5 SMS Marketing Strategies to Boost Your eCommerce Business

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5 SMS Marketing Strategies to Boost Your eCommerce Business

Mobile commerce continues to grow, and 70% say texting is the fastest way to reach them. That’s why SMS marketing goes hand in hand with eCommerce.

Along with other forms of marketing, like email newsletters and social media posts, text messaging works well to get things like flash sales and limited-time offers in front of customers. As a result, customers will be more likely to act on a purchase quickly, increasing your sales. 

Here’s how to build a subscriber list and turn that list into more revenue.

Build an SMS Subscriber List

To start texting customers, you’ll need to build an SMS subscriber list. Then, start collecting contact information by asking for phone numbers at checkout and explaining what you will use them for. 

From there, customers can opt-in to receive essential texts about their order, delivery notifications, promotional texts, and more. 

Another way they can sign up to receive texts is by texting a keyword to your business number, like WELCOME. Put a pop-up or an exit intent form on your website that prompts people to either text a keyword to your number or enter their number in the form field to get a discount. For example:

“Sign up for text updates and instantly get a code for 20% off your next purchase! Valid until 10/15/2022.”

5 SMS Marketing Strategies to Boost Your eCommerce Business

Below, you’ll find 5 SMS marketing strategies that’ll ignite conversations with your customers and drive sales up for your business.

Keep customers informed about their orders with confirmation texts and updates.

Customers expect to receive updates about their order from the initial purchase until it arrives. However, with the help of a well-designed tech stack, you can trigger texts to send once an order has been placed. 

Texts are sent and received almost instantly—which is why they work so well for mobile commerce. So, text important information and include links with the following: 

    • The order confirmation
    • A shipping notification with a tracking number
    • Delivery notification

Provide real-time updates so customers know what’s going on with their package and when they can expect it to arrive. This is helpful for customers in case of a delayed or missing package so that steps can be taken immediately. It also opens the door to sending other types of texts later.

Use texting to leverage your customer service communications.

Texting is a highly receptive communication channel, enabling your business to connect with customers on a personal level. This helps you answer customer questions as they come in. The quicker you respond to a customer, the more likely they will purchase from you. 

Depending on what you sell, they’re going to have questions such as:

    • How does your clothing fit? True to size, or should I size up or down?
    • Will you get more colors in [x product]?
    • Do you offer international shipping?

If you want to take it further, you can even give stylist advice or act as a personal shopper via text. Letting your customers know you’re there for them will only increase your brand reputation, drawing in potential customers.

And if customers want to re-order an item, they can text you. It’s that easy.

Announce ongoing sales and promotions via text.

Reward SMS subscribers with discount codes and exclusive offer only available through text. Promotions are a great way to create a sense of urgency around a product, encouraging customers to make a purchase sooner rather than later—especially when given a deadline or a photo of the product.

Send promotions like:

“Halloween is here! Take 40% off our site with code SPOOKY at checkout [link]. Free shipping on all orders. Valid only today.”

It’s important to keep promotions concise. You want to avoid being pushy or spammy, so stick to one CTA and be straightforward. Customers only want to know relevant and useful information, so keep that in mind when crafting promotional texts.

Reduce cart abandonment by texting customers to purchase.

There is a multitude of reasons why shoppers abandon their carts. More often than not, the total is higher at checkout due to taxes, shipping, or other fees, leading them to look for a better price elsewhere. And other times, they get distracted and forget. So how can you use texting to decrease cart abandonment as a whole?

Text reminders to visitors who have left items in their cart with a direct link to the checkout page. A gentle nudge to complete a purchase might be what an indecisive customer needs. Shooting a text also opens up an opportunity to start a conversation in case they have any final questions about costs before checking out. 

After some time has passed and they still haven’t checked out, send a limited discount code to drive incentive. Customers on the fence will be inclined to act quickly and complete their purchases.

Notify customers about restocked items and new arrivals to prompt sales.

You’ve restocked one of your best-selling items that consistently brings in revenue. So how do you get the word out to customers for a quick boost in sales? You text them.

Customers will know immediately and have the opportunity to purchase the spot. 

Texts are more likely to be seen first over an email or a social media post. So in the announcement, include a direct link to the product to speed up the checkout process. 

Apart from restocking, customers will also want to know the newest product you have to offer. In some cases, they’ll be some of the first ones to catch a glimpse if you want to make new product drops an SMS-exclusive perk.

Drive up sales with SMS Marketing

An effective SMS marketing strategy has the potential to become a core part of how you conduct your business. Most people prefer texting over an email or a phone call, which is why conversational customer service increases online reviews, foot traffic, and revenue.

Ready to start texting for your eCommerce business? Find a texting solution that’s right for you.

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