Out of all the industries in the world, ecommerce and retail are the ones with the most to gain from SMS marketing.
Online shopping has a sense of urgency and emergency. Many purchases are driven by pure emotion.
SMS marketing for ecommerce, therefore, is a perfect fit. Text messages work incredibly well when they can give the final push. Simple SMS notifications can be the difference between an abandoned cart and a purchase.
Getting into retail text messages and the strategies involved can seem a little daunting. There’s a decently sized barrier to entry, and without proper preparation, failure is possible.
While the chances are relatively slim as SMS marketing for ecommerce is so profitable, we decided to give a quick overview on how to do it properly.
SMS Marketing Strategies for Ecommerce
As mentioned in the introduction, many retail stores could benefit from the use of SMS marketing. It can fix many common issues with online purchases, such as abandoned carts, and improve overall ROI. No matter what kind of ecommerce platform you using – Woocommerce, Shopify, Magneto, or other.
SMS marketing, as a whole, can be separated into promotional and transactional messages. The former is where you send all the deals, special offers, and discounts.
The latter is how you support the customer along the journey (e.g., shipping updates, welcome messages, etc.). We will mostly be talking about the former.
Promotional SMS messages are so powerful in ecommerce because customers emphasize prices. While many have slightly tilted towards preferring better service, the overall cost of a product remains an important factor.
In fact, most customers sign up for SMS marketing just to get special deals from a brand, as nearly 70% think the channel should be used for those purposes. In other words, your customers are more or less asking you to use SMS marketing.
So, most of the SMS marketing strategies for ecommerce revolve around sending deals and reminders. However, there are three primary avenues where text messages can shine – general promotions, abandoned carts, and holidays (or other special days).
SMS Templates for Ecommerce
Promotional SMS Campaign Templates
With SMS campaigns, you have the opportunity to do a fire-and-forget type of promotion or the opportunity to send several messages in conjunction. We’ll be going over the first, as promotional SMS’ that don’t have anything particular in them are likely going only to irritate a customer.
Hey, {name}, have we got something special for you. We are announcing a site-wide sale with 20% off everything! [Brand name]: [URL]
Today only! Our [line of products] have received a secret discount, slashing the prices by [%]. Discount applies until stocks last!
Hi, {name}, something has been brewing at [company name]. We’re announcing a big sale! Simply input [code] to get [%] off! [URL]
All of these promotional SMS messages can be tweaked. However, if you want to give a longer campaign a shot, we recommend doing so with something truly massive. A small discount won’t cut it, and the customers will feel robbed.
Abandoned Carts Text Messaging Templates
These are essentially win-backs. Sending out abandoned cart messages is highly beneficial and effective. However, setting them up can be a little more complicated because they are triggered messages. We’ll get to how you can do that later.
Psst! You forgot something at [brand name]. We’re keeping your products safe, but we can’t hold on for long. Hurry! [URL]
Hmm… it seems you may have forgotten something. Check out your cart while we reserve the products for you. [URL]
Saw something you liked? Your products are still waiting. We’ll hold the cart for you until you’re ready! [URL]
Holidays SMS Templates
What Holiday goes by without some shopping, be it physical retail or ecommerce. Everyone will be looking for either present for loved ones or something special for themselves. It would be a shame to miss such an opportunity to use SMS marketing for ecommerce.
You can use these templates for different holidays:
- Christmas
- New Year
- Easter
- Valentine’s Day
- Halloween
- Thanksgiving
- Etc.
Can’t wait for the big day? Us too! We are giving out a site-wide [%] sale as a token of our gratitude! [Brand name]: [URL]
Hey, {name}, are you ready to celebrate [holiday]? Get more out of your celebrations with [discount code] for [%] off on [website].
[Holiday] is upon us, and at [brand name], celebrations are a part of our DNA! Join us in the festivities with [discount code] to get [%] off!
Holiday SMS marketing is a great way to add a personal touch. These are among the most customizable messages out there. Use our examples just for quick inspiration rather than copying and pasting them. You would be missing out on much efficiency.
Effective Upselling SMS Templates
Upselling is the rarer use for SMS marketing for ecommerce. Yet, it’s still highly effective at improving overall business performance. Sometimes your customers might just need an extra push to get that satisfaction of buying one more product.
Hey, {name}, we noticed that you have enjoyed [product or service]. You might enjoy [product or service] as well! Check them out at [URL].
Hi, {name}, what would you say about buying another [product]? Here’s a unique discount code [code] for [%] off if you decide to do so!
Enjoyed [product or service]? We value loyal customers, so we’ll give you an extra [%] for your next purchase! [Brand name]: [URL].
Customer Feedback Request Text Messages
While not directly impacting ROI or sales, feedback requests let you build a connection and community with your customers. Additionally, you can apply much actionable advice about your company and improve the overall user experience if you send these out once in a while.
Hey, {name}, how did we do? Your feedback would be greatly appreciated. [Brand name]: [URL].
[Brand name]: Enjoyed our service? Drop us your thoughts and suggestions, and we’ll do even better next time. [URL]
At [company name], we are always looking to improve. We would greatly appreciate any feedback you may have. [URL]
Sending out feedback requests in SMS marketing should be a regular occurrence. Of course, it shouldn’t happen often, but a strategy should be laid down nonetheless.
Also read:
- 76 SMS Templates For Every Situation
- 15+ Survey SMS Text Message Examples
- 15 Payment Successful SMS Message Examples
How Can Ecommerce Stores Collect Opt-in Subscribers?
It’s no secret that for SMS marketing to happen, you need to get consent from every person receiving the messages.
Usually, these are done through opt-in forms. You may have seen them – pop-ups on a website that ask users to input their phone numbers. Consumers can even get bonus discounts for doing so.
Getting these isn’t that hard, as most SMS marketing for ecommerce providers have these functionalities.
For example, our Sender marketing platform gives access to many features, including Signup Forms & Advanced Pop-ups. For doing that, you can use the custom builder or use pre-defined templates that make collecting numbers easy.
Sharpened SMS Service for Ecommerce
If you want to get the most out of SMS marketing for ecommerce, you’ll need a provider. We are going to recommend, of course, Sender. Not only because it’s our product, but it has been the highest-rated marketing platform by Capterra.
With Sender, you’re getting SMS campaigns and lots of features to support everything you want, such as the Signup forms mentioned above, Pop-ups, and all the automation you will ever need.
Additionally, you’ll get all the email marketing features needed so that you can support SMS marketing with ease.
Our SMS marketing solution is easy to integrate into the most popular ecommerce platforms. Shopify, Woocommerce, and many others pose no threat. It takes just a few clicks to integrate fully.
