So many customers choose the convenience of mobile shopping over the potential queues and crowds of in-store sales.
This is especially true when it comes to Black Friday and with the sales season just around the corner, we’ve pulled together just some of the reasons why SMS is the most powerful marketing tool for retailers at this time of year.
SMS has the power to connect businesses of all sizes with the crucial mobile market. By communicating with customers in real-time both ahead of and during the Black Friday sales, retailers gain a real advantage over their competitors.
Whether you’re sharing the details of in-store exclusives or enabling customers to register for pre-sale previews, SMS offers unrivalled results.
Real-time results with SMS
SMS is a tried and tested method of increasing revenue and customer retention without the cost and resources other solutions often require. In fact, one of our customers achieved immense success utilising the reach of SMS during a previous Black Friday event. Supersede Media generated an astounding £22,000 in revenue and over 100 calls through their Black Friday SMS campaign.
In addition to this, our latest research found that over 37% of people have made a purchase as a direct result of receiving a text message. Using embedded links, it’s easy for retailers to direct customers to their website or simply pick up where they left off in their journey, making SMS ideal for abandoned basket retargeting.
Our free to use platform enables businesses to include trackable links and attachments for a seamless online journey and clear reporting. SMS as a marketing tool also helps to build an opted-in database of engaged customers to share content with.
Perhaps the most important reason why retailers should be utilising SMS this Black Friday is quite simply, consumers want to receive business-based text messages. 60% of consumers want to receive discounts and a further 87% want to be kept up to date with their deliveries, all via SMS.
Make the most of Black Friday promotions with SMS
To help you on the road to SMS success we’ve compiled six key use cases to get your sends off to a great start.
- Increase awareness of offers:
Include an opt-in on your online checkout page or use an in-store SMS keyword to make it easy for customers to opt-in by text. Offers can be shared through this channel for increased engagement. - Stock management:
Give your customers the option to register for updates on out of stock products and trigger an SMS alert once they become available again.
- Manage inbound volumes:
Redirect inflated volumes through SMS to offer fast resolution. Customers can find the answers they need with the call queues or dreaded hold music. - Increasing footfall:
Using SMS to promote and schedule your click and collect service can have a real impact on footfall, combining the convenience of online with the service and immediacy of in-store.
- Reduce abandoned baskets:
SMS offers retailers a direct way to encourage customers to revisit their online baskets. Customers are able to quickly navigate back to relevant pages through internal links. - Order tracking and updates:
Enable customers to track their order themselves, share a simple link through SMS. Encouraging self-service also helps to reduce the strain on call handlers.
These are just some of the ways SMS can transform your sales season. For more information about how your business can utilise the power and potential of mobile messaging, our Black Friday guide is now available for download.
