How SMS can transform your retail customer experience

People love to use their phones and carry them around since they provide so many benefits. With this in mind, many businesses now use short messaging services (SMS) to contact customers about business deals and information. Here’s how it can improve retail customer experiences with your business.

1.  Communicate with customers

You can use SMS messages to inform customers about information regarding your business. Since customers love to stay informed, here are a few pieces of information that you can share through SMS marketing activities.

●     Tell customers about deals.

●     Inform customers about new products.

●     Invite them to perform a call-to-action (CTA).

By communicating with customers through SMS, you maintain a consistent channel that will keep them up-to-date about your business. This encourages them to further interact with your business and to become returning customers. This way, they know and trust that you will tell them about important changes and information concerning your business.

You can use various ways to encourage your customer to leave their mobile number to get SMS. This information could be asked after purchase or even before purchase via interactive popups or emails.

2.  Quick contact

You also have a quick contact channel with your customers when you use SMS for retail marketing. Not only do people constantly carry their phones with them, but their phone will inform them when they receive a message. Because of this, many people will check their text messages within a short period of time.

While SMS is the third best channel for communicating with businesses, it also allows your business to quickly inform customers. As shown in the image, 82% of people will read a new text within five minutes of receiving it. If you need to inform customers about something, you can ensure that most of them will read it when you send them a text message.

3.  Send them reminders

When customers use your e-commerce channels, they may forget about certain things. For example, Attentive pricing might be an issue.

They might have an abandoned cart or they forgot to pick up a product from your store. If this is the case, then you can use SMS to inform them about the abandoned cart or the forgotten item. This can include anything else that you want to remind them about.

Customers sometimes forget about things and that’s fine. By reminding them about purchases they may make or other information, you increase the odds of them making those purchases and interacting with your business. This helps your business to gain more sales while helping your customers to follow through with their CTAs. 

4.  Stand out from competition

You want to gain every advantage that you can over your competition. Some businesses may overlook SMS or not know how to implement it, so using it in your company can give you that extra edge. This will allow you to rise above your competition so that you can stand out to your customers.

Customers recognise the worth of products and businesses. They know when a business provides more benefits than another, so those added benefits and features can turn them into your customers. Using SMS to inform customers about important information can give you that added boost to stand out from your competition. 

5.  Build up trust

As you establish an effective communication channel through SMS with your customers, you can build up trust with them. This is because customers know that you will keep them informed and help them to remember things. As you build up trust with your customers, you gain these benefits.

●     They revisit your business for more purchases.

●     They tell friends and family about your business.

●     They trust that you will give them accurate information.

As you consistently give them information through SMS, your customers see your professionalism and ability to effectively communicate with them. 

6.  Conclusion

Since people carry their phones with them everywhere, your business can benefit by using SMS to send texts to your customers. This will improve their retail experience by keeping them informed and sending them reminders about your business. Try integrating SMS into your e-commerce so that you can benefit customers while helping your business succeed.