Brand
Austrian headwear brand apol wanted a more personal way to engage its community beyond email. It used marketing messages on WhatsApp to send exclusive offers, back-in-stock alerts and welcome messages to opted-in customers. This helped to build a loyal audience that drove repeat purchases, and helped make the entire purchase journey seamless.
“WhatsApp has become one of our most direct and profitable channels. We reach our customers in a highly personal way with news, offers and back-in-stock updates, and we can immediately see the impact on our sales.”
Elias Lingg and Elias Möslang
Founders, apol
Their Story
Headwear brand built on community
Launched in 2022 by two entrepreneurs from the Bavarian Alps, apol is an Austrian headwear brand creating caps and beanies for everyday life. Its products combine clean design with water resistance, breathability and washability. Since launch, apol has grown rapidly through limited drops, high-demand restocks and a direct-to-consumer approach, building a loyal community around its products.
Their Goal
A natural next step for engagement
As the business grew, email alone wasn’t delivering the engagement apol needed to drive repeat purchases. The brand had built an active organic community it interacted with daily, and that close relationship showed how much its customers valued a personal and direct experience. WhatsApp was a natural next step to deepen that connection.
Their Solution
A personalized channel that brought buyers back
The brand turned to marketing messages on WhatsApp to build a new way to bring customers back. Customers opted in through the website, product pages and email newsletter. Once subscribed, they received messages tailored to their interests: back-in-stock alerts for specific products and colors they had browsed, exclusive promo codes for repeat buyers and early access to limited drops. Each message linked directly to the store, making it simple to browse and purchase in a few taps. With roughly one in five back-in-stock notifications converting to a purchase, the brand reported clear proof that WhatsApp was delivering the personal, timely experience its community expected.
apol also set up automated messages to reach customers at the right time. A welcome message greeted new subscribers, while a back-in-stock alert notified customers the moment a sold-out product returned in their preferred color and size. For limited drops, marketing messages helped give the brand immediate access to its most engaged buyers.
Their Success
Repeat sales driven by direct access
From day one, apol saw significantly stronger open and click rates compared to email. But WhatsApp didn’t replace the existing email strategy. Instead, it became a complementary channel that delivered a more personal, seamless experience for customers who wanted closer connection with the brand. Over six months, marketing messages on WhatsApp grew into one of apol’s most profitable channels for repeat sales, with results including:
- 41X return on investment, attributed to marketing messages on WhatsApp*
- 2X higher open rate than email, attributed to marketing messages on WhatsApp*
- 6X higher click rate than email, attributed to marketing messages on WhatsApp*
*Results are self-reported and not identifiably repeatable. Generally expected individual results will differ.
“For limited drops and high-demand products, we see how valuable this direct access to our community really is. WhatsApp has changed the way we think about customer retention—it is no longer just about building reach, but about turning community connection into measurable revenue.”
Elias Lingg and Elias Möslang
Founders, apol
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