E-Commerce & SMS Marketing

 

Email isn’t the only way for e commerce businesses to get in touch with customers. Mobile technology is growing, with consumers increasingly shopping online via their tablets and smartphones. It means you need to get mobile too, and developing a strong SMS marketing strategy is part of your future success.

Here are a few straightforward tips to help your e commerce business get all it can from the SMS marketing medium.

Make Shopping With You Easy

With consumers growing increasingly used to web browsing and shopping on their smartphones, you want to make the process as easy as possible for them so that they associate your e commerce site with a simple, satisfying shopping experience.

 

Mobile commerce now makes up 30% of e commerce business in the U.S. You can use SMS marketing to direct customers directly to your site and make it a cinch for them to redeem digital coupons and special offers. Just include a link to your mobile shopping site within your texts so they can shop for products right away.

 

Integrate With Other Marketing Channels

Create a bigger impact with your SMS marketing by integrating it with all of your other marketing channels. Radio and TV ads, billboards and posters, flyers and print ads - they can all direct people to opt in to your SMS marketing, and all it takes is the inclusion of a simple keyword and number. Make sure you add your SMS keyword details to your digital ads, websites, blogs, emails and social media to really spread the word.

 

Make Your Words Count

 

With SMS you’re limited to 160 characters, so you want your messages to be succinct and impactful. Don’t just let your customers know about your special offer or sale, but use a call to action to entice people to redeem your offer or visit your mobile web store. Use motivational verbs, strong and dramatic language, and consider a time-limited offer to up the urgency.

 

Make the Most of Mobile Immediacy

With over 90% of Americans owning a mobile phone, and most of us keeping our phones in our pockets all day long, it’s no surprise to find that the open and read rates for SMS are remarkably high - around 98%. Most messages are read immediately, making SMS marketing perfect for last-minute updates, flash sales and 24-hour time-limited offers.

Customer Updates

E commerce businesses can use SMS for more than just special offers and promotions. Because we’re all not so well connected via mobile these days, it’s a great, convenient way to keep in touch with your customers about their orders too, safe in the knowledge that they’ll actually read your updates. YOu can send receipts, delivery updates, and surveys or feedback polls to encourage customers to rate your services and products and suggest improvements.