In today’s fast-paced and digitally connected world, retailers are constantly seeking innovative ways to engage with their customers and drive sales. Retail SMS Marketing has emerged as a powerful and direct communication channel, allowing businesses to reach their audience where they’re most active—on their mobile devices.
This personalized and real-time approach enables retailers to send tailored promotions, exclusive offers, and timely updates to their customers, fostering a stronger connection and boosting sales while ensuring a seamless shopping experience. In this dynamic landscape, Retail SMS Marketing has become an indispensable tool for retailers looking to stand out in a competitive market, increase customer loyalty, and enhance overall brand success.
Retail SMS marketing, also known as text message marketing for retail, is a marketing strategy that involves using text messages (SMS, or Short Message Service) to communicate with and engage customers in the retail industry. This approach leverages the ubiquity and immediacy of mobile phones to reach consumers and promote products, services, offers, and events. Retail SMS marketing can be an effective tool for engaging with customers, increasing sales, and building brand loyalty. However, it’s essential for retailers to use SMS marketing responsibly and respect customer preferences to avoid being seen as intrusive.
There are many benefits retailers enjoy when they utilize text marketing for their audiences. Some of the largest benefits can be found below.
Text marketing can help potential new customers learn more about your brand before they make a purchase. You can create a welcome SMS sequence that can send a series of texts educating new subscribers about your brand’s history, your mission, your most popular products, and more. Setting up a welcome sequence will help you convert more site visitors into paying customers.
Texts have an average open rate of 98% and roughly 92% of your customers are likely to have a cellphone. There is no other marketing channel that can provide you with the same level of reach and engagement for your marketing communications. Sending promotions and discounts through text can help you drive exponentially more sales with your campaigns working harder for you.
Text marketing isn’t just for gaining new customers. You can also use text messages to engage existing customers. Sending promotions and reminder texts throughout the year for your existing customers can help you stay top-of-mind for customers and keep them coming back.
Live chat was never a great real-time solution for customer support and customer service. Site users need to remain on the site and keep the live chat window open to keep a live chat conversation going. Business texting apps that offer two-way texting simplify real-time communication. With text, users can keep the conversation going wherever they are without needing to worry about accidentally disconnecting or closing the chat. All conversations happen within the messaging app they use on a daily basis.
Text is one of the most cost-effective ways to distribute your marketing campaign messages. Each message you send can be delivered for under $0.10. Even communication mediums that have been historically cheap like Facebook cost over $0.10 per impression. Text helps you communicate your promotions, deals, and more to your audience for pennies on the dollar.
Much like email, you can automate text messages to save time. You can create and schedule texts in advance to work on your marketing campaigns on your own time. You can also set up text flows that only need to be set up once and will continue to send on their own based on set triggers. You could create automated texts that are sent whenever a user abandons their cart or creates an account on your site. Your text campaigns could be nurturing leads while you sleep.
Mass Texting Service helps hundreds of retailers across the country deliver their marketing messages. We’ve developed a set of SMS marketing best practices to help our retail subscribers get the most out of their text marketing campaigns. There are seven main best practices you’ll want to keep in mind as you start to engage in text marketing for your retail business.
This is very important for legal compliance. Always get explicit consent from customers before sending them marketing messages via SMS. This can be done through opt-in forms on your website, in-store sign-ups, or during the checkout process.
Make sure your SMS messages offer clear and tangible value to your customers. If subscribers don’t find your texts valuable, they’ll unsubscribe. Whether it’s exclusive discounts, early access to sales, or valuable product updates, your messages should benefit the recipients.
Segment your SMS subscriber list based on customer preferences, purchase history, and demographics. This allows you to send more relevant messages to specific groups, increasing the chances of conversion.
You’ll want to send messages at times when they’re most likely to be seen and read by your audience. The ideal send time can differ from audience to audience, so you’ll have to experiment with times for your own audience to find the right send times. As a general rule, you should avoid sending texts during late hours. Late texts can feel intrusive and lead to a higher unsubscribe rate.
You pay per message segment when you send marketing texts. Each text segment is 160 characters. Therefore, you’ll save money if you can keep your message to 160 characters or less.
Use the subscriber’s name in your message to make it more personal. Personalization can increase engagement and conversion rates.
Ensure your messages come from a recognizable and branded sender name. This helps build trust and indicates the message’s legitimacy.
Avoid overwhelming subscribers with too many messages. Monitor the frequency of your SMS campaigns to ensure you don’t become a nuisance.
Text marketing can be utilized in many different ways by retailers. Text marketing software isn’t just for helping retailers gain new customers. It can also be used to generate repeat customers and provide support to store visitors. Some of the most common use cases for retail text marketing include:
All of these use cases and more can be accomplished with a mass texting app like Mass Texting Service.
Need some inspiration for your marketing texts? You can steal our proven retail text templates below to use for your own campaigns. Simply, copy and paste these templates into your texts and customize them with your own details.
[First Name], shop your favorite products with [Discount] off storewide! The sale ends [Date]. Visit your nearest location or shop online: [URL]
[First Name], your new favorite [Product Category] has arrived! Introducing the [Product Name]. Take a look and score one before it sells out: [URL]
[First Name], we’re hosting an event you won’t want to miss! Stop by [Location] on [Date] from [Start Time] to [End Time] to celebrate [Event Name]. Free drinks and food will be provided. You can learn more & RSVP here: [URL]
Hey [First Name], this a reminder that [Event Name] is today at [Start Time]. We hope to see you there!
Happy birthday [First Name]! We’ve got a birthday treat for you. Show this message at the register or use code [Code] to save [Discount] on your next purchase.
Hi [First Name], thank you again for shopping with [Brand Name]! How are you liking your new [Product name]? It would mean a lot if you could leave a review: [URL]
[First Name], welcome to our [Program Name]! As a thank you for joining, we’re giving you [Reward].
[First Name], thanks for reaching out! A member of our customer support team will respond as soon as possible. In the meantime, you can read common FAQs here: [URL]
Getting started with retail text marketing is simple with Mass Texting Service. You could create and set up an account in less than 15 minutes. Our user interface is intuitive and easy to use. You can start sending texts straight from the home tab.
There are only a few steps required to start sending marketing texts once you create a Mass Texting Service account. You’ll have to register your brand and upload your contacts. Once your contacts are uploaded and your registration is approved, you’ll be able to start sending! We offer a free one-week trial you can use to demo Mass Texting Service. Click the button below to sign up for your free trial.
Yes, SMS marketing is legal to use for retailers in the United States. However, like any form of marketing, it’s subject to various laws and regulations in the United States. One of the key laws that governs SMS marketing is the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). As long as you remain compliant with the guidelines laid out by the TCPA, your company will be in good legal standing.
Retailers need to follow the guidelines outlined under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) to remain in legal compliance for their SMS campaigns. To remain compliant, retailers should only send texts to subscribers who have explicitly opted-in to receive text communications. Retailers must provide a way to opt out of a text subscription. The text messages sent should also clearly identify the sender and not contain any misleading or false information. Of course, you should consult with a lawyer to make sure your text marketing processes are compliant with applicable federal laws.
Text marketing absolutely works for retail businesses. If it didn’t work, major retailers like Nike and GameStop wouldn’t be using text marketing to drive sales. Our own retail subscribers like White Clover Paper Co. wouldn’t be paying for Mass Texting Service if it wasn’t producing a sizeable ROI. Retail businesses utilize text marketing because it offers high open and engagement rates, low advertising expenses, and an excellent customer experience.
The cost of text marketing software varies depending on the platform you decide to use and the number of texts you plan to send each month. Mass Texting Service is one of the most affordable business texting apps for retail businesses. You can start sending texts with Mass Texting Service for as low as $12/month.
A product by Bytegeek LLC
Mass Texting Service is a business SMS marketing app that helps businesses send mass texts, automated texts, scheduled texts, and more. Grow your business with our affordable text marketing tools. Mass Texting Service is currently only available to businesses in the United States.
