Over the years, retailers have been using leveraging SMS for their business. And despite the growing popularity of social media and other digital means, texting still plays a role in making a business grow.
Also known as Text Message Marketing, SMS applies to the e-commerce or retail sector. And the possibilities of using it for your online store are endless.
Even before the dawn of instant messaging, people are accustomed to sending or receiving texts. Hence, it only makes sense to leverage this channel.
In this post, we will be talking about the SMS marketing trends that e-commerce brands are likely to see next year:
Use of Permission-based Subscription
Growing subscribers is the core of every business that wants to succeed in SMS marketing. Fortunately, there are a lot of tools that you can use to enhance your current follower base.
If you already have a strong following in one channel, you can turn them into loyal SMS subscribers.
Think about how you can make it all accessible in just one click, and everything will be good to go.
You can also offer your customers a way to become an instant follower. All you need is a catchy keyword you can incorporate in a billboard ad, social media, or even in newspapers.
Zero-in on the channels you’re already using and provide them with an option to retrieve that information of their favorite brand. You can also compel your email subscribers to receive SMS from you by providing a simple link that they need to click on if they want to convert.
Finally, don’t forget about the checkout. Ideally, have a quick checkout option where your customers can buy all their orders with just a click of a button.
Chances are, these people went to your site, liked something they wanted to buy, bought it, and are quite happy to receive more deals from you. And one of the best ways for them to get notified is through SMS.
Acquiring Quality SMS Subscribers
SMS this year and the next slowly gaining momentum. Therefore, brands should be extra careful about how they should use this kind of platform.
Instead of filling your followers and subscribers with campaigns every week, try to limit your monthly campaigns. That way, you are not spreading yourself too thin, and you’re sure to make a robust campaign.
Ideally, you need to think ahead with your copy. Calculate discounts if you have to, come up with a compelling call-to-action, and finally, provide the right offers to the right people.
Tapping to Transactional Messages
Subscribing to many newsletters can make a person’s inbox look cluttered. Hence, they’d want to receive SMS notifications from brands that they trust.
Not only that, it’s instant and brief, but it also offers people the information that they need. The majority of users have an overall positive impression of a brand if it regularly updates them via text.
When orders tend to get delayed or shipping times become extended, order confirmations and updates are placed with high value.
Not only do they give people peace of mind or let them know that a particular issue has come up; either way, it’s vital to provide them with this kind of feedback.
Advanced Targeting
Consumers nowadays prefer a personalized online shopping experience. Doing so makes them feel that they are receiving special treatment.
This is where advanced targeting could come in handy. After all, digital marketing and e-commerce scenes have evolved so much that they can identify what can make the customer tick.
Personalization Will Go Above and Beyond
As we said, personalization nowadays will go above and beyond using or mentioning your customers’ first name.
There have been talks on how retailers can hyper-personalize their efforts. This is where SMS marketing can take the lead. That’s because it’s one of the most direct and intimate ways of communicating.
For instance, you can incorporate SMS into your e-commerce fulfillment process. After all, your customer would want to know whether their item is ready for shipping and on its way to their doorstep.
Automated Marketing
As online businesses and the e-commerce industry keep growing, shoppers are starting to gain more freedom to move between brands.
Apart from that, many businesses are always sticking with the same niche, making the competition even more competitive. This leads to an ever-increasing rate of abandoned carts.
Now, if you couldn’t stop your customers from churning, what you can do instead is to try, recover your sales, and then reactivate your customers.
Also, you need to ensure that you automate your SMS marketing to stay on top of the pack.
Why is SMS Marketing Effective?
As more and more people are prone to living online and using smartphones, the average user spends approximately 5 hours on their phone.
Apart from that, smartphones have become everyone’s favorite go-to place. This includes filling in several day-to-day activities, like shopping.
The numbers are even higher now that there’s a pandemic. For one, people are forced to stay inside and work from home.
Moreover, it’s predicted that 49 million consumers will consent to receive text notifications from businesses by the end of the year. This means that brands and companies need to find ways to connect with their target customers directly through their phones.
Because as mentioned earlier, SMS is one of the most direct and personal ways to connect with your customers.
It can be as simple as asking your online customers if they would like to receive SMS from you upon checkout. You can also add an SMS customer support channel because customers are more comfortable to text their concerns.
It is just a matter of understanding your customers well.
Final Thoughts
After reading the tips mentioned above, it all comes down to understanding your customers first. That way, you will know what kind of SMS marketing strategy you should implement.
Keep in mind that the role of SMS marketing will differ for every retail or e-commerce business. Hence, the better you know your customers, like their needs and pain points, the more comfortable you can develop a robust SMS marketing strategy.