In 2021 you are likely to find a mobile device in the pocket or purse of nearly every person you pass on the street. Pew Research findings suggest that 97% of Americans own a mobile device of some sort. Furthermore, people are using their mobile devices more than ever before as tools for online shopping. According to recent e-commerce statistics, mobile e-commerce is expected to account for nearly 54% of all e-commerce retail sales in the U.S. in 2021.
This data provides an important forecast that all small businesses in online retail should consider carefully. Emerging business trends show that businesses are looking to prioritize e-commerce to stay ahead of these consumer trends in online and mobile purchasing. For many, this means changes in marketing practices — especially mobile marketing.
Mobile marketing is not optional for those looking to compete in today’s e-commerce-driven retail economy; the digital economy is here to stay. Simply put, mobile marketing looks to engage potential customers through mobile devices in the hopes of selling products or services.
This can be done through traditional means — e.g., advertising via social media. However, this digital marketing strategy can be customized across multiple channels. Email and text message marketing are among the most effective strategies. Neglecting these strategies could make the difference between recovering a sale and an abandoned shopping cart.
The continued rise in mobile device ownership and the growing trend in e-commerce purchases via mobile devices means businesses must adopt some mobile marketing strategy to stay afloat. In doing so, text message marketing should not be neglected as part of that mobile marketing strategy.
Many businesses put more emphasis on email marketing when adopting mobile marketing strategies. However, marketing data suggests that:
Furthermore, text message response rates among customers are much higher than the response rates of email marketing — 45% for text messages, only 6% for email. A higher response rate offers more opportunities to turn those responses into sales.
What does all this mean? It means consumers are using their mobile devices more than ever to purchase products and services and that customer engagement is far more likely through text messages than through email. Businesses looking to make a bigger splash in e-commerce should consider using text message marketing.
As a brief aside, it is important to understand consumer data laws before engaging in text message marketing. Most companies gain permission to contact customers through opt-in or security features located on their websites — contact forms, verification methods, etc. Save yourself the headache and ensure you get permission before sending text messages to potential or returning customers.
Now that we better understand the marketing potentials of text message marketing, it’s time to look at some of the most effective text message templates for e-commerce. These templates can be tailored and suited to almost any business with slight tweaking. The beauty of text message marketing is that it is made to be short — hence the term SMS or “short message service” — and to the point. No long drudgeries or extra fluff required.
Let’s look at some of the most influential text message templates for e-commerce — each meant to be engaging, to the point, and personalized for your mobile customer.
The first e-commerce template is simple. People like to feel welcomed and valued. A simple, new customer welcome text message is a great strategy to employ. It needs to be friendly; genuinely friendly. After all, the customer must’ve felt comfortable enough to give you their personal information (phone number). Why not make them feel welcomed for doing so?
It affords a great opportunity to personalize your marketing strategy. If you want to extend the virtual niceties, offer the customer an incentive for signing up; as a gesture of appreciation. Brevity is key. Here is a template example:
People love deals (whether or not they like to admit it). If a customer has given you their information, chances are they have an interest in what you’re selling. Promotional offers and discounts are a great way to engage potential customers and returning customers alike.
These are quite effective, as long as you’re not sending them every single day. A rightly-timed discount offer could make your customer’s day. It can also be tailored to fit as a loyalty offer for returning customers. If you want to elevate the effectiveness, create them with a slight sense of urgency. Here is an example:
Similar to the promotional offer, upcoming sale text templates can ensure customers are aware of the potential deals headed their way. These templates do not need to provide discount codes as they are simply meant to nudge customers to your website during sale promotions.
Once again, timing can work to your advantage, and a little urgency doesn’t hurt. Here is a template example:
This would also be a great time to engage customers who haven't made purchases in a while or opted into your text message service and never made a purchase. Making them aware of sales could bring them rushing back to your site to finally purchase that product they’ve been contemplating.
Deals are sweet come holiday time, and it provides an opportunity to engage your opted-ins. Providing holiday discount codes is a great way to engage potential customers during those busy purchasing seasons.
Furthermore, sending a customer a special, personalized birthday discount code is another way to put a smile on their face and a product in their cart. Here are a couple of template examples:
The evolution of abandoned cart is perhaps the biggest thorn in the sides of many businesses. While the other templates are geared towards celebrating and rewarding existing and potential customers, the abandoned cart template is aimed at those who didn’t make it to the finish line once they started.
However, effective text recovery can help reduce the headache that comes from unrealized sales. A personalized, effective text message template can make all the difference in recovering those abandoned sales. Here’s an example:
If the abandoned cart is a recurring frustration for your business, LiveRecover specializes in converting those abandoned carts into sales — using personalized and effective text messages strategies that engage those contacts on your behalf; using real people and e-commerce integrations.
Text message templates for e-commerce are effective when done with care towards the customer. Understanding consumer laws is important to know who you may contact. Furthermore, a couple of other things can easily leave your mobile marketing strategy ineffectual:
Mobile marketing is here to stay; a text message marketing strategy with effective templates is a tool every business should have in their e-commerce toolbox.
Sources:
