Using a retail business means you’re constantly searching for methods to boost lead generation and consumer engagement.
SMS for retail is a crucial technique for developing leads, raising consumer satisfaction, and boosting sales. It is also referred to by Gartner as “an effective, yet underutilized, mobile tactic among marketing leaders.”
Then again, what exactly is SMS marketing, and how can you utilize it to successfully up your retail marketing game? Let’s examine this key marketing tactic in further detail.
What is retail SMS?
You must first comprehend what text message marketing for small businesses is in order to start using SMS marketing methods. How can retail bulk sms marketing assist you connect with your target audience is also crucial.
Short Message Service (SMS) is referred to by this given acronym. Text message marketing and SMS marketing are essentially the same thing.
To interact with current consumers and nurture leads, SMS marketing for retail relies on employing short-form text messages. You can stay in touch with your consumers using SMS for retail at every point in the sales funnel, from the time they first begin looking through your product choices until the time they make a purchase and get their order.
Benefits of SMS marketing for retailers
According to Gartner, SMS boasts an open rate of up to 98% and a response rate of up to 45%. As a result, SMS for retail is one of the most effective marketing techniques. Improved client interaction, more customer collection, and rising sales rates are all advantages of SMS for retail.
Improve customer engagement
The fact that SMS marketing for retail contacts clients on a channel they already use is one of the reasons it is so successful. Simply invite clients to opt-in to your brand’s text message marketing instead of asking them to download an app.
Customers prefer text message marketing to other forms of brand communication, according to 48% of consumers. Millennials are especially prone to this inclination. According to studies, organizations may improve engagement by 11 to 30% by merely targeting millennials with SMS marketing campaigns.
Compared to most other marketing channels, SMS marketing has a greater level of engagement. The SMS marketing click-through rate (CTR) is 36%.
Increase customer acquisition
SMS marketing is a great way for maintaining these prospects when they become aware of your business for the first time. One way to inform potential clients about why they should select your business and how you’ll solve their problems is with a welcome SMS series.
Giving new subscribers to your SMS marketing list a promo code is another strategy you may utilize to enhance client acquisition.
Drive sales
The most popular method for increasing sales in the retail industry is SMS. The following messages have the potential to boost sales:
Promotional offers and sales
Coupon codes
Information about limited-time events
VIP offers
Loyalty rewards
By creating demand for a product, SMS marketing may also boost sales. Demand generation differs from lead generation in that it fosters the perception of a need for your product rather than cultivating leads.
You may make customers excited to buy from your business by building a buzz around your product, demonstrating how people use it in real-time, and highlighting how it can improve their lives.
How to promote your business with SMS for retail
You are aware that SMS should be used for retail. But how exactly can you integrate retail SMS marketing into regular marketing tactics?
Understanding best practices and incorporating SMS marketing into your omnichannel customer interaction strategy is necessary for company SMS marketing promotion.
Follow SMS best practices
You must become familiar with SMS best practices before you can begin using SMS for retail.
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) provides protection for SMS marketing.
Your clients must consent to receive text-based marketing communications in order for you to follow TCPA regulations. Customers must be informed of the sorts of messages they may anticipate from you as well as how to unsubscribe. Additionally, because these are regarded as quiet hours, you are not permitted to text clients between the hours of 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. in their respective time zones.
Maintaining compliance with these rules is crucial since there are substantial repercussions for breaching them, in addition to preserving your consumers’ confidence. Your company may be subject to legal action and penalties of up to $1,500 per message if TCPA rules are broken.
Other SMS-recommended practices exist in addition to legal obligations to assist you in providing excellent customer service.
While it’s OK to send automated text messages, research indicates that people prefer to interact with businesses via text message. Customers may avoid excessive wait times and be placed on hold while at work by using SMS for retail as a channel for customer support.
Keep SMS messages short and to the point as well. In around 90 seconds, the typical consumer should be able to read and reply to a text message.
Use retail SMS marketing and email marketing together
Strategies for omnichannel consumer involvement are more effective than those utilizing a single marketing channel. Combining SMS and email marketing techniques can result in persuasive marketing campaigns that convert customers.
Consider a retail outlet that was having a weekend breakout sale, for instance. They could contact their consumers to let them know about the deal, what it’s commemorating, and some of the best items they should check out. The business might then issue a promo code to its devoted clients through text message a little while later. On the day of the sale, they could send a second, brief text to clients to remind them that it is that day’s sale, in addition to an email catalog of every item on sale during the weekend.
Combining retail and email marketing may be a potent strategy for maintaining consumer interest in your business. Customers will trust you more since it demonstrates how well-coordinated your marketing staff is and that you have a focused approach.
Share time-sensitive product offers and updates
Combining retail and email marketing may be a potent strategy for maintaining consumer interest in your business. Customers will trust you more since it demonstrates how well-coordinated your marketing staff is and that you have a focused approach.
The following are some ideas for retail time-sensitive SMS marketing:
- Text message notification when a popular item gets renewed
- Sending time-limited promo coupons through Bulk SMS
- Real-time reactions to significant news items and how your brand feels about them
- Keeping people informed when anything goes wrong, such as when a business closes abruptly or your website is unavailable
Send shipping and product availability updates
SMS marketing may be used to inform clients who have made purchases from your online business about the processing and delivery of their orders.
Additionally, it may be used to contact clients who have requested to be notified when a certain product becomes available.
You can easily and automatically enhance your customer service by using SMS marketing. Customers will see your business as interacting with them and anticipating their requirements, and the backend labour required by your IT department will be small.
Increase customer engagement with SMS for retail
SMS for retail is a potent tool that may dramatically increase client interaction. Given all the benefits of SMS marketing, it should come as no surprise that it is currently one of the most popular trends in digital marketing.
Start by registering with a reputable SMS marketing platform, such as Constant Contact. Then, get in touch with your existing email list and encourage them to join up for SMS text messaging as well. Give them advance notice of the kinds of communications you’ll be sending and the times at which you’ll be sending them. Your clients will be grateful.
To get started, Signup now for SMS in your Constant Contact account.
