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The Future of E-commerce is Conversational

Attentive, the conversational commerce platform, is committed to helping UK brands reinvent the way they manage their business-to-consumer (B2C) communication through the use of text messaging. The UK is a smartphone-first market, with +20% UK retail sales* originating via mobile, and soon, every B2C brand will be expected to communicate with their customers via text message.

Having officially launched in the UK in April 2022, Attentive has already signed up hundreds of new UK customers - including brands like HYPE, Moda in Pelle, Astrid & Miyu, Killstar, FLOWERBX - to help them deliver magical mobile commerce experiences. By tapping into Attentive’s expertise, these brands are driving up to 30% more online revenue and providing relevant, personalized, and localized communications to better engage their customers. As the best-performing SMS marketing platform built for retail and e-commerce brands, Attentive empowers brands to build a direct relationship with their customers via text message marketing.

"Since using Attentive, our SMS strategy has become much more strategic and detailed -- we're seeing 20x ROI and increased engagement with our UK customers. With two-way, relevant messages, HYPE has developed a more meaningful relationship with our mobile customers,” said Shiv Arora, e-commerce Manager, HYPE. “Now, whenever we want to communicate a big campaign or promotion, we go to our SMS channel first as we see over 40% in engagement with just one text sent."

In early 2022, Attentive appointed Anup Khera as VP and GM of International to help spearhead the go-to-market expansion in the EMEA and APAC regions. In that time, the company has already added more than 30 people to the UK team, and is continuing to hire for Sales and Customer Support roles.

“As a company, we set out to reinvent business-to-consumer communication and commerce for the mobile age, and we want to help our UK customers do exactly that,” said Anup Khera, VP and GM of International at Attentive. “Brands are having to deal with the dual challenge of email and ads no longer cutting through with consumers, while meeting customers’ heightened expectations for interactive brand experiences, thanks to social media penetration. Attentive addresses this tension head on and helps brands get tangible communications that cut through the noise.”

The significant UK opportunity for conversational commerce can be seen in Attentive’s ongoing US success:

  • While only five years old, in 2021 the company’s customers sent or received over 18 billion texts and Attentive drove $10 billion in revenue for its customers.
  • Brands see an average of 97% open rates within 15 minutes of delivery, significantly higher than for traditional email marketing.
  • With over 5,000 brands now relying on text messaging powered by the Attentive platform, Attentive’s grown rapidly – 155% YoY growth in customers from 2020 to 2021.
  • This strong customer pipeline has powered Attentive’s expansion to over 1,300 employees, representing 103% YoY growth during this period.
  • To date, Attentive has raised $863 million from the world’s leading venture firms, including Coatue, Sequoia, Tiger Global, and Atomico.

As part of its commitment to helping marketers understand the huge potential that can be derived from taking a more engaged approach to text message marketing, Attentive is launching an ad campaign in London for the UK market this week. The campaign introduces wrapped taxis in Attentive branding, with one driven across London to be captured in “Attentive in London” photos in scenic locations, as well as four designed ad spots in Piccadilly Circus, High Street Kensington, Gypsy Corner, and Canary Wharf.