Taking Your eCommerce Business to the Next Level with SMS Marketing

In a recent study, it was revealed that a staggering 46% of individuals use their mobile phones before even stepping out of bed. Additionally, the average person checks their phone a remarkable 160 times every day. An astonishing 78.05% of the global population, which amounts to 6.4 billion people, now possesses smartphones. An overwhelming 7 out of 10 individuals rely on smartphones for conducting product research.

These statistics clearly demonstrate the exponential growth of mobile phone usage, particularly Internet-enabled smartphones, over the past few decades. This proliferation presents a plethora of exciting opportunities for brands to connect with their target audience.

What is SMS Marketing?

SMS marketing is also known as text message marketing. It serves as a powerful means to connect with customers through concise and impactful text messages. It enables businesses of all types to deliver short yet captivating messages to their audience. When eCommerce businesses send text messages, it enables them to:

 

·         Boosting Engagement: SMS marketing contributes to higher levels of customer engagement

·         Increasing Brand Awareness: It aids in enhancing brand recognition, awareness, and recall

·         Driving Conversions: SMS marketing facilitates increased conversions and generates more sales

 

These advantages hold particular significance for B2C businesses. SMS marketing is rapidly gaining momentum in the realm of eCommerce, as it provides retailers and eCommerce brands with the most direct means of communication with their target audience.

 

For eCommerce, SMS marketing proves to be particularly effective in the following areas:

 

·         Distributing Deals and Coupons: Sending out exclusive deals, coupons, and special notifications to customers

·         Sharing Relevant and Concise Content: Delivering meaningful and to-the-point content to the audience

·         Keeping Customers Informed: Ensuring customers are kept informed and engaged through regular updates

·         Sending Notifications and Alerts: Sending quick and timely notifications or alerts to customers

·         Providing Quick Updates: Sharing brief updates on various aspects related to the eCommerce brand

 

SMS marketing allows customers to easily opt-in to a subscriber list directly from their mobile phones. By simply tapping on a pre-populated text message, customers can initiate the opt-in process. Once they send the message to subscribe, they receive an automated welcome message that may include details about their subscription, the next steps, or a special sign-up offer. Additionally, customers can choose to receive marketing text messages by using SMS keywords or web forms.

 

Opt-ins serve as a means for the brand to maintain a subscriber list that exclusively comprises individuals interested in receiving their communications. Furthermore, certain regulatory requirements mandate obtaining opt-ins, making this step in the SMS marketing process both advantageous and necessary.

 

Benefits of SMS Marketing for eCommerce

As an eCommerce business owner, if you are wondering about the benefits of sending SMS to your opt-in customers, here are a few things that you should be aware of:

 

·         High Open and Engagement Rates: SMS messages boast an impressive open rate of 98% and a response rate of 45%. In comparison, email open and response rates stand at a mere 20% and 6% respectively. Even the average clickthrough rate (CTR) for paid search ads is significantly lower at just 2%. Moreover, research indicates that 75% of individuals are happy to receive offers via SMS. Thus, SMS marketing offers eCommerce marketers an excellent opportunity to reach and engage their customers effectively.

 

·         Fast Delivery: SMS marketing ensures almost immediate delivery of messages, making it one of the fastest communication channels available. This enables eCommerce companies to control the timing of customer receipt and reading of marketing messages. Within minutes, hundreds or thousands of opens and clicks can be achieved.

 

·         Scalability and Personalization: SMS marketing provides a simple yet scalable medium for eCommerce brands to reach their vast customer base with personalized content. By utilizing SMS templates designed for eCommerce, brands can easily send out bulk messages, exponentially increasing sales and encouraging repeat purchases.

 

·         Two-Way Communication: While most text messages are one-way, eCommerce marketers can leverage the interactive capabilities of SMS marketing by adding features such as a "Reply" button or a website link within the messages. This encourages customer feedback and directs them to the eCommerce store, increasing the likelihood of conversions and purchases.

 

·         Coupons and Exclusive Deals: SMS serves as an effective platform for sending limited-time coupons to users, creating a sense of urgency and enticing both existing and new customers. Including a link to the eCommerce store further drives store visits and conversions.

 

·         Reminders and Updates: SMS messages deliver important information such as purchase details, bookings, event registrations, shipping status, cancellations, and reminders. Additional information like URLs, phone numbers, and keywords can be included, allowing hyper-personalization and timely communication.

 

·         Customer Feedback: SMS provides a straightforward method for soliciting customer feedback on recent purchases or shopping experiences. Keywords or web links can be incorporated into messages to collect feedback through short and easy forms. SMS can also be utilized to invite customers to participate in polls or contests, fostering customer interaction, cross-promotions, upsells, and improvements to the eCommerce brand.

 

Harness the Power of SMS with Sinch

As an eCommerce marketer, you should leverage Sinch’s SMS API. It is one of the most potent and robust ways to reach your target audience. You can use the SMS API to send bulk messages that you can customize.

 

Sinch has the best-in-class messaging infrastructure. It boasts more than 90% open rates, thanks to the 600+ carriers across the world. Also, it enables eCommerce brands to send text messages from a trusted and verified account, boosting the credibility of the brands.

 

So, go ahead and boost your online visibility and stay relevant with on-time text messages. Sinch SMS API can help your eCommerce brand stay ahead of the competition. Take advantage of the free SMS API trial and see for yourself how it can help your eCommerce business go to the next level of customer engagement.