Last modification on July 18, 2021 by Loïc Frissard
A good old school SMS. You probably think that it has no place in modern e-commerce. However, it turns out that in certain situations it is much more effective than other communication channels with the customer. Find out when it’s best to send a text message. Learn how to write it so the customer knows you care and they are loyal to your store. Just 160 characters that make a difference.
Mobile marketing in e-commerce using mass SMS sending can be an effective way to reach a large customer base and build a relationship of trust with your current customers. These objectives are possible to achieve provided that the senders of these messages adapt to the rules to be respected in SMS marketing.
In practice, this means that a mobile campaign must be designed in such a way that it has some value in the eyes of the recipients, that it meets their needs and interests and is not just an accidental message about a given product or service.
Here is a guide including good SMS marketing practices:
- Collect contact data always in accordance with consents for marketing purposes.
- Add an unsubscribe link to your SMS campaigns so customers can cancel the subscription easily.
- Shorten URL links to use fewer characters and personalize links.
- Be careful of setting the frequency too high — less means more.
The points below describe the most common problems affecting e-stores that SMS messages can solve.
At a time when everyone has at least one mobile phone, SMS can transfer the customer from the offline world to the online world. Simply insert a link in the message to send, preferably a shortened one that will take the recipient to your e-store. It is important that this type of campaign reaches people who have given their consent for marketing purposes and who expect messages from the e-store.
Notify the consumer of current promotions and try to encourage them to make a quick purchase.
Example :
A Japanese restaurant selling sushi online can send an SMS to its customers if they have given their prior consent. The SMS message may have the following content:
After clicking on the link, the recipient is redirected to the basket page to which the promotional sushi set is added. This way, he can finalize his order straight away. Text messages sent on a business day in the afternoon can increase the number of orders at the restaurant.
2. Lack of information on order status or how to serve the customer
SMS communication will be useful at the order processing stage. It is better to communicate quickly and effectively. The customer must feel satisfied with his purchases and count the hours before getting the package and not be afraid that the courier has arrived in a city with the same name and lost the package during sorting. What should communication look like at the order processing stage?
It is recommended to send the first information about the order status by e-mail – this is a good solution, because at the time of finalizing the transaction, the customer is online and can check the e-mail. -mail. The following shipment status information can be sent via SMS because the recipient always has their phone with them. These notifications can also be sent automatically thanks to SMS sending integrations with online store software.
Notifications are also useful when the consumer has already completed the purchasing procedure but has not yet confirmed the payment. In this situation, it is enough to send the customer a short information in which you inform him that you want to pack and send the ordered product. However, he forgot to make the payment.
Example :
In case of an online store that sells backpacks, the content of the message may look like this:
One of the best practices is also to send notifications in a situation where you need to reimburse the customer after receiving the return. In this situation, it is good to write a payment status message. This proves that you take care of each customer and through the quality of service offered, you want to improve their customer experience. Particularly in the event of complaints and returns, this may condition the customer’s future orders. When making purchasing decisions, the younger generation attaches great importance not only to a cheap price but also to the customer experience in store.
Remarketing simply involves prospecting a customer who has entered the store but has not purchased anything. The idea is simple – pop-ups appear following site visits. If a user has viewed an offer from an online store selling bicycles, on the sites he subsequently visits, the advertising windows will present bicycles in which he is interested. This solution is also available on Facebook. But is that enough?
Example :
Paul Durand looked for a bike in a store recommended by his friends, he consulted its offer and bought a model that suited him. Over the next few weeks, he still felt like the store was taking over his space too much. He not only bought a product but now he sees pop-ups for the product everywhere.
In this specific case, it was money thrown out the window, because the advertising was addressed to the customer who had already purchased a product. These gestures can dissuade him from the brand. Certainly, it is advisable to develop the remarketing scheme by trying to activate customers who have already made a purchase. However, we must proceed in another way.
Example :
The database includes the contact data of Paul who has already finalized his order. It would therefore be good to offer them a discount for a complementary product. Not necessarily in the form of advertising on each site he visits but rather via SMS. The content of the message could be as follows:
4. Lack of order quality assessment or how to collect feedback information
How do you know what the customer expects from you? You have to ask him. Quite simply. SMS sending systems allow you to benefit from the returns number to which the buyer can send a response. This number will be useful, for example, for a survey concerning the quality of customer service. These actions will make it possible to collect customer references. You can show them on the website or use them as a useful source of knowledge to improve the store’s operating processes.
Example :
To review the quality of customer service, you can send them a message as soon as they receive the package. The content of the message may look like this:
But investigations are not enough – communication in both sense will also be useful to invite the customer to a game (e.g. a competition) or it will help to establish the order or complaint status. All he has to do is send an SMS to a specified number. The return information will then be generated automatically.
Conclusion
Consumers are demanding more attention and rapid response to their questions. Automating the delivery of information at successive stages of the purchasing process can help meet these expectations. A good old marketing SMS emerges effectively in this overabundance of information. The solution can be easily implemented in e-commerce using modules for the online store or external sending tools. Regardless of the usefulness of text messages for notifications about shipping status, in remarketing or in promotional actions, their effectiveness and speed of access to the customer guarantee an improvement in the work of the online store.
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