The verdict in three sentences
Spending your whole budget on acquisition and nothing on retention is filling a leaky bucket. In 2026, email and SMS cost a fraction of an ad click while reaching customers who already know you: SMS open rate ~ 95 %, email ~ 25 %. Three automated flows — welcome, abandoned cart, post-purchase — are enough to add up to 18 % repeat purchases and lift LTV.
Why retention changes store economics
Acquiring a customer via Meta Ads can cost 3,000 to 8,000 FCFA. Re-engaging them by SMS costs 15 to 30 FCFA. At equal average order value, each repeat purchase triggered by an automated flow is nearly pure margin, once mobile money fees are deducted.
| Channel | Unit cost | Open rate | Retention impact | Ideal use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transactional SMS | 15 - 30 FCFA | ~ 95 % | High | Confirmation, delivery |
| Promotional SMS | 15 - 30 FCFA | ~ 90 % | Medium-high | Flash offer, restock |
| ~ 5 - 12 FCFA | ~ 25 % | Medium | Newsletter, flows, content | |
| WhatsApp (template) | 20 - 45 FCFA | ~ 80 % | High | Support, cart recovery |
| Push notification (PWA) | ~ 0 FCFA | ~ 8 - 15 % | Low-medium | App return |
Costs are a 2026 order of magnitude depending on SMS aggregator and negotiated volume.
The flows that pay and RFM segmentation
Retention isn't a mass blast: it's the right message to the right segment at the right time. RFM segmentation (Recency, Frequency, Monetary) sorts your customers by their real value.
| Automated flow | Trigger | Timing | Estimated uplift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Welcome | Sign-up | Immediate + D+2 | +10 % first order |
| Abandoned cart | Unpaid cart | H+1, H+24 | +5 to 10 % recovery |
| Post-purchase | Order delivered | D+3, D+10 | +18 % repeat |
| Winback | Inactive 60 d | D+60, D+90 | +6 to 12 % reactivation |
| VIP RFM | Top 10 % customers | Monthly | +15 % frequency |
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Mini case study
Awa runs a fashion store in Dakar and sends 4,000 post-purchase SMS per month at 20 FCFA = 80,000 FCFA. These follow-ups generate 18 % repeat purchases across 220 delivered customers, i.e. ~40 extra orders at 25,000 FCFA = 1,000,000 FCFA. Even after product cost and Wave fees, the return on 80,000 FCFA of SMS far exceeds that of an equivalent Meta Ads budget.
FAQ
SMS or email first? SMS for urgency and transactional messages (95 % open rate), email for content and cheaper newsletters. The two complement each other within a single flow.
What does an SMS really cost in 2026? Between 15 and 30 FCFA per unit depending on aggregator and volume; above 50,000 SMS/month, the rate often drops below 15 FCFA.
Is the abandoned-cart flow profitable? Yes: it recovers 5 to 10 % of lost carts at near-zero cost. It's often the highest-ROI flow in the whole store.
What is RFM segmentation? A ranking of customers by Recency, Frequency and Monetary value that identifies your VIPs and dormant buyers so you can send tailored messages.
Do I need customer consent? Yes, collect opt-in at checkout and offer a clear unsubscribe, in line with Senegal's 2008-12 data protection law.
Let's talk about your project. We wire up your email/SMS flows and RFM segmentation on your mobile money store. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
