Text Messaging Helps Retailers Deliver Better Customer Service

Worldwide there are more than 4.3 billion SMS-enabled mobile devices and in the U.S. approximately 96 percent of smartphone users regularly send and receive text messages.

Texting’s widespread use alone should encourage retailers to begin communicating with current and potential customers.

But, if you still need more convincing, here are five more reasons that retailers should use SMS

Superior Customer Service

Simply letting shoppers know that an order has been received or shipped for example is an important part of providing good customer service.

When a shopper receives an order confirmation, she might not even read it, rather just seeing the subject line in her inbox is enough to set aside any post-purchase fears about whether the order was processed or later shipped. If that confirmation doesn’t show up, however, she could be on the phone asking about the shipment.

Text messaging can give retailers another way to communicate transactional information to shoppers without having to worry about spam filters, email blacklists, or a dozen other email-related deliverability issues that can plague programmatically generated transactional email messages.

At checkout, consider offering shoppers the opportunity to receive standard transactional messages like order confirmations and shipping notifications via text.

It may also be a good idea to allow shoppers to text-in customer service questions or concerns. There are many young shoppers who would likely feel more comfortable with SMS than a phone call, and an SMS-based customer service line allows shoppers to avoid painful phone system hierarchies.

Fantastic Open and Read Rates

Shoppers are far more likely to open and read a text message than just about any other form of marketing communication, including email and direct mail. “This might be the most staggering statistic in the history of marketing”

Think about it. 98 percent of text messages are read. I know email marketers that would sell their children to the circus to achieve 98 percent email open rates. Once a customer has opted into an SMS marketing list, a retailer can be nearly certain that any marketing messages sent are being received and read.

Fast Response Times

Customers and potential customers are not only more likely to read a marketing message or offer sent via SMS, but they are also likely to do so much more quickly than with other media.

When a new text message comes in, your phone announces it with a ringtone, you pull your phone out of your pocket or pick it up from your desk. That act typically takes place the instant you become aware of the message.

High Conversion Rates

I’m aware of a multi-channel retailer in Northwest U.S. that has been building an opt-in text list for nearly two years. During a recent text campaign the retailer sent a call-to-action to a segment of the text list (about 4,800 numbers) and enjoyed nearly a 40 percent conversion rate.

Very Few Competitors

While retailers can face significant competition in many marketing channels, including pay-per-click advertising, organic search engine optimization, or even for email subscriptions, there are relatively few online merchants using SMS to engage shoppers.

Get Started With Personalized Mobile Messaging Today!

We Have All Types of Custom Text Message Programs To Fit Your Needs.

Visit us at http://www.smarttextmarketing.com