Why SMS is a Dependable Marketing Channel for E-Commerce Brands

Many e-commerce business owners usually prefer cross-channel marketing because it enables them to blend different communication channels to reach their customers and to create cohesive shopping experiences. Overall, and because of the overwhelming prevalence of smart devices particularly among young people, the use of SMS mobile messaging in cross-channel marketing has become hugely important in a holistic e-commerce strategy. If used correctly, SMS can be very effective to connect brands with consumers, nurture leads and get conversions. Following are compelling reasons why SMS mobile messaging is now a reliable and effective marketing channel for many e-commerce businesses.

SMS Helps to Strengthen Relationships

SMS just like email is easy to send and guaranteed to arrive destination hence it is extremely useful for e-commerce business owners to build and strengthen relationships with their customers. For most customers who already have a relationship with a brand, receiving text messages is something they’re open to. It is for this reason many brands can effortlessly use SMS to boost customer loyalty and retention. This they do by routinely using text messages to keep their customers constantly in the know of trends, latest updates, price changes, new products and even on-going promos. For exclusivity and better effectiveness, mobile messaging can be transformed into an exclusive channel with offers that are only available to customers enrolled in the SMS program. With its characteristic two-way conversational application, SMS can help brands to deepen relationships with customers through short surveys and collecting product feedback and customer reviews, very useful data for effective marketing purposes.

SMS Helps to Reduce Shopping Cart Abandonment

SMS has the advantage of instant messaging. So, it can be a great tool for providing instant messaging to shoppers and thus helping to keep them in the customer journey. SMS is very good at this because when sending follow-ups, SMS open and response rates are way higher and thus perform better than emails. Many brands do take advantage of this by sending cart abandonment SMS reminders to their subscribed customers. SMS text alerts can help shoppers to pick up their carts and continue their shopping experience at any time and in any channel they presently are. All these greatly help to reduce shopping cart abandonment to the barest minimum.

SMS Helps to Deliver Personalized Customer Journeys

These days, consumers on the average check their mobile smart devices much more than any other gadget. That is why mobile messaging can be effective by being more personal, immediate and direct. Exactly why, brands can effectively use SMS to personalize customer journeys. Brands that are unable to or neglect to do so risk losing many customers as a result. Brands that really want to encourage and nudge their shoppers along the customer journey must be able to use SMS to give personalized info to the shoppers according to their individual preferences.
 
SMS Helps to Convert Shoppers On-the-Go

For marketing purposes, SMS has impressive click-through rates and conversion rates as high as 70% and 20% respectively. Because SMS is direct, straightforward and can be delivered to shoppers on the go, it helps to increase the chances of a shopper making a purchase. Brands can better convert shoppers on the go by increasing their text messages’ relevance with intent-based data that understands shoppers’ real-time intent.

SMS Helps to Easily Reach Younger Consumers

Google reports indicate that up to 60% online data is now attributable to mobile devices and a very large percentage of young people use these devices. Over 70% of these young people, 34 years and below prefer engaging brands in two-way communication and SMS is their favorite. To this huge demographic, SMS increases easy exclusivity and accessibility for them. For marketers who use SMS, it is quite easy and approachable to interact with this demographic. They are therefore more prone to open and read mobile messages which help to encourage their engagement levels as shoppers.

Last Line

Without a doubt, SMS has become one of the fastest-growing tools that e-commerce brands can use to boost customer interactions, loyalty and retention. SMS is not only personalized, accessible and engaging, but has also proven to be effective in increasing conversions. Because of SMS, business conversations are no longer limited to emails and social media platforms, even though they are still hugely popular among marketers. As a highly effective communication channel, SMS completes a comprehensive and result-oriented cross-channel marketing strategy. The reason it is now increasing in popularity among e-commerce business owners.