclusive early access to seasonal collections, rewards program highlights, and birthday perks.
Review & UGC Flow: Automated asks for product reviews and styled outfit photos, fueling GAP’s social proof library.
CRM + Segmentation:
Built dynamic segments for high-value shoppers, lapsed customers, one-time buyers, and regional cohorts.
Introduced engagement tiers, ensuring that disengaged subscribers were nurtured differently than GAP’s VIPs.
Established sunset policies to keep list quality high and protect deliverability.
Content Production System:
Created modular, branded templates that allowed teams to swap in regional product photography, localized offers, and copy variations quickly.
Streamlined workflows cut average campaign production time by 65%, giving GAP the ability to launch flash sales or seasonal pushes almost instantly.
The Results
Within 9 months, the transformation was clear:
19x ROI from the new email strategy, turning a struggling channel into a profit center.
Email revenue contribution doubled from 12% to 24% off total digital revenue.
Engagement rates soared: Open rates climbed from 11% to 24%, while click-through rates nearly doubled.
Database quality improved: After cleaning the list and introducing sunset flows, GAP saw deliverability increase by 30%, with campaigns reaching more engaged audiences.
Content agility unlocked: With modular templates, campaigns that once took weeks were going live in under 48 hours — a massive win for speed to market.
Perhaps most importantly, GAP regained confidence in their email program. What was once chaotic and underperforming became a streamlined, revenue-driving engine that matched the scale of the brand.
Results
ROI increase on email revenue
Growth in email channel performance
Increase in open rates
Reduction in campaign creation time
Email Examples
“SmartMail brought order to the chaos. They didn’t just clean up our email program, they rebuilt it into a machine that drives results while staying true to our brand.”
Ken Kennedy
Head Of Digital, True Alliance Group