278% revenue increase after Shopify extension launch | 241% higher share rate with inline CTA vs button CTA | 7+ years as a Talkable partner
SwimOutlet is the largest online specialty retailer for swimwear, competitive swimming gear, and aquatic lifestyle products in the United States. They serve everyone from professional swimmers and triathletes to recreational swimmers and families. SwimOutlet is widely recognized for its extensive product catalog, competitive pricing, and strong community presence in the swim and fitness world. Their core audience includes competitive swimmers, triathletes, open-water swimmers, parents purchasing gear for kids’ swim teams, and aquatic sports enthusiasts.
The Challenge
SwimOutlet came to Talkable with a strong customer base but an underperforming referral channel. Despite having loyal, repeat shoppers who loved the brand, low program visibility was limiting referral volume. Customers were not consistently seeing the referral offer across their journey, leading to lower advocacy, weaker share rates, and underutilization of an otherwise strong community. Additionally, performance in paid acquisition had become more expensive and less predictable, creating an urgent need for a stable, ROI-positive source of incremental revenue driven by real customer recommendations.
The Solution
SwimOutlet partnered with Talkable to implement a scalable, fully managed referral acquisition program designed to convert their large base of loyal customers into a predictable stream of new customers. The strategy focused on increasing touchpoint coverage with optimized post-purchase placements, dashboard widgets, and on-site referral pages to ensure more customers actually see the referral offer. Talkable launched structured A/B tests on CTAs, incentive types, and placement performance to identify what resonated most with SwimOutlet’s audience. The always-on program was supplemented by seasonal boosts around peak swim seasons, with fraud protection to safeguard margins and detailed funnel analytics to help identify optimization opportunities.
The Results
The transformation delivered exceptional results. After introducing the Shopify extension campaign, SwimOutlet’s referral revenue increased by 278%. Through strategic A/B testing, the inline CTA significantly outperformed the button CTA option with a 241% higher sharer rate, demonstrating that embedding the CTA inline drives more natural engagement and reduces friction compared to a standalone button. The program now delivers high-intent customers who convert at stronger rates and have higher LTV compared to paid channels, providing SwimOutlet with a predictable CPA channel even when paid ads fluctuate.
“[Talkable has] been great at bringing new optimization ideas to the table without us having to ask. I appreciate how easy they’ve made it for our team to test creative, adjust modules, and roll out updates with very little lift on our side.”
Adam Hayim, VP Marketing & Growth at SwimOutlet
