The retail sector is one of the most vibrant sectors where offline and online stores offer a wide variety of consumer goods. Customers throng retail centers to buy essentials, electronic products, clothing, and various other products. The retail sector is highly competitive and success requires a focused marketing effort to bring in customers to the store and sell products. Of the various marketing techniques that retail organizations can use, text messaging service is one of the most effective ones.
Text messaging involves sending SMS or short message services over the mobile phone. There are multiple benefits of using text messages for marketing:
• SMS reaches instantly and does not require internet connectivity; this allows the messages to be sent even to customers who do not have a smartphone or use the internet on their mobiles.
• SMS is a preferred mode of communication since customers feel telephonic calls are intrusive and emails are usually blocked by spam filters.
• An SMS is likely to be read by the recipient 97% of the time, making it a powerful communication tool for marketers.
• Using SMS service ensures a higher response than most other marketing techniques; this is why retail centers are using SMS to reach out to customers.
Boosting Retail Sales through SMS
Retail sales can be boosted by using SMS marketing in an effective way. Here are a few of the methods that can be used for the same:1) Engage with customers
The secret to marketing success is constant engagement with customers. It is important to be in touch with customers and keep updating them of new products in your store, new offers, and to invite them to visit your store. Bulk SMS service can be used to reach out to all your customers at one time. You can even send personalized messages by including the name and other information to customers. This helps you engage well with customers. You can use SMS for interactive communication. Using keywords allows customers to reply to your message. Once the reply is received, your texting software can automatically reply to customers sending them the information requested.
2) Run campaigns through SMS
Retail stores, both offline and online, need to run marketing campaigns to bring in footfall. This is the key to success. The more the customers visiting the store, the higher is the possibility of sales. The secret is to ensure that customers drop in. The best way to do that is to run a marketing campaign. This involves launching new products or upgrades, coming out with offers and sales promotions (buy one get one, discount, lucky coupons, etc.) Sending an SMS to a customer with an offer is a great way to make the customer visit the store. The SMS can contain details of the campaign with the offer/sales promotion that can attract the customer. A web link can be provided to visit the website. This web link can be used to track the success of the marketing campaign.
3) Giveaways help bring in customers
In lean seasons or during the weekdays the inflow of customers tends to be less. This is when retail stores can come out with innovative schemes to bring in customers. Giveaways or offering a free product or product samples is a good way to attract customers. An SMS can be sent asking the customer to show the message to the store executive to get their free product or alternately a voucher code can be given to use online to get the giveaway.
4) Reward loyalty
Loyal customers must be rewarded. Customers who shop regularly need to be given special benefits like a loyalty card or loyalty points that can be used to get discounts or special offers. This will ensure customers shop regularly thus boosting sales. It is much easier in marketing to get business from existing customers than acquire new customers. This is why nurturing existing customers through such schemes is important. Text messages can be sent with details of loyalty points. Such customers will also spread positive word of mouth, bringing in new customers.
5) Take feedback
It is important to take feedback from shoppers. This will help in understand if their needs are met. It also helps to know what improvements or new marketing schemes are needed to boost sales. An SMS can be sent with a question and the customer can be asked to reply with their rating (answer). This is a simple and easy way to get customer feedback. A discount coupon can be given to all those who reply to ensure customers provide feedback.
The methods described above are simple and easy to implement. They have a very high likelihood of producing results, making it a great way to boost sales. All you need is a database of customers and texting software to help use SMS service.
