The “e” in ecommerce might as well stand for “efficient”. Efficient shopping platforms, processes, and, of course, efficient communication – a crucial element of your operations heavily contributing to sales. With numerous channels available these days, standing out can be tough. However, SMS is a powerful, but perhaps underutilized tool that offers direct, immediate, and highly engaging line of contact with your customers.
Your Emails can go unread, your social media posts can get lost among tens or hundreds of others. SMS messages, on the other hand, show an open rate upwards of 90%, making them one of the most reliable ways to reach your customers instantly, provide them with personalized updates, exclusive deals, and timely reminders.
In this article, we’ll explore:
Why SMS is an indispensable part of your communication strategy.
How texts can drive sales and strengthen customer relationships.
Best practices for business texting campaigns.
The unique benefits of SMS marketing
Finding the most effective way to reach your audience can be a bit challenging. There’s a channel, however, where your messages are almost always read within minutes, creating instant engagement and helping you build strong customer connections. SMS marketing offers unique benefits that set it apart – let’s explore what these are.
High open rates
One of the standout advantages of SMS is its incredibly high open rate. There’s something about the channel that compels people to tap the screen to see what the message is all about. Studies show incredibly high engagement levels across industries, with most texts being read within minutes of receipt.
💡 The immediacy guarantees that your message reaches the customers promptly, making it an ideal channel for time-sensitive offers and urgent updates.
Instant delivery and engagement
Aside from certain reasons why your SMS may be delayed, text messages arrive quite instantly, straight to a device attracting user eyeballs all day long. The level of immediacy, if that’s a priority factor for you, is unmatched by other channels. When you send an SMS, rest assured your message will reach its audience in mere seconds.
💡 This instant delivery is perfect for flash sales, limited-time offers, and last-minute reminders.
Personalization and directness
SMS campaigns allow for a high degree of personalization. You can address your customers by name, tailor messages to their preferences, and send custom offers based on their purchase history. This direct approach makes recipients feel valued and understood, improving their overall shopping experience.
💡 Personalized SMS messages foster a stronger connection between your brand and your customers, increasing loyalty and encouraging repeat purchases.
MessageFlow empowers you to create and deliver personalized SMS campaigns via its advanced API integration and CRM connectivity. This allows you to automate the customization of messages based on individual customer data, such as purchase history and preferences. With MessageFlow, you can tailor your SMS marketing with ease to address each customer by name, send targeted offers, and provide a more personalized and engaging shopping experience, boosting loyalty and driving sales.
Cost effectiveness
Compared to other channels, SMS is highly cost-effective. It offers a significant ROI mostly due to its high engagement rates. Texts allow you to directly reach a large audience without the major costs associated with traditional advertising forms or more complex digital campaigns.
💡 There is data showing that 60% of ecommerce shoppers who opted-in to SMS bought via a text message in the last three months.
Maximizing sales with SMS campaigns
SMS campaigns have proven time and time again to be highly effective in driving sales. In this section we explore the power of text messages for a variety of ecommerce purposes, highlighting how this channel can significantly enhance your customer engagement and boost sales.
Promotional campaigns
Despite the emergence of other channels, SMS remains a powerful tool for running promotional campaigns. Let’s say you sent a message announcing a flash sale or exclusive discount to your customers. With its high open rates and near-instant delivery, your message sees engagement almost immediately.
Customers appreciate timely offers that are relevant to their interests, and a well-timed SMS has the potential to drive a significant spike in sales. Whether it’s a holiday promo, a seasonal discount, or a special event, a text message helps you create a sense of urgency and excitement that nudges customers to act quickly.
Abandoned cart reminders
Abandoned carts are a common challenge in ecommerce. You were this close to making a sale but something has prevented the customer from completing the transaction. Well, despair not because SMS is here to help convert these missed opportunities into sales.
By sending a non-pushy text reminder, you can encourage customers to complete their purchases. These messages can include a rundown of what’s in their cart, a discount code, or a simple call to action to finish their order. This direct and personal approach can lead to higher recovery rates compared to Email, significantly boosting your overall sales.
💡 While the open rate consistently stays over 90%, various sources are showing the clickthrough rate of SMS cart recovery notifications to be 3-4 times higher than that of both Email and Push Notifications.
Order and delivery updates
Keeping customers informed about their orders is crucial for building trust and satisfaction. SMS is an excellent way to provide real-time updates on order status, shipping confirmations, and delivery notifications.
Customers want to be kept in the loop, and timely updates can enhance their shopping experience. Running proactive communication reduces anxiety and increases satisfaction – a 1-2 combo resulting in repeat business and positive reviews.
Automating updates
Using SMS APIs for order and delivery updates ensures that your customers receive real-time notifications. These APIs facilitate instant communication, providing recipients with up-to-the-minute information about the status of their orders. In turn, you enjoy greater customer satisfaction and build trust in your brand’s reliability.
Customer feedback and reviews
And speaking of reviews, engaging with customers post-purchase is vital for your long-term success. SMS can be used to request feedback and reviews, providing you with valuable insights into customer satisfaction and helping you understand where you can improve.
A quick, friendly SMS asking for a review or feedback shows that you value their opinion and are committed to improving your service. Positive reviews can then be showcased to attract new customers, while constructive feedback helps you refine your offer.
Strengthening customer relationships through SMS
Personalized text messages enhance customer loyalty and engagement, helping you create meaningful connections and ensure your audience feels valued and appreciated.
Enhancing customer loyalty
Personalized messages are a low-effort / high-return move that makes your customers feel appreciated. Sending birthday wishes, anniversary discounts, or exclusive offers to loyal customers can strengthen their connection to your brand. These gestures show that you value the business they’re bringing and are committed to maintaining a long-term relationship. Loyalty programs are another aspect of your operations that can be effectively managed through SMS, providing updates on points, achievements, rewards, and exclusive member benefits.
Providing value-added content
Stepping outside of promotions and updates, text messages can be used to deliver valuable content that enhances your customers’ experience with the brand. To show that making a sale isn’t the one and only thing you care for, consider sending tips related to your products, how-to guides, or exclusive first looks at new items. By offering content that is useful and relevant, you keep customers engaged and invested in your brand. For example, a skincare ecommerce store could send out skincare tips tailored to different seasons, while a fashion retailer might offer styling advice for upcoming trends.
Timely and relevant communication
As pointed out previously, one of the key strengths of SMS is its ability to deliver timely and relevant communication. Whether we’re talking a last-minute sale, a back-in-stock alert, or a change in store hours, SMS makes sure your message is promptly received. This immediacy is particularly important for urgent or time-sensitive information, including transactional communication, keeping your customers informed and engaged.
Building a community
Creating a sense of community among your customers can be greatly enhanced via SMS. Encouraging customers to join exclusive groups or VIP clubs through texts has a “friend reaching out directly to me” vibe and can make them feel part of a special community. Think in terms of using SMS to share insider news, invite people to special events, or provide sneak peeks of upcoming products. This sense of belonging helps build loyalty and keeps customers coming back.
Best practices for effective SMS campaigns
Tapping into the full potential of SMS in ecommerce requires you to craft messages that catch the attention and are timed perfectly. Here are essential strategies that can transform your text message campaigns into a tool for engagement and conversion.
1. Crafting compelling messages
The 160-character limit calls for creating clear and concise SMS content. Your message should be engaging and straight to the point. Make sure to include CTAs guiding your customers on what to do next, be it visiting your website, redeeming a discount code, or checking out a new product. Personalize messages by addressing customers by their names and tailoring content to their preferences or past behavior to put the icing on the cake.
💡 Integrating SMS with your CRM and marketing automation platforms can significantly boost your campaign’s effectiveness. This integration allows for real-time data synchronization, to make your messaging relevant and timely. You can set up automated workflows that trigger texts based on customer behaviors or interactions.
2. Timing and frequency
Figuring out what time is best for sending SMS is crucial. Your past experiences and knowledge of the target audience should help you understand when customers are most likely to be available and receptive. In general, avoid early mornings and late nights to prevent disturbing your audience and having to compete against other important activities. Mid-morning to early evening is ideal most of the time. Frequency is equally important. Too many messages will more than likely annoy customers and lead to SMS opt-out. A balanced approach involves sending messages often enough to stay relevant but not so frequently that you become intrusive. A/B test different timings and frequencies to find the sweet spot for your audience.
3. Compliance and opt-in strategies
Make sure you have explicit permission from customers before sending them any messages. This typically involves an opt-in process where people voluntarily subscribe to receive SMS communication from you. Make it easy for customers to opt in by offering clear instructions and incentives, such as discounts or exclusive content. Additionally, provide a straightforward way for customers to opt out if they choose to do so. Adhering to regulations builds trust and protects your business from potential legal issues.
4. Segmenting your audience
Segmenting your audience allows you to send more targeted and relevant messages, thus increasing the efficiency of your communication efforts. Start off by dividing your customer base into groups based on factors such as purchase history, demographics, and behavior. This segmentation enables you to tailor messages to specific groups, increasing the likelihood of meaningful engagement. For example, you might send a special offer to repeat customers or a welcome discount to new subscribers.
5. Testing and optimization
Employ A/B testing to experiment with different message content, CTAs, timings, and frequencies. Analyze the performance of your campaigns to determine what works best for your audience. Key metrics you want to keep track of include open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and opt-out rates. Also, if your campaign includes links, you can use UTM parameters to track conversions and other goals to figure out the acquisition cost.
Integrating SMS into your ecommerce messaging strategy
SMS messages help your ecommerce business cover several of the absolutely crucial areas of operations, including driving sales and building stronger customer relationships. MessageFlow addresses these needs by offering a comprehensive business messaging platform with exceptional deliverability rate of 99%, a user-friendly panel plus a flexible API allowing for easy integration into your existing systems, direct operator connections ensuring high throughput of up to 6 mln messages per hour, and robust legal compliance and security measures including
✅ GDPR
✅ ISO 27018
✅ ISO 27001
Ready to improve your ecommerce mobile strategy? Try MessageFlow and experience the power of secure, personalized SMS marketing. Contact us today and talk to our team about how texts can best serve your sales efforts.
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