E-commerce SMS Marketing Explained

SMS marketing for e-commerce has become the preferred way to increase customer satisfaction, boost loyalty, and increase revenue. Textedly has helped many businesses grow with its easy to use platform and SMS e-commerce solution.
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What is SMS Marketing for E-Commerce?

E-commerce SMS marketing is a short-message service solution with the use of permission-based text messages to reach customers instantly with promotions, announcements, and value-adds.

Uses for E-commerce Texts

Textedly has helped businesses send e-commerce messages for many purposes, including but not limited to:

Texting for E-Commerce: Key Terms

With Textedly, texting for e-commerce is simple; but familiarizing yourself with some of the commonly used text marketing terms is ideal before getting started with your first campaign.

  • SMS

    The acronym SMS stands for short-message service. It's the most effective and efficient way to reach all or parts of your customer base.

  • MMS

    With MMS, standing for multimedia messaging service, you can use multiple means of communication to include pictures, audio, and animation.

  • Keywords

    You'll have to select a basic word that is a key association with your business or organization that users can text-in to your short code to opt-in for your text messages.

  • Campaigns

    Similar to marketing campaigns whereby customers are reached via email, SMS campaigns are instantly accessed on their phones by those who have opted to join the program. They increase awareness of products, services, contests, and a myriad of other offerings and information which are limited only by imagination.

  • Subscribers

    This is the contact list of people in your database who have given you permission to receive SMS texts. You can easily convert your email subscribers to SMS subscribers by sending them an email about this faster and more efficient service with an opt-in form where they can provide their cell phone number and an electronic signature to show they have approved of receiving messages this way.

  • Segments

    Segmentation allows you to ensure that the most relevant information is getting to the group of people most likely to respond and have interest. It's used as a targeted marketing technique. 

  • Templates

    There's no need to rewrite all messages. You'll create templates that will allow you to store SMS messages for use in the future. For instance, a thank you for a subscription and a welcome to your SMS community of subscribers can be made into a template for time efficiency. Any updates or changes are made without having to rewrite the whole text.

  • Autoresponders

    These are messages that go out automatically that you set to send messages to your subscribers or segments of them without having to do anything further.

Benefits of E-Commerce Texting

Once you get started, you will be able to add advantages from your own experience to this list. Until such time, below are some of the benefits you can expect from e-commerce texting:
  • Engagement such as interaction with feedback.
  • Broadest reach to any market.
  • Reduction of need for time-consuming customer service calls.
  • Reach millennial age group with unparalleled results.
  • Increase customer loyalty.
  • Personalized notifications.
  • Fastest response times.

SMS Marketing for E-Commerce Statistics

90%
90% of text messages are read within three minutes.
95%
95% of the 18-29 age-group uses text messaging.
66%
66% of all consumers prefer to be reached by brands with text messaging over any other means of communication.

How to Send E-Commerce Texts

Textedly provides an easy platform with software that basically does it all for you. The following steps will send you on your way to experiencing the lucrative marketing technique of sending e-commerce texts:

  • Sign Up for a Text Marketing Platform

    Research text marketing platforms and sign up for one that seems best suited for your needs,

  • Upload Current List of Contacts

    Once you have prospective or past customers that have opted-in, the next step is to upload or automate those names and phone numbers into the system. You can begin to segment these lists at this time as well.

  • Compile Text Templates

    Start formulating messages that will be used again and again, including a thank you for opting to subscribe, product or service information, a calendar of events for which you can simply change dates and times as needed, and any other recurring information that you will want to send frequently. 

  • Set Up a Campaign Keyword

    Set up a keyword that's easily associated and remembered for your business and keywords for any marketing campaigns you are currently promoting for easy access to those who have expressed an interest in that information.

  • Promote Your Keyword

    You can promote them in a variety of ways, depending on the avenue that works best for your e-commerce business. These are just few of many other ways to promote keywords:
    • Post them on your website and social media pages.
    • Include them in any direct mail advertising.
    • Have them on customer invoices and receipts.
    • Pamphlets and flyers can note them.
    • Send them in all your emails, including your email promotion for opting-in to SMS.
    • Put them on business cards.

  • Send E-Commerce Texts

    Now you're ready to send these texts to your subscribers. You'll probably agree this is the most fun part of the set-up because this is when you'll begin to see the amazing results.

Examples of E-Commerce Messages

There could be a complete book written on e-commerce message examples alone, but we can include some ideas herein. Begin any of these with an appropriate salutation, including the person's name.
(855) 397-6679

Your order for (product name) is on its way. (Include tracking number and date.)

Thank you for your business.

(855) 397-6679

Thank you for subscribing to our (Name specific campaign if applicable) texts.

We will now be able to keep you updated with the most current information.

Any questions are welcome.

(855) 397-6679

Have you heard the news about our new (product line name)?

Check it out for yourself here: (provide link)

(855) 397-6679

Hi John,

This is a follow-up of the order of bulk mouse pads with the expected delivery date of 4/7/2020. Your valuable feedback helps us to improve our services. Thank you.

Text STOP to end

(855) 397-6679

Dear Mary,

We are happy to inform you that you are eligible for a 10% discount on your next purchase. Use this order code SAVE10 to redeem. We appreciate your business. 

Text STOP to end

(855) 397-6679
Hey Miranda, We hope you enjoied our semi-annual sale! Keep an eye out for our next members-only online event . Text STOP to end

Sending SMS E-Commerce Messages With Textedly

If you are ready to start sending e-commerce SMS messages to boost sales on your site, Textedly is ready to help. Just sign up for our free 14-day trial to get set up with our easy-to-use text marketing dashboard.
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