SMS marketing for holiday shoppers
The rush of holiday shopping is nearing its peak this week. As people wade through the frenzy and chaos of trying to find the perfect gift, a text message from your store might be just what they need. At least that’s what a study form MarketLive might be telling us.
Their study focuses on mobile users and what it is they want from retailers this shopping season. The results are encouraging – and exciting – for any retailer who connects with customers using a mobile device.
While the study covers many different aspects of mobile marketing, I want to focus here on the ones related to SMS. After all, there are a few days left before Christmas, which is plenty of time to get together an SMS campaign to reach those last minute shoppers. But some of the other aspects of mobile examined by Marketlive would take a bit longer to implement. Unless of course you already have aisle maps available in an app for your store. You don’t? Then let’s get back to what you can do with SMS.
People are ready to give it up
One of the hardest things about SMS marketing is getting the information you need from your customers – their mobile number at a minimum. People are generally guarded about giving out their personal numbers, but that might be changing. MarketLive found that 55% of people surveyed felt comfortable sharing their information and preferences with marketers – if they got something in return. In general people thought it was worth sharing when doing so offered them convenience and personalised product recommendations.
“Text alerts are now an accepted way to receive coupons and promotions,” says Ken Burke, CEO of Marketlive , “and personalised product suggestions based on prior purchases or online viewing patterns are now expected.”
That last sentence is a pretty bold statement. While there’s a convenience factor to getting personalised suggestions, there’s also a creepy factor when it’s obvious the suggestion came because the company knows what you’ve been doing online. It’s a fine line really, but the data appears to show more and more people are accepting what good it can do, rather than worry what can be learned about them. Privacy is losing out to convenience. That’s a good thing for marketers, as long as they protect and manage the data they gather appropriately (or else be subject to a PR and legal nightmare).
Getting local
Another trend the study found is how text messages impact in-store shopping. For example, 78% of respondents are likely to visit a store after they receive an SMS alert prior to their going to the shops. The article on the study doesn’t make it clear whether those 78% were already planning to go shopping or if the messages prompted the shopping trip, but either way, sending an SMS message got those people into the store.
Another 69% want in-store text messages sent to them. This means they’re comfortable with the store knowing they are there, and then triggering a special text message for them while they are shopping. This is a special case of localised SMS marketing that can be implemented in a variety of ways.
Happy accidents, or localised messaging, result in 62% of people making a purchase after receiving an offer sent to their mobile while they are in the store. That’s an impressive number for sure, but there’s no breakdown of how the offer was received – by signing up to an SMS marketing list, by simply entering the store (localised messaging) or if they got it coincidentally on their visit. But if you’re able to send SMS messages to people while they are visiting your store, you’ve got a great shot at making a sale.
In the few days left before Christmas why not set up an SMS marketing campaign of your own? If there are people in your store, you’ll certainly increase the chances they’ll buy something if you send them a message. And don’t forget, you’ll increase the chance that they’ll even come to your store too.
Related Articles
5 Reasons SMS Marketing is Ideal for Retailers
How Text Messages Help Small Shop Owners Build Business
If you are the owner-manager of a UK retail business, then you will know that it’s vital to use every weapon you have available to battle with the big guns on the high street and online. That must include embracing all the advantages modern technology provides, including a communications campaign based on the Short Message Service (SMS) – better known as text messages. Not sure what SMS is about and how it will work for your shop? Then read on, because you are missing a golden opportunity to give your small shop a much bigger presence and outreach.
mCommerce Summit 2016. Wine, Red Noses, and Mobile Marketing?
Imagine this: Someone wears a red nose, wine glasses filled before noon, and everyone’s talking about mobile marketing. That was the Mobile Marketing’s 6th mCommerce Summit in NYC last week. I’ll get to the red nose and wine a bit later. First I’ll share some takeaways about mobile marketing from the presenters by sharing it with you the way I saw it.
In Store SMS Service Could Improve Sales
Have you ever been inside a Walmart or ASDA Supercentre? If you have, you’ll appreciate the possibility of what I’ll share in a moment. If you haven’t, try imagining walking into a store so big you can barely see one end from the other, where the shelves are packed with everything you might ever need, and staff who are often less than helpful (not everywhere mind you, but often). The point is you can get lost or frustrated if you’re trying to find a certain item that you need, or is on sale. Finding the right section is sometimes challenging, and even if you think you’re in the right spot you might not be.
SMS Marketing for Garden Centres
What Makes a Great Call to Action in an SMS Message?
Marketing messages, whether in print or electronic have many parts to them. In the beginning there’s the hook that entices someone to continue reading, and near the end is the call to action. That’s where you make it clear what you want someone to do after reading the message. There are many parts in between these two, but these are, arguably, the two most important.
How to use SMS for Highly Targeted Marketing
While brevity might be one of the keys to good advertising, perhaps the most important is to make sure your message reaches the right people. The goal of targeted marketing is not to bombard so many people that some will inevitably listen, but rather to target and nail down your core demographic.
How to Use SMS and The Olympics to Boost Business
Almost any business, or even a not-for-profit company, can take advantage of the frenzy of sporting events, like The Olympics. Especially when you combine it with mobile marketing. That’s because there are plenty of fans, and their devices, here in the UK.
How SMS Messaging Can Help Get Buyers Back
E-commerce businesses have a huge problem. Consumers fill up their shopping carts, then rudely abandon them before completing a purchase. Of course, they don't mean to be rude, they have their reasons for leaving a full cart behind. But what if it were possible to get some of those sales back?