Ecommerce SMS

Technology has made the process of buying and selling easy through the use of the internet to create ecommerce. Ecommerce also known as electronic commerce or internet commerce, is any commercial transactions conducted electronically on the internet. It is the activity of buying or selling of products on online services or over the internet. An example of ecommerce is online shopping. However, ecommerce can also entail other types of activities, such as online ticketing, and internet banking. Ecommerce has become a household term and many companies are beginning to carry their business transactions to the internet. As many companies are going online, the competition gets tougher for the companies to control the online market space. Companies now result to using different marketing strategies to get more customers and increase sales. There are various marketing methods that are employed, some of them are; Email marketing, Social media marketing, SMS marketing also known as mass text messaging, Television and radio broadcasting. All these marketing methods have their advantages but after various research Ecommerce SMS has shown to be the most effective method for marketing ecommerce services.

Ecommerce SMS which is also SMS marketing for ecommerce is the method of communicating with customers or prospective customers through the use of text messages in order to notify them about the products and services, alongside other relevant information that can help increase clientele and sales. SMS is regarded as the most effective method, because when it comes to mobile devices, SMS is still one of the most widely used feature, and every device has the ability to receive SMS without the need for internet connection, this means that SMS can be received anytime and anywhere. Ecommerce SMS has a lot of benefits that help businesses and brands to be effective and maximize profits and some of them are; 

• It allows businesses to communicate with their customers faster.  
• It allows for future marketing opportunities. 

• It creates better customer experience. 
• It is reliable. 
• It is time and cost effective. 
• It increases customer loyalty and sales.  
• It reduces ecommerce cart abandonment. 

Uses of SMS for E-commerce

SMS marketing has a lot of uses however, business owners and companies are not making full use of the service. If the SMS service is properly utilized it can help to grow a business and maximize profits. Some of the uses are: 

Feedbacks

SMS for ecommerce can be used to get feedback from customers when they buy products online from a company’s online store. Getting feedback from customers is really important for business. Not only does it help the business to keep track of the quality of their product and services, it also makes the customers feel important, and that their opinions are being heard. In order to encourage customers to give feedback, the company can provide incentives. They can promise an exclusive gift, free shipping or discounts that the customers would enjoy when they provide feedback after using the products. Example of a feedback message “Thank you for visiting our online store (name of the company) and purchasing (product name)! On a scale of 0 – 10, how happy are you with our service?” 

Email Confirmation

One of the most effective ways of using this method of marketing is to send confirmation emails to customers after they have carried out a particular action. Businesses can send customers confirmation emails as soon as a customer places an order. This type of message has to be written in a general form so that it can be sent to everyone who places an order. The most important message customers want to receive after they place an order from an online store is the shipping confirmation text. Every customer is interested in knowing when the products they ordered would arrive. Therefore, SMS is the most effective method to send them such information. Example of a delivery confirmation message “Hi (name of the person)! Your package has been delivered and waits for you at our store, (insert address). You can collect it Mon – Fri, 8.00 A.M – 9.00 P.M” 

Promotions

SMS can be used to notify customers when an online store is having a promotion. Businesses can send out notifications to customers when they are having a flash sale or a popup shop. SMS is a very fast marketing method, the message of the promotion would reach customers faster than any other marketing method. This is very useful when the promotion is time sensitive, this is a situation where the customers only have a few hours to participate, this is effective through SMS. Also, most companies usually send their promotional messages through emails and people do have a lot of messages in their inbox so it is better to send them through SMS. According to a recent study, it was shown that 98% of the text messages sent are received and opened within 3 minutes by the recipient. This statistic is a proof of the high response rate of SMS.

Complimentary Greetings

Ecommerce SMS can be used to send complimentary messages to customers. Businesses and brands can send out season greetings to customers through SMS. During the Christmas season businesses can send out messages to customers as well as offer them discounts on products during that period. For example, “Christmas is approaching. Have you already bought gifts for your loved ones, (name of the person)? If not, check out our new limited edition winter products here: (insert link) Text Xmas to receive discount” Companies can also send birthday message to customers, offering them free products. This can be achieved when the company uploads the personal information of their customers into the website of the service provider that they are subscribed to like ExpressText. Businesses can also use it to send welcome message to a new customer or subscriber. This makes them feel special and appreciated. 

Security check and verification

Before confirming the purchase of a customer, the company can send a validation code to the customer in order to continue with the process. Also, once the payment is completed, the customer receives a notification by SMS in which the customer would ensure that the payment and purchase was successful. It is a way to make customers feel safe and confident about the service of a company. Also, when a customer logs into their account, the online store can send them a text with a link in order to confirm their identity. This would make the customers trust the security of the website. 

Cart recovery

Cart recovery text is an important text that can be sent to customers through text messages. Businesses can send such message to their customers when there is a cart abandonment or cart recovery. This usually occurs when customers add items or products and abandon their cart, or they checkout and abandon the cart. For the success of a cart recovery message, they have to be sent fast and at the right time. If a business takes too long to contact their customers or if they take too long to open the message it can affect the business negatively. With Express Text features, a business can send an automated cart abandonment message to their customers at the right time. Businesses can also add a link to the cart abandonment page on their website. 

Combining ecommerce SMS with email

SMS marketing is great but businesses can get an even better experience and result by combining it with email marketing. According to statistics Email marketing was the most paid for marketing method in 2016. Emails allows businesses to include more information than SMS (SMS has a character limit). Also, businesses can include pictures and videos that can help in building the company’s brand for their customers. 

In conclusion, it is important to utilize every method that can create a high return on investment. A simple text message ensures a direct and fast conversation with the customers. Through sending mass text messages, a business can get customers to have a positive image and opinion about their products and services. Ecommerce SMS is perfect in terms of quality, value, it is at a low cost with a lot of benefits. In as much as SMS is a great marketing method for businesses to increase sales and clientele, businesses need to be careful of the number of messages they send to their customers. Nobody likes to receive a lot of messages everyday on their mobile devices. If customers get tired of receiving text messages from your company or brand they may opt out from receiving text messages. It is also important to notify your customers before sending them marketing text messages, and also inform them that they can opt out if they are no longer interested. Customers can only receive text messages from companies only if they want to. If there is no option to opt out, in the US it can lead to several legal actions. Personalization would go a long way in ensuring the positive effect of ecommerce SMS.