E-Commerce is an industry that has enjoyed strong and continuous growth over the previous decade as more and more people shift from the high street onto the online sphere.
Email Marketing has been the go-to channel for eCommerce marketers looking to effectively communicate with a website’s database of customers, but SMS Marketing is starting to increase its reputation for being able to effectively amplify a brand’s communication and play a pivotal role in new customer acquisition.
SMS provides open rates of 98% within 5 minutes of being sent – this metric alone demonstrates just how effective SMS Marketing is and why it should have a prominent role as part of your overall marketing communications strategy.
While the likes of online paid advertising can be highly effective in taking advantage of micro moments in which the customer has a product or service in mind, SMS takes this to the next level.
There is also the added bonus that we are now conditioned to check our phones throughout the day; SMS does not have the same levels of perceived intrusion that other forms of communication and advertising can sometimes have.
SMS seamlessly integrates with other marketing channels such as email, meaning that you can use the two of them together to complement and enhance the power of the other, and craft a highly effective customer acquisition strategy and nurture users throughout your sales funnel.
What is SMS Marketing?
SMS Marketing includes sending promotional SMS text messages to your database to make them aware of relevant offers or promotions that they are going to be interested in and encouraging them to take action and convert.
Why is SMS Marketing so Effective?
One of the most challenging aspects of marketing your eCommerce business and the products you offer is making sure that you get your message in-front of your target audience. Most email inboxes are overloaded with emails from brands all vying to get your attention. For most people it is simply not possible to check every single email, meaning that unfortunately your important message is not going to get the attention that it deserves.
This is where SMS Marketing comes into play.
It helps you cut through the high number of emails in your customers’ inboxes and make sure that your messages get the attention that they deserve, drive traffic to your website and generate leads and revenue.
Millennials & Generation Z are Mobile First
SMS is a highly effective channel for reaching and engaging individuals from a range of demographics, but it is especially effective for Millennials and members of Generation Z.
These days the majority of these people have their mobile devices within reach throughout the day – back in 2013 79% of people aged 18-44 had their smartphones with them 22 hours a day, now this figure is likely to be even higher.
Mobile devices have become an extension of the individual rather than being used as a humble communications device for speaking or keeping in touch with others.
While Generation Z was the first to be born as digital natives and are very much embedded into the world of mobile, as future generations emerge it is likely that they will be even more so, meaning that you need to be implementing strategies to engage with users during these micro-moments and a truly mobile first strategy.
Fast Delivery
The majority of SMS are opened and ready within less than 2 minutes of being received, meaning that it is the perfect channel for those looking to send time-sensitive offers, including flash sales and end of day deals. Your message will be delivered and in front of as many people as possibile within minutes, driving conversions and generating high levels of revenue.
Build Closer Relationships
You can use SMS to build closer relationships with your customer and strengthen their loyalty towards your brand in both the short and long-term. Using SMS, you can put the customer at the centre of the interaction – using 2-Way SMS is one of the most effective ways in which you can achieve this.
Essentially you can provide your customers with a true conversational marketing experience and let them contact you and respond to them in real time via SMS. Using this you can then provide an enhanced personalised service that truly puts the customer at the centre of your interactions.
Being able to contact businesses on their own terms is highly sought after by end users and one that sets you apart from your competitors and helps you generate greater amounts of eCommerce revenue in both the short and long-term.
