Introduction
While Black Friday may be the revenue powerhouse for certain e-commerce businesses, for the majority, promotions are just a piece of the puzzle, serving to boost visibility and attract fresh faces.
True profitability emerges from repeat buyers, the lifetime value of customers, and the prowess of multi-channel remarketing.
Discover how SMS marketing can elevate the promotion to profit pathway
How does SMS Marketing support this strategy?
SMS Marketing is a mobile first technology
The widespread phone ownership and the growing numbers of people comfortable with buying on a phone means that SMS messages are a powerful tool for capturing and retaining customer attention.
- The percentage of people with smartphones in Australia is expected to rise 87% in 2026
- 62% of Australians have used a phone or tablet to shop online.
- SMS Messages are highly readable and extremely visible with open rates up to 98%
- SMS messages have high click through rates click-through rates (20-35%)
- This combination of smartphone penetration, increasing shoppers using phones to buy online AND the high engagement rate means SMS messages typically have much higher conversion rates than email (29% vs 15% ).
Did You Know?
62% of Australians Have Used a Phone or Tablet to Shop Online?
Use SMS Marketing to Overcome E-commerce Challenges
Navigate the e-commerce landscape with confidence by leveraging SMS solutions to address these common e-commerce challenges:
Suffering from a high abandoned cart rate?
- Combat cart abandonment with an automated abandoned cart reminder sequence.
- Start with a reminder and build up to a targeted offer, injecting urgency into the purchase decision.
Overwhelmed with customer order status queries?
- Enhance customer satisfaction by utilising SMS for efficient customer service: send automated order updates, and quick confirmations & responses
- Meet high customer expectations for personalisation, and speedy interactions.
Losing customers?
Foster customer loyalty through SMS-driven loyalty programs, proactive feedback collection, and personalised product recommendations.
Suffering from low email conversion rates?
- Boost conversion rates with well-crafted promotional SMS campaigns, offering targeted promotions, exclusive discount codes, and time-sensitive deals.
- Send at the same time as your email campaigns to reinforce your message.
Email campaigns swamped by competitors and during sales?
- Focus on standing out in the less saturated SMS marketing landscape.
- Capitalise on higher open and engagement rates compared to traditional email marketing.
Average cart order value too low?
Maximise cart values by implementing SMS strategies that encourage upselling and provide enticing incentives for higher transaction amounts.
- Send reminders so they meet Free Shipping cutoffs
- Send cross-sell and up sells to encourage additional purchase before order is complete
In Australia, 82% of shoppers who are subscribed to a brand’s SMS program are likely to make a purchase.
Did You Know?
82% of Australian SMS Subscribers Are Likely to Make A Purchase?
Getting Started: 5 Essential Steps for E-commerce SMS Marketing
Now you know why to use SMS Segmentation, lets explore 5 highly effective strategies and use cases.
1. Define your SMS marketing strategy
- Start by defining clear business goals. Are you seeking to grow a loyalty program? Encourage referrals? Higher conversion rates or greater average order value?
- Consider your audience. Find out what content will be most relevant to them: send a survey, or ask them directly.
- Once you’ve defined your main goal, map out when you can send messages, along with what kind of message content you will provide.
- For example, you can build out a marketing calendar with key dates and events that are relevant to you and your customers.
- Also, consider what automations you can set up that will benefit you and your customers the most.
- Finally, set up several SMS templates so your tone is consistent, and your CTAs align with your goal.
2. Choose the right SMS marketing platform
- Carefully select an SMS marketing platform based on crucial factors like features, scalability, pricing plans, integrations, and ease-of-use.
- For example, if you run a Woocommerce store and need to use abandoned carts and order confirmations alongside regular offers, TopSMS is a very well-priced SMS platform for its feature set.
- The platform’s capabilities will play a pivotal role in the execution and success of your SMS campaigns.
3. Grow your SMS subscriber list
The more subscribers you have, the more you can leverage automation tools and the power of SMS personalisation, and offer campaigns.
- Actively seek at every opportunity explicit opt-ins from customers at multiple points.
- For example, incorporate opt-in permissions into your Newsletter signups, Checkouts, and even at physical stores. This ensures a compliant and engaged subscriber base.
- Use one channel to grow the other. For example, include a reminder in your email campaigns for those who have not chosen to subscribe yet. Add a message to your checkout at your brick-n-mortar store.
It is a legal requirement in Australia that you actively get permission to send an SMS before you do so.
4 Craft SMS messages
- Focus on impactful messages that are concise, error-free, and compelling. The 160-character SMS text limit is actually helpful as it requires brevity and forces you to get directly to the point as fast as possible..
- Consider the SMS strategy you’ve developed, and ensure the message and content is highly relevant to your customers.
- Well-crafted SMS messages are the heart of your campaign, driving customer engagement and action. Not sure where to start? Start with these awesome SMS templates.
5. Send SMS campaigns
- Take the time to execute your campaigns with precision and track results meticulously. Continually test and refine both the offer, the message and the campaign send times.
- At the minimum, one should compile test & SMS data in a spreadsheet along with your content and track your results. Create columns for your key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. Also note the send day and time, and the CTA used. Use an SMS platform with easy-to-understand dashboard & reporting.
- While best practice is a great place to start, every business and customer group is a little different and it may take multiple attempts to arrive at the precise combination that resonates effectively with your customer. Be diligent and stick with your SMS plan – making small adjustments each time has been proven to work over time.
Conclusion: Achieving Profits through SMS Marketing
Segmentation is now critical for business success. The age of mass-marketing the same content to everyone is effectively over. Modern consumers are savvy and expect, personalised and relevant choices.
Fortunately, modern SMS platforms like TopSMS make this easy. And, your customers will reward you for it!
TopSMS is here to make your life easier.
We stripped away all distractions so you can create and send your SMS campaign in seconds.
Simple!
All features are included in our per-message price. Top SMS Credits never expire. And because we charge ZERO fees and have no lock-in contracts, you can use them whenever you like.🙂
- Pay as you go
- No subscriptions!
- Credits never expire
- FREE custom sender names!
