98% of retailers can’t be wrong – that’s how many told us they’d be using mobile messaging in the next couple of years.
(84% are already using it today.)
We wanted to understand the growing mobile messaging opportunity in retail a little better, so we gathered together some of our favorite examples.
You can see a more complete list in this messaging strategy guide for retailers.
But for now, here are a handful of SMS examples.
1. Announcements and opening times
This example is particularly useful in lockdown when so many stores are closed entirely or have limited opening hours.
Reliable information can be hard to come by, so keep your customers up to date with a handy alert that tells them exactly when you’re open this week.
2. Location-based offers
Another great use case for local businesses. This one helps retailers take advantage of the location data in our phones.
Send an automated message to shoppers when you know they’re in the area, letting them know about the deals you’ve got on. You could even give them an exclusive one-off discount to give them more reasons to pop in.
3. Back-in-stock alerts
Selling out of items doesn’t have to mean a lost sale.
Invite shoppers to sign up for a back-in-stock alert and you can automatically send them a message when you’ve got the item in stock. You can even ask them if they want it reserved so they don’t miss out twice.
4. Repeat purchases
Some purchases – like toiletries or certain foods – tend to be purchased at a predictable cadence. That’s the perfect opportunity to send a repeat purchase offer via SMS.
5. Encourage app downloads
Got an app but struggling to drive adoption? An SMS campaign with a direct download link could work.
Time your campaign to coincide with a sale or another event that might increase engagement – or you could simply send new users a discount code to use on their first purchase.
6. Abandoned cart reminders
If there’s anything online retailers hate, it’s an abandoned cart. Cart abandonment emails are a popular tactic for tempting shoppers back to their unfinished shopping spree – but with read rates of around 20%, email isn’t always effective.
98% of mobile messages are read (90% within three minutes), so SMS cart abandonment messages are something we’re seeing a lot more of these days.
Go deeper into retail messaging strategy
For more SMS (and MMS and rich messaging) use cases, as well as other tips and best practices, download our messaging strategy guide for retailers.
Get it here.