One clear fact in our fast-changing world of technology and how people shop is this: Desktop computers are becoming less important.
It’s no longer a question of if but when and how, as 84% of Americans have embraced their smartphones as the gateway to the boundless world of the internet.
In this changing world, where people use their thumbs to scroll instead of clicking with a mouse, the question becomes more important: Is SMS marketing a good investment for e-commerce?
In this blog post, we’ll explore SMS marketing, what it can do for your e-commerce venture, and whether it’s a smart move for your business.
- How Does SMS Marketing Help Your E-commerce?
- What Can SMS Marketing Do for Your E-commerce?
- Success Stories
- SMS Marketing vs. Other Channels
- Key Takeaways
How Does SMS Marketing Help Your E-commerce?
SMS marketing offers a range of benefits for e-commerce businesses, making it a valuable tool for reaching and engaging customers.
Here are some key advantages:
1. High Open Rates: SMS messages have incredibly high open rates, with most messages being read within minutes of receipt. In fact, 6 out of 10 people will read your message within one to five minutes!
2. Instant Communication: SMS is one of the most immediate forms of communication. You can send time-sensitive offers, alerts, and promotions; customers will likely see them promptly.
3. Wide Reach: A significant percentage of the population accesses the internet through their mobile devices. SMS marketing allows you to reach a broad and diverse audience.
4. Personalized Messaging: SMS marketing enables you to send highly personalized messages based on customer behavior, preferences, and purchase history. This personalization can significantly increase engagement and conversion rates.
5. Higher Conversion Rates: SMS marketing often results in higher conversion rates than other marketing channels due to its immediacy and personalization. Customers are more likely to take action, such as purchasing, when prompted via SMS.
6. Cost-Effective: SMS marketing is more cost-effective than other forms of marketing, such as print advertising or direct mail. The low cost per message can result in an impressive return on investment (ROI).
7. Enhanced Customer Engagement: SMS marketing allows for two-way communication. Customers can respond to messages, ask questions, and provide feedback, fostering greater engagement and building stronger customer relationships.
8. Improved Customer Loyalty: Consistent and relevant SMS communication can help strengthen brand loyalty. When you offer exclusive deals or rewards to SMS subscribers, you can incentivize repeat purchases.
9. Trackable and Measurable: SMS campaigns are highly trackable, allowing you to measure their effectiveness easily. You can monitor delivery, open, click-through, and conversion rates, enabling data-driven decision-making and campaign optimization.
What Can SMS Marketing Do For Your E-commerce?
SMS marketing offers a range of capabilities that can significantly enhance your e-commerce business.
Here’s a breakdown of how it can be leveraged for various purposes in your e-commerce strategy:
Welcome Series
A welcome series is a sequence of personalized messages sent to new customers. It introduces them to your brand and entices them to explore your offerings further.
With SMS marketing, you can deliver this welcome series directly to their mobile devices, ensuring maximum visibility and engagement.
It’s like rolling out the red carpet for potential buyers and making them feel valued right from the start.
You can use these messages to highlight your unique selling points, showcase popular products, offer exclusive discounts, or even provide helpful tips related to people’s purchase interests.
Abandoned Cart Recovery
It can be frustrating to see potential customers show interest in your products only to leave them behind at the last minute.
However, with SMS marketing, you have a powerful tool to recover those lost sales.
When customers add items to their cart but fail to complete the purchase, sending them an SMS reminder can make all the difference.
You can lure them back and increase conversion rates with a well-crafted message with a sense of urgency or an exclusive offer.
Shipping Notification
Once a customer completes a purchase, they are often eager to know when their package will arrive.
You can provide this information quickly and conveniently by sending shipping notifications via SMS. Customers appreciate these timely updates as it helps them plan for the arrival of their purchases.
Moreover, shipping notifications can also serve as an opportunity to enhance your customer experience.
You can include personalized messages such as “Your order is on its way! We hope you enjoy your purchase”.
Adding a touch of personalization makes customers feel valued and strengthens the connection between them and your brand.
SMS shipping notifications also allow you to address potential issues during transit promptly.
Suppose there are delays or concerns with delivery. In that case, you can inform customers immediately through text messages rather than waiting for frustrated inquiries from recipients.
Post-Purchase Upsell
By leveraging SMS marketing, you can send personalized messages to customers after they’ve completed their purchase.
These messages can include recommendations for complementary products or exclusive discounts on related items.
For example, if a customer just bought a new smartphone case, you could send them an SMS suggesting screen protectors or earphones that would enhance their phone experience.
The beauty of post-purchase upselling through SMS is that it allows you to reach customers directly and immediately after they’ve made a purchase.
The chances of them being interested in related products are high at this point because they have already shown trust in your brand by making a purchase.
Back-in-Stock Alerts
Back-in-stock alerts are particularly useful for e-commerce businesses that experience high demand for specific products.
By allowing customers to sign up for notifications when a product is back in stock, you can create a sense of urgency and keep them excited about your brand.
These alerts can also be personalized based on the specific products a customer has shown interest in, making them more likely to convert when the product becomes available again.
This increases the chances of a sale and shows customers that you value their time.
Success Stories: E-commerce Businesses Using SMS Marketing
Numerous businesses have achieved remarkable success through SMS marketing.
Let’s explore a few inspiring success stories:
Princess Polly
Known for its trendy clothing, Princess Polly leveraged SMS marketing as part of its strategy to reach its Gen Z audience.
By categorizing their audience into loyal customers, non-loyal customers, and those who last purchased a while ago, they could provide customized experiences to boost engagement and increase conversions.
They sent texts featuring new arrivals, flash sales, and time-sensitive promotions directly to their subscribers’ phones.
These targeted messages allowed them to create a sense of urgency among customers, which led to increased website traffic and conversions.
Airbnb
Airbnb allows users to find and book places to stay. After guests find a place, they can talk to the host using Airbnb’s website or app to complete the booking.
Airbnb makes it easy for hosts by sending them text messages about potential guests. When guests want to book, hosts get a text and can quickly say yes or no on their phone.
The company also lets hosts and guests text each other about the booking using hidden phone numbers to keep their information private.
The Key Takeaways
- Mobile is the Present and Future: Desktops are giving way to mobile devices, and smartphones have become most people’s primary internet access point.
- You’ll Win with SMS Marketing: SMS marketing offers high open rates, instant communication, broad reach, personalization, higher conversion rates, cost-effectiveness, enhanced engagement, improved loyalty, and trackable measurability.
- SMS Marketing is Versatile: SMS marketing can power a welcome series for new customers, recover abandoned carts, provide shipping notifications, enable post-purchase upselling, and send back-in-stock alerts.
- SMS Marketing Can Outperform Other Channels: SMS marketing excels in high open rates, immediate delivery, personalization, engagement, opt-in models, and two-way communication compared to other media.
SMS marketing isn’t just worth considering; it’s a game-changer for your e-commerce business.
Its unique advantages, high engagement rates, and personal touch make it an indispensable tool in reaching and engaging your customers in today’s mobile-first world.
Share
Kathya Rosas