Why More E-tailers Are Embracing Ecommerce Text Messaging Marketing

While SMS text messaging has been around for a while now, it seems to be at its peak now. After all, not too long ago, it was considered low-tech compared to, say, social media chatting, right? But the new wave for online retailers is found in engaging new and existing customers using text messages to keep them informed while also cross promoting related products and/or upselling recipients with new special offers.

If you’re interested in knowing more about why ecommerce text message marketing is the future of retail marketing, keep reading!

Avoiding Digital Marketing Oversaturation

The reality is that customers are getting too many emails and are seeing plenty of ads and content from businesses on their social media feeds on a daily basis. So naturally, they’re now feeling overwhelmed by frequent communication, which is why email marketing and social media marketing are less effective than they previously were.

We’re talking about declining rates that are reaching as low as 2.69% when it comes to CTR through retail emails and flat engagement rates on Facebook (0.06%) and Twitter (0.049%), as well as declining ones on Instagram (0.6%).

Leveraging the power of ecommerce text message marketing to build a connection with your communities away from social media platforms and emails is essential. Namely, because email inboxes and social media feeds are overflooded with communication and are easily hidden and marked as spam, which isn’t the case with SMS marketing.

It’s a Favorite for Customers

Not only are retailers embracing text message marketing for ecommerce for its promising statistics, but it’s also a favorite for customers. According to Small Biz Daily, 75% of consumers want to receive text messages with special offers, discounts, and coupons.

When customers feel that you’re providing them with early bird access to special deals, letting them in on sales, informing them of new product launches, and more, they feel special.

Just look at these recent ecommerce SMS marketing statistics: 98% of text messages are actually read and 45% of customers tend to respond to SMS marketing messages from a brand or business.

What’s more, some retailers also use SMS text messaging marketing to engage their audience in conversations about heated topics and social issues, on social media, which further gives them a voice and acknowledges them instead of treating them like a conversion or sale.

Of course, that’s in addition to the usual texts about shipping updates, order pick-up information, order payment and processing details, and post-purchase messages as part of the purchasing experience.

Customers also prefer SMS text messaging because they know the industry is regulated by telecommunication carriers, so they’re guaranteed that they won’t be spammed with messages or receive any fishy content.

More Meaningful Relationships

Since most of us have our smartphones in our hands nowadays, text messaging tends to interrupt customers in the middle of what they’re doing, encouraging them to drop everything else and read the message and even reply back to it.

In a way, the business becomes involved in customers’ day-to-day lives and becomes like a “friend” that needs to be responded to, especially if an action needs to be taken immediately, a sale is about to end, and similar.

But at the same time, text messages make communication more “personal” and not intrusive since they’re so subtle and unfelt. Also, they’re mostly always concise and straightforward due to character limitations, which consumers certainly appreciate.

This kind of bonding between retailers and customers creates lifetime loyalty from the customers’ end. And simultaneously, it translates into conversions and revenue for many retailers. In fact, according to Forbes, SMS text messages generate approximately 25 cents per dollar in revenue as opposed to 5 cents per dollar per email and have a 98% open rate, too. Wow!

Text Messages Are Fast

Text messages are not just fast – they’re delivered right on the spot! The moment you hit send is the moment the SMS appears on your customers’ screens, even if their smartphones are locked or they don’t have an internet connection. They also don’t require any special measures to get through!

That means that you’re always 100% sure that the messages you’re trying to convey end up being conveyed instead of getting buried in a junk mail folder or automatically marked as spam. Forget about your customers missing your promotion period because they didn’t get the email – that’s a thing of the past now!

The Reach is Incomparable

More than 85% of people in the U.S. own a smartphone, empowering you to skyrocket your reach simply through ecommerce text message marketing. You might be thinking: “Well, that doesn’t mean that everyone who has a smartphone uses texts.”

But what if we told you that more than 180 billion text messages are sent and received every month? As you can see, the most widely used and preferred form of communication that exists today is a simple SMS text message.

It’s Inexpensive

Last but not least, text messaging is a really inexpensive way of sending a message across to your customers compared to digital marketing methods. As compared to any other form of marketng, the cost versus return is simply unmatched.

Even better? You can easily automate the process from A to Z, especially with the workflows and campaign automation that you get in Action Alerts – a brand-new way to engage with new and existing customers that you can only find in ReadyCloud Suite.

The Bottom Line

When it really comes down to it, ecommerce text message marketing is a viable internal tool for online retailers that shouldn’t be overlooked. For once, retailers and customers agree about a single marketing communication channel and aren’t at different worlds about it.

What’s more, it’s a win-win for both parties. While retailers are achieving impressive ROIs and reaping the benefits of its high engagement rates, customers also aren’t annoyed by the communication and are getting the updates they want and need from their favorite brands and businesses. What more could a growing ecommerce brand ask for?

Email & SMS Marketing For Your Online Store

Use Action Alerts ecommerce email and SMS marketing to keep your customers updated about their order, a delivery, a return label acceptance scan and more. Remarket with Action Alerts to cross-promote and upsell new products and to keep your brand in sight. Each ReadyCloud CRM user license comes with 100 FREE Action Alerts you can use to grow your business each month. Start for free today, no credit card is needed.