Building customer loyalty requires continuous effort. No business can win a customer’s loyalty overnight. It requires weeks, months, and even years of hard work to retain a customer with the business. eCommerce businesses have more hurdles to face due to the increasing competition in the market. People have numerous options to choose from, and they don’t mind trying a new business even if they like their current provider.
Marketing and customer loyalty campaigns are vital for a business to sustain itself in today’s world. So how do you build an eCommerce loyalty program? Why should you for text message marketing to inspire customer loyalty?
According to Statista, mobile advertising spending will touch $336.5 billion by the end of 2022. Moreover, research shows that SMS marketing has a 19% higher click-through rate than email marketing. With around 98% of US citizens owning a mobile phone, it is not surprising that text message marketing is one of the preferred choices for
businesses.
Text Message Loyalty Program
It is the simplest form of loyalty program used by eCommerce businesses. All you need to do is ask the customer or potential leads to share their mobile number to sign up for the loyalty program. They don’t need to do anything else. You add their number to your contact list after getting their explicit consent.
From this point onwards, you reward customers for their purchases, referrals, feedback, etc., depending on the terms and conditions of the loyalty program. The customers will get regular updates about the reward points and can redeem them accordingly to get gifts or discounts.
eCommerce Loyalty Program with Text Message Marketing
Get Business Texting Software
The first step is to invest in the reliable and cost-effective business texting software. You cannot manually send multiple messages, updates, alerts, and reminders to your customers. It job best left to technology. Talk to service providers like TXTImpact to integrate business texting software with your contact database and streamline SMS marketing campaigns.
Add Customers to the List
You need to constantly add more customers to the loyalty program. Ask them to opt-in for text messages when you check out their purchases. You can set up a field to collect their mobile phone numbers and add a disclaimer stating that the number will be added to your contact list and that the customer qualifies to be a part of the loyalty program.
There are different ways to grow the customer list- web forms, online opt-ins, offline forms, one-step mobile signups, and so on. You can send them a message with details about their loyalty membership number and ways to track the reward points.
Plan the Reward Program
What kind of reward program do you want to offer to your customers? How frequently can they redeem the points? What is the process of allotting points or offering discount coupons to the customers? How will existing loyal customers benefit from the loyalty program?
After all, a customer who has been with the business for a longer time should get more benefits than someone relatively new. Your loyalty program should align with your long-term goals and encourage customers to continue shopping with your business.
Automation is the Key
Autoresponders and automated messages keep customers hooked to your business. You don’t want them to forget about your business nor put excess pressure on your employees to send reminders. That’s why text message marketing software is a vital investment for an eCommerce business.
Schedule the messages in bulk so that a reminder or an update goes out to customers every few days. You can send a tally of reward points to customers at the start of every month. This gives them a chance to make purchases and increase their points or redeem the collected ones.
Deliver What You Promise
Plan your offers carefully and deliver them. Customers prefer to continue with businesses that value their promises. People don’t like it when they cannot redeem the reward points or use the loyalty program as promised. It may save money in the short term but will prove costly in the long term. Keep it simple and stress-free.
Make sure they are clear on how to use the loyalty program to avoid confusion. You can offer special deals for VVIP customers and ensure they remain loyal to your Commerce business. Your online store will flourish with loyal and new customers when you use text message marketing to maintain continuous two-way communication with your customers and prospective leads.
TXTImpact is a leading business text message software provider in the US. Our clients are small and medium businesses from various industries, including retail, eCommerce, nonprofit, real estate, governmental, etc. Our services are affordable, trustworthy, and tailor-made to help businesses increase sales, customer loyalty, and returns.
