Are you curious about how SMS is changing the retail sector?
It can feel like an almost impossible endeavor to try to get your business noticed in the present market, especially if you’re a new firm. It’s like trying to win the jackpot. Things are beyond your control once you have purchased your ticket (i.e., created and manufactured your product, made marketing investments, determined your financial situation, etc.). Fate steps in and decides your future; people, potential consumers, are either going to respond favourably to whatever it is you’ve thrown out into the universe. Or they aren’t.
One of the biggest obstacles for companies selling a product has always been being recognized. The easy part is having something to give people; the difficult part is really getting your stuff out there. Additionally, brick and mortar stores no longer operate alone in the retail industry. A few years ago, a new player who goes by the name of Online Shopping joined the fray. Perhaps you’ve heard of him.
He is not subject to the space-time dynamics that governed shopping just a decade ago. Like the wind, he is both strong and invisible, present everywhere and nowhere, and both loud and quiet. Additionally, he has completely changed how individuals spend their money. Not only have the rules of retail changed, but they have been completely undermined.
The Development of SMS
First and foremost, SMS is compatible with practically all contemporary mobile phones. This implies that using the SMS platform to interact with a large number of individuals is simple. In addition to that, the majority of individuals always have their phones within arm’s reach (a Nielsen research estimates that 91% of phone owners fall into this category). Nearly 98% of texts are read, and 93% of those texts are read within minutes of being sent, according to startling statistics on SMS open rates.
Retailers from a wide range of industries are using SMS to assist the people they care about the most because of these factors.
How to Do It
The best approach to interact with your retail consumers is through SMS. SMS provides direct access to the individuals you wish to engage with, regardless of your goal—increasing sales, increasing awareness, or simply opening doors and creating opportunities for conversation with your target market.
Verifications and Alerts
For customers, there are few things more unpleasant than spending the entire day waiting for a delivery at home. Wasting time, money, and resources on unsuccessful deliveries is nearly as annoying for businesses.
Even after your customer has given you their hard-earned money, you can still show them that you value their time by providing delivery updates.
Similar to this, sending out SMS notifications or order confirmations lets your clients know you appreciate them.
It’s a pleasant, non-intrusive, and practical approach to keep up interactions with your clients.
Campaign for Marketing and Promotion
Regretfully, even when a company has done the right thing and accumulated a large amount of client data, such data often serves only as a collection of cyber dust.
It would be illegal to trash your clients’ mobile numbers if you have taken the time and trouble to get them. Putting exaggerated platitudes aside, SMS is actually the ideal tool for turning this static data into actionable outcomes.
Why not send a discount coupon to the individuals whose information you have taken the time to gather? In exchange for their personal information, give them something of genuine worth.
If not a coupon for a discount, how about sending them a video of a recently created new product? Something that will hold their interest.
Client Support
Dedicated customer care staff aren’t always feasible for retail businesses with modest budgets. Customer service can easily suffer when things become a little chaotic. Therefore, having a backup plan is crucial. particularly in the retail sector, where being a good host is a must.
Building rapport with the people you value most can be achieved by establishing meaningful SMS-based connections with clients who require assistance. Alerts, confirmations, and reminders are all excellent instances of SMS-based customer support in action. However, it can also be used to send receipts, conduct customer satisfaction surveys, and even provide helpful responses to frequently asked questions.
Retail businesses must do everything in their power to stand out and outperform rivals. And one excellent approach to do so is by using SMS to build a personal relationship with your clients.