Driving incremental sales, engagement through a purpose-driven partnership: The Torrid Pride Month campaign

For the second consecutive year, Bread Financial® partnered with Torrid to launch a cause marketing campaign in celebration of Pride Month in June. The campaign aimed to drive cardholder engagement and sales by aligning with a cause important to Torrid's community and Bread Financial. Throughout June, Bread Financial pledged to match 1% of net sales made on the Torrid credit card every Tuesday, up to $25,000.

The challenge

Torrid sought to create a meaningful campaign for Pride Month that would resonate with its customer base, strengthen brand loyalty and drive credit card usage. The challenge was to develop a promotion that not only supported a worthy cause but also delivered measurable business results by encouraging existing cardholders to shop during the promotional period.

The solution

In collaboration with Torrid, Bread Financial developed a strategic cause marketing campaign that was simple for customers to support. The solution centered on a donation-matching initiative:

• Campaign Mechanic: Bread Financial committed to matching 1% of total net sales from purchases made with the Torrid credit card.
• Promotional Period: The offer was active every Tuesday throughout June, creating a consistent weekly incentive.
• Donation Cap: The total donation was capped at $25,000, providing a clear and effective goal.

This initiative was promoted through Torrid's owned channels, including email and the mobile app inbox, with messaging that clearly communicated the value to both the customer and the cause.

The results

The Pride Month campaign delivered exceptional results, demonstrating the power of aligning partnership marketing with shared values. The promotion successfully motivated cardholders to shop, leading to strong financial performance and engagement.

Financial impact:

• Campaign drove 51,000 existing cardholders to shop during the promotional period with a 14% increase in credit sales.
• $520,000 in positive incremental sales were achieved, primarily driven by increased store traffic and a higher number of buyers.
• A 20% lift in expected buyers was reported among existing customers, indicating the campaign successfully prompted incremental shopping trips.

Customer engagement:

The campaign's messaging strongly resonated with Torrid's audience, outperforming established benchmarks across key digital channels.

• Email: The click-through rate was 0.3 points (16%) higher than the benchmark and performed comparably to the previous year's successful Pride email.
• App Inbox: The promotion saw an app download rate 8.5 points above the benchmark, accompanied by a higher-than-average read rate.

The partnership between Bread Financial and Torrid for Pride Month highlights the significant benefits of cause-driven marketing. By creating a campaign that was both authentic and easy to participate in, we were able to drive strong incremental sales and deepen customer engagement. The partnership with Torrid exemplifies our commitment to developing innovative marketing solutions that deliver value for our partners and resonate deeply with their customers.

About Torrid
TORRID is a direct-to-consumer brand in North America dedicated to offering a diverse assortment of stylish apparel, intimates, and accessories skillfully designed for the curvy woman. Specializing in sizes 10 to 30, our primary focus is on providing fashionable, comfortable, and affordable options that meet the unique needs of our customers. Our extensive collection features high quality merchandise, including tops, bottoms, denim, dresses, intimates, activewear, footwear, and accessories. Our products are exclusive to us, and each product is meticulously crafted to cater to the needs of the curvy woman, empowering her to love the way she looks and feels. Our collections are artfully curated to suit all aspects of our customers’ lives, including casual weekends, work, dressy and special occasions. Understanding the importance of affordability, we aim to keep our prices reasonable without compromising on quality. This allows us to build a meaningful connection with our customers, distinguishing us from other brands that often overlook plus- and mid-size consumers. Our brand experience and product offerings establish us as a differentiated and reliable choice for plus- and mid-size customers, which we believe sets us apart in the market. We strive to be everything our customer needs in her closet, consistently delivering products that make her feel confident and stylish.