The brief

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With a customer database spanning the UK, Wilko relied heavily on CRM to drive engagement, encourage repeat purchases and keep customers connected to the brand throughout the year.

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I supported the CRM programme, creating email campaigns, customer journeys and testing strategies designed to improve engagement and deliver more relevant customer experiences. Alongside conversion-focused retail messaging, there was also plenty of opportunity to inject personality into the brand through seasonal campaigns, trending themes and creative concepts.

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The process

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Retail CRM moves quickly. One day you're promoting garden furniture, the next you're talking pancake day, spring cleaning or helping customers prepare for a heatwave that may or may not last longer than 48 hours.

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My role covered the creation of customer-facing email campaigns from subject line through to hero copy, product messaging and calls to action. Every email needed to work hard. Subject lines were developed using customer insights and testing principles to maximise open rates, while the body copy balanced commercial objectives with Wilko's friendly, approachable tone of voice.

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Alongside campaign copywriting, I helped plan and develop customer journeys designed to improve engagement throughout the customer lifecycle. This included segmentation strategies, personalisation opportunities, behavioural triggers and A/B testing programmes that enabled the team to continually optimise performance and learn more about customer preferences.

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Creative campaign development was also a key part of the role. Whether tapping into cultural moments like Love Island, seasonal events or emerging customer trends, the aim was always the same: create campaigns that felt relevant, timely and distinctly Wilko. The challenge wasn't simply selling products; it was presenting them in a way that entertained, inspired and encouraged customers to take action.

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The outcome

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CRM that customers actually wanted to open

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The resulting campaigns combined data-driven decision making with creative retail copywriting, helping Wilko deliver engaging customer experiences across its CRM programme.

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From high-performing promotional campaigns and personalised customer journeys to playful seasonal concepts and trend-led creative, the work demonstrated how effective CRM can strengthen customer relationships while supporting commercial objectives. Because when your emails land in thousands of inboxes every day, being useful is important — but being memorable helps too.