Let’s be actual for a second—your inbox might be flooded with promotional emails you’ve by no means even opened, proper?
Effectively, identical to your inbox is flooded, the identical goes to your ecommerce prospects.
However think about with the ability to minimize by all that noise and join with them immediately, proper of their pocket or purse…
Enter ecommerce SMS advertising.
SMS is nothing revolutionary, and but it’s an underutilized powerhouse answer that needs to be a part of your ecommerce marketing strategy (and thus supercharge their gross sales!).
Give it some thought—by some stories 55% of SMS are opened and 100% are at the least considered.
These are some fairly good stats proper there!
(Notice that whereas you may even see stats floating round that SMS has a 98% learn fee, these stats are outdated.)
So how can ecommerce manufacturers faucet into that SMS energy to advertise their enterprise and merchandise? Is it a worthwhile funding for you? What are you able to truly use SMS for? And how will you use SMS with out spamming your prospects into oblivion?
I’ve been part of an SMS advertising platform for 10 years and we’ve had 1000’s of ecommerce house owners and entrepreneurs use our platform to attach with prospects and prospects.
So, I’m going to stroll you thru the ins and outs of how you need to use SMS to supercharge your gross sales in 2025.
Let’s leap in!
What’s ecommerce SMS advertising?
Ecommerce SMS advertising is the method of selling your ecommerce enterprise or merchandise by way of SMS.
This may are available in a wide range of types from gross sales to deserted cart notices to extra common enterprise promotion.
SMS advertising is usually achieved by SMS advertising platforms or APIs. It includes a short and easy means of registering your ecommerce model with cell carriers (by way of your chosen SMS supplier). Going by this registration course of helps make sure that every little thing’s so as with the cell carriers in order that they don’t block your messages as spam.
SMS advertising additionally includes getting opt-in consent out of your viewers earlier than sending them textual content messages. SMS platforms provide you with mechanisms that let you simply (even routinely) add contacts to your textual content subscription record. For instance, it could contain your subscribers texting in a specific phrase to a specific telephone quantity, and their telephone quantity then will get routinely subscribed to your textual content record.
To be able to persuade individuals to choose in to your ecommerce texts, incentives are sometimes supplied, corresponding to discounted merchandise or free transport.
Why use SMS for ecommerce advertising?
There are various causes to make use of SMS for advertising—particularly for ecommerce.
Excessive learn charges / view charges
As talked about above, SMS have learn charges of 55% and “view charges” of as much as 100%—in contrast to, say, emails that are largely ignored or find yourself in “Promotions.”
What this implies is that on the very least, your recipients will see the preview of all of the messages you ship. In order that they’ll remember that you simply despatched them a message and so they’ll see the start a part of the message.
Personability
SMS advertising by way of an SMS platform or API signifies that your textual content messages are getting delivered personally and individually to every recipient—even when you’re sending mass textual content blasts.
That signifies that your messages can come throughout extra personably.
SMS platforms even let you simply interact in 2-way conversations with a web based inbox just like the e-mail inboxes you’re used to.
Universality
There are virtually 7 billion cell subscriptions worldwide by some accounts. Moreover, individuals spend a median of 4.5 hours per day on their telephones engaged in actions apart from calling.
And that is true from youngsters (and even youthful) all the way in which as much as older adults. Which signifies that utilizing SMS as one in every of your advertising instruments helps be sure to have a method to attain a broad vary of individuals in your potential ecommerce viewers.
Immediacy
Not solely is SMS extensively used, however it supplies an avenue of immediacy and urgency—presumably extra so than every other advertising channel on the market.
That’s as a result of as quickly because the textual content message is delivered to the recipient’s telephone, they usually obtain a notification immediately. And this sort of timeliness could be essential for widespread ecommerce use instances corresponding to flash gross sales (extra on that beneath).
Prominence of cell gross sales
Cell ecommerce gross sales are within the trillions of {dollars} per 12 months.
In different phrases, individuals like to buy on their telephones. So it solely is sensible to achieve them by way of the channel on which they’re already utilizing to make trillions of {dollars}’ price of purchases.
It’s apparent to see that there are various good explanation why it is best to discover SMS to your personal ecommerce advertising efforts.
So we’ve gone over why SMS could be a good way to market your ecommerce enterprise (and subsequently supercharge your gross sales), what concerning the how? How are you able to truly use ecommerce SMS advertising?
7 Examples Of Ecommerce SMS Advertising and marketing
So let’s get actual sensible now.
Concrete examples are all the time useful. So listed below are some particular methods (with examples) that you need to use SMS advertising to assist supercharge your ecommerce gross sales.
1. Flash Gross sales
One of the vital widespread use instances ecommerce companies have for SMS advertising is to advertise their flash gross sales or different time-sensitive initiatives.
You’re seemingly effectively conscious of the facility of flash gross sales to filter out stock shortly and get a fast gross sales enhance. So think about if these flash gross sales could possibly be communicated on to individuals’s telephones in a textual content message—there’s some good potential there to maximise on the flash sale urgency.
EXAMPLE:
🔥 3-Hour Flash Sale! Get 25% off every little thing with code FLASH25. Hurry, ends at 6 PM CST! Store now: [Link]
2. Promos
Apart from flash gross sales particularly, SMS is a superb method to talk any form of promo you’re working to assist showcase your merchandise.
For instance, you seemingly run vacation promotions. So you may get much more engagement on these vacation alternatives by sending out SMS to enrich your different promotion efforts. So as an alternative of your recipients solely receiving an electronic mail, they may get an electronic mail and a textual content message—which implies much more publicity to (and subsequently adoption of) your promo.
EXAMPLE:
Hey [Customer Name]! Shh… that is Santa’s little secret—an early Christmas reward for you! Free transport + free Santa espresso mug in your subsequent order over $25! Use code SANTAFREE at checkout: [Link]
3. Deserted Cart Notices
These individuals are so shut to changing… They’re on the finish of the funnel. They’ve browsed your retailer. They’ve put the objects of their cart.
But they depart—usually by no means to return.
However it’s not a misplaced trigger! A technique to assist get well these almost-sales is by sending a textual content message with a reminder… and possibly slightly incentive to persuade them to comply with by.
EXAMPLE:
We observed you left one thing behind! Full your order now and get 10% off with code SAVE10: [Link]
4. Product Launches
Let’s say you’ve obtained an excellent new line of merchandise popping out quickly.
You’ve labored your tail off planning for these merchandise. You’ve researched what individuals need and also you’ve discovered some objects that you simply simply know are simply what your prospects want to unravel the ache factors they’re having or to satisfy the wishes they’re expressing.
So that you’re actually excited for this launch; you assume it’s all however assured to be a hit.
The launch comes—-and the outcomes?
Crickets.
After all, this could possibly be for a wide range of causes, however a type of causes might merely be that your viewers isn’t conscious of the launch.
SMS, with its broad attain and immediacy, is usually a extremely efficient method to notify individuals.
EXAMPLE:
🚨 NEW ARRIVAL! Try our newest assortment earlier than it sells out: [Link]
5. Stock Updates
What do you do when you may have excessive demand and restricted inventory objects? How will you preserve prospects glad somewhat than annoyed?
A technique is to present them the choice of SMS.
If the merchandise they’re wanting shouldn’t be at present in inventory, you possibly can present prospects with the chance to get textual content alert notifications when their merchandise of alternative is in inventory.
That approach, they are often within the know as quickly as their desired merchandise is out there—and thus you possibly can supply them a useful service that provides them what they need whereas additionally selling gross sales for your corporation.
EXAMPLE:
Again in inventory for a restricted time! Our fashionable [Product Name] is out there once more. Seize yours now: [Link]
6. Order Confirmations
Though not strictly a advertising use case, one other widespread use case for SMS is for order confirmations.
Order confirmations by way of SMS supplies worth to your prospects and will get extra publicity to your model in a approach that is sensible and is unintrusive.
A easy message reassuring them that their order has been obtained and is being processed retains them extra knowledgeable and subsequently helps scale back potential confusion—finally leaving your prospects with a extra satisfying expertise.
EXAMPLE:
Thanks to your order, [Customer Name]! We’re processing your order and can notify you when it ships. Observe your order right here: [Link]
7. Delivery / Supply Notifications
Along with order confirmations, prospects could respect receiving SMS for transport and supply notifications.
This type of proactive communication helps preserve your prospects within the know in order that they’re totally conscious of what’s happening.
EXAMPLE:
Nice information! Your order is on its approach. Estimated supply: [Date]. Observe it right here: [Link]
The right way to Get Began with SMS Advertising and marketing
How do you truly get began with SMS advertising? What are the primary steps?
I’m so glad you requested!
Right here’s what it’s good to do…
Step 0: Take into consideration the way you’d like to make use of SMS
Step zero is to think about the way you’d truly prefer to use SMS.
Your targets for SMS will make a distinction in what platform you resolve to make use of and your different choices transferring ahead, so it is a good start line.
However odds are, when you’ve made it this far into the article, you’ve already been eager about it this complete time so this “step” could also be pointless.
Step 1: Discover an SMS platform to attempt
The precise first step is to seek out an SMS platform and get a free trial.
Most SMS platforms have a free trial that provides you full (or practically full) entry to platform options however limits the variety of messages you possibly can ship.
So these trials aren’t meant a lot to allow you to check out a full marketing campaign however extra to present you a chance to check out the options and see the way you just like the platform itself.
You may check out 2 or 3 SMS platforms and see how they examine.
How to decide on an SMS advertising platform
There are such a lot of platforms on the market that it may be troublesome to type the nice from the “much less good.”
However listed below are a number of parts you possibly can look out for.
- Ecommerce-friendliness: It permits for primary performance corresponding to managing a database of shoppers, sending textual content blasts monitoring hyperlinks, and segmenting contacts.
- Good buyer assist: Assist has availability, fast response instances, and a willingness to assist.
- Applicable pricing: SMS platform plans normally provide you with a month-to-month allotment of messaging credit based mostly on no matter stage of subscription you select—but additionally be within the lookout for “service charges” which can be added to these common subscription prices.
SMS advertising platforms to think about
Among the SMS platforms on the market embrace:
Step 2: Add subscribers (contacts)
The next step is so as to add subscribers into the platform.
You possibly can normally do that by way of a spreadsheet import or an integration (whether or not by way of SMS API or Zapier or a direct integration) together with your current software program.
However you may also give individuals a method to signal themselves up to your textual content record, both by texting in a specific “key phrase,” filling out a web based type, or scanning a QR code.
Step 3: Arrange your campaigns
If in case you have contacts loaded into your SMS advertising platform, you possibly can then begin establishing your campaigns. (You may do some marketing campaign setup previous to including contacts as effectively.)
You possibly can both schedule out campaigns for explicit dates and instances, or you possibly can create workflows of marketing campaign messages and delays that your recipients will transfer by.
You can even arrange automatically-triggered responses for when your contacts ship messages to you.
Step 4: Analyze your outcomes
As your campaigns are being despatched to your viewers, you possibly can analyze outcomes utilizing built-in reporting instruments that you simply’ll discover inside your SMS platform.
These reporting instruments can provide you insights in your messages corresponding to:
- Supply standing
- Response fee
- Click on fee for hyperlinks
- Decide-out fee
From this knowledge, you may make knowledgeable choices to optimize your SMS campaigns.
Greatest practices and issues it’s good to know for ecommerce SMS advertising
OK, so let’s say you’re desirous about selecting up SMS advertising to your ecommerce enterprise.
What are a number of the greatest practices and necessary issues it’s good to know as you pursue it?
1. Have a very good incentive
You’re not going to get many sign-ups to your SMS alerts when you don’t give individuals a very good purpose to enroll.
In case you simply say “Join our textual content alerts!” however you don’t exhibit or present any actual worth, you in all probability gained’t see nice outcomes.
Many companies supply an instantaneous, tangible incentive to get individuals to join textual content messages there on the spot.
One thing like “Free transport in your subsequent order!” or a free merchandise or a reduction is usually a good motivator to persuade individuals to present you their mobile phone quantity.
2. Don’t textual content too steadily
Whereas SMS is an efficient communication device, it’s not one that you simply need to overuse.
Individuals are wonderful receiving some textual content messages, however most certainly they don’t need to obtain a number of textual content messages from you per week.
I usually suggest 2–4 textual content messages monthly as a very good cadence to start out with. You possibly can all the time do some testing to see how your particular viewers responds—they could need much less or they could even need extra.
You simply don’t need to use texting a lot that it loses its energy as a result of individuals get numb to it like they’ve already gotten numb to electronic mail.
3. Don’t stress about photos
Whereas many companies like to incorporate photos of their textual content message advertising, don’t stress about it.
Together with photos tends to rack up your SMS advertising invoice, because it usually prices extra to ship textual content messages with photos.
Embrace photos in your textual content messages when you’d like, however it’s possible you’ll discover that sending plain-text SMS works simply as effectively for you.
4. Observe your SMS platform’s compliance tips
SMS advertising compliance isn’t as massive of a deal because it was once from a authorized perspective, as a result of a number of the authorized proceedings have shifted in favor of SMS senders.
Nevertheless, compliance remains to be a giant deal from the attitude of the cell carriers. If compliance laws aren’t adopted, the cell carriers could block your messages from being delivered to the supposed recipients.
However your SMS platform ought to give you the option that can assist you navigate any compliance issues, and most compliance tips are pretty easy.
The principle factor with compliance is to be sure to register your model with the cell carriers—your SMS platform ought to have a mechanism or a type that permits you to submit a registration.
Past that, a pair different necessary objects to bear in mind are…
- Point out your model’s title in each message
- Embrace opt-out directions (i.e., “Reply STOP to choose out’) in each message—observe that with most SMS platforms, when subscribers reply STOP, they’re routinely opted out of your textual content subscription record
5. Automate
Working an ecommerce enterprise, in fact, means juggling a whole lot of transferring elements.
Due to this fact, something you are able to do to release your time and release your psychological house is a constructive factor.
There are a number of methods you possibly can automate your ecommerce SMS…
Easy scheduling
The primary method to incorporate automation into your SMS advertising is thru the straightforward scheduling of messages.
SMS platforms let you schedule the textual content messages you need to ship for particular dates and instances—and likewise to arrange recurring messages if you would like the identical message to exit at common intervals.
Set off-based drip campaigns
An SMS drip marketing campaign permits you to create a sequence of messages and delays in a workflow in order that your subscribers can obtain these messages routinely. Then you possibly can arrange a “set off” that locations these subscribers in that workflow.
For instance, when you’re working a product launch marketing campaign, you would have individuals signal as much as obtain updates concerning the launch routinely. Or you would have a trigger-based “single message” workflow, corresponding to for an deserted cart discover or for a birthday message.
Integrations
Integration between your SMS platform and your different software program is typically doable by way of native partnerships supplied by particular SMS platforms. Extra generally, nevertheless, you need to use third-party integration apps—most notably Zapier.
With most of these integrations, you’re in a position to routinely pull in contacts from, say, your ecommerce platform or out of your Hubspot type or out of your CRM. That approach, you possibly can incorporate them into your SMS advertising campaigns.
You can even use most of these integrations to ship automated messages based mostly on exercise that happens in these different software program—corresponding to when somebody fills out a type for a lead magnet in your web site.
SMS API
An SMS API is the most effective and most versatile integration possibility, however it requires growth manpower.
With an SMS API, your builders comply with the SMS platform’s API documentation to be able to program SMS campaigns the precise approach that you need them to be.
An SMS API will subsequently let you truly create and customise the integrations you’re searching for.
Ecommerce SMS advertising FAQ
Listed here are a number of different solutions to questions you could have concerning SMS for e-commerce.
Take that first step…
Breathe in. Breathe out. As a result of that was rather a lot!
We simply walked by the in’s and out’s of ecommerce SMS advertising and the way it can supercharge your gross sales.
So now what?
Effectively, your first step is to pick an SMS platform or 2 to check out and see how you want them.
Fairly quickly you’ll get the cling of SMS—and also you simply would possibly marvel what your corporation ever did with out it.