eCommerce SMS Marketing Tips & Tricks for Smart eCommerce Owners

Generally, brands focus on social media and email marketing to drive eCommerce sales and often overlook eCommerce SMS marketing. However, they forget that eCommerce is dynamic, and every click matters! Each click holds the promise of transactions. Even every consumer interaction can make or break your brand’s identity. It isn’t easy to stand out in this crowded digital market. You need innovative strategies to attract customers and drive sales. Here is where SMS marketing for eCommerce owners comes into the picture. It provides instant connection, improves engagement, and boosts ROI. As per the statistics, in 2023, the eCommerce brands have experienced around 9.4% growth in orders because of SMS marketing. Around 75% to 78% of customers prefer to talk with a business through SMS instead of a phone call.

Imagine your brand’s marketing communications are seen immediately without an internet connection! It is amazing, right? This is what SMS marketing can help you to do. Emails usually go unnoticed, but text messages are read within minutes. So it ensures on-time communication. Therefore, it is beneficial for order updates, personalized offers, and time-sensitive promotions. Savvy eCommerce owners can use SMS marketing not only to send promotional messages but also to create meaningful interactions with customers. It helps increase customer engagement, boost conversion rates, and build customer loyalty.

To implement SMS marketing eCommerce business strategies effectively, you must understand common challenges and how to resolve them. In this blog, we will understand it through a scenario-based approach. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

1. Unable to Build a High-Performing SMS Subscriber List?

Suppose you’ve launched an SMS campaign, but only a few customers subscribe. In that case, you can follow these tips and tricks to build a high-performing SMS subscriber list.

• You can use pop-up forms on your website, add opt-in options during checkout, and advertise signups via social media channels to reach a larger audience.
• You can offer special discounts or freebies to your subscribers when they opt-in. For example, giving them a 10% discount on their next purchase will be a sure motivator.
• Implement a double opt-in process so that you’ve subscribers who genuinely receive your text messages. It offers higher engagement and compliance with regulations.
• You can segment new subscribers into welcome campaigns. This campaign will introduce your brand to them and highlight key products/services.

2. Customers are not Engaging With/Opening Your SMS Promotions

You’ve crafted an SMS for an eCommerce campaign, but your text messages have low open rates and poor engagement. To resolve this issue, you need to remember the tips and tricks mentioned below and craft a high-coverting SMS campaign.

• Keep your message short, to the point, and action-oriented with a clear call to action. It will encourage quick response.
• Personalize your message by including customers’ names, past purchase history, etc., to resonate with recipients.
• Use time-sensitive language (“Only 4 Hours Left!” or “Until [Date] ”) that shows urgency. It helps drive immediate action.
• You should send messages at the right time when your customers are more likely to engage, like during lunch breaks or early evenings.

3. Customers are not Completing the Purchase

Tired of too many abandoned carts? Customers are adding items to the carts but not completing the purchase. Here are some tricks and tips to encourage them to complete the purchase.

• Send prompt reminders about abandoned carts within 30 or 60 minutes to inspire customers to complete the purchase.
• You can offer a small discount or free shipping to motivate them to buy the product.
• Create a sense of urgency and FOMO by highlighting that limited stock is available.
• Simplify the checkout process by including a direct link to complete the purchase with minimum effort.

4. Customers are Unaware of their Order Status & Keep Calling Support

Customers want to know their order status, so they keep calling support. eCommerce owners can fix this issue by implementing eCommerce SMS marketing strategies. Here are a few tips and tricks they can use to send transactional SMS updates.

• Keep customers informed through automated SMS updates at each order process stage. You can use SMS automation for order confirmation, shipping, and delivery.
• Send tracking link via SMS. It lets customers monitor their shipments in real time.
• Use the AI chatbots to handle common order inquiries. It will reduce the burden on customer support teams.
• Once the delivery is done, you can send a follow-up message requesting feedback or reviews. It will help you engage customers and gather valuable insights.

5. Customers Never Return

If you’re struggling with low customer retention and engagement, you can fix this issue by following the tips and tricks below.

• You can send personalized VIP offers and loyalty rewards to encourage customers to return.
• Run the re-engagement campaigns and automate them for inactive customers.
• Give your VIP customers early access to new products or limited-time discounts.
• You can even encourage repeat purchases through birthday and anniversary discounts.

6. Your SMS Campaigns’ Conversion Rate is Low

Your SMS campaigns often get clicked but do not lead to sales. In that case, you can use the following tricks and tips for SMS conversion optimization.

• You should A/B test with different text message content and CTAs.
• Use dynamic content such as name, past purchase, recent purchase, etc., for personalization.
• Ensure all your landing pages are mobile-friendly and load fast.
• You can opt for an omnichannel marketing strategy by pairing SMS with email follow-ups for higher conversions.

7. SMS Marketing Takes Too Much Time

Manually sending and managing SMS campaigns is time-consuming and requires too much effort. You can solve this SMS marketing eCommerce business problem by implementing SMS automation. Here are a few tips and tricks that you can implement.

• You can use automated SMS workflows for cart recovery, order updates, reminders, and re-engagement.
• Put STP marketing into practice and schedule text messages in advance based on customer behaviour data.
• You can integrate SMS with email marketing, existing CRM, and eCommerce platforms.
• Use the AI-powered SMS chatbots for customer support.

8. Struggling With High Unsubscribe Rates?

If you bombard your customers by sending too many text messages, it irritates them, and they unsubscribe. Sometimes, mobile carriers even perceive excessive messaging as spam messaging. If you want to reduce your unsubscribe rate, here are a few best practices you can implement to maintain SMS marketing compliance.

• Send only 2 to 4 messages per month unless there is any special event.
• Make the opt-out process simple to stay compliant. Clearly mention in each message how to opt-out.
• Make sure the messages you’re sending add value. You can include exclusive offers, useful tips, helpful updates, etc., in your message.
• If you want to avoid spamming, segment your customers based on engagement level.

9. You’re Unsure About How Your eCommerce SMS Marketing Doing

You’re sending SMS campaigns but unsure whether they are working and driving the desired results. What you can do in this situation is measure your creative SMS marketing campaign’s success. How? Follow the below-mentioned tips and tricks.

• Measure conversion rates, opt-out rates, and CTR.
• Analyze your customers’ behaviour and adjust timing and content accordingly.
• Use Urchin Tracking Marketing (UTM) links to measure the effectiveness of your SMS campaign and sales from SMS.
• Run the periodic A/B tests to improve engagement.

10. Crafting Basic SMS Campaigns But Want to Innovate

If you want to stay ahead of your competitors, you need to stop crafting basic SMS campaigns. You must implement the following advanced SMS marketing strategies.

• Say goodbye to the boring text messages and try to make them attention-grabbing by including images, GIFs, and videos. In short, implement MMS marketing.
• Integrate advanced tools like Positiveintent.ai and Textdrip and craft AI-driven conversational SMS for customer support and upselling.
• You can even run flash sales with exclusive offers.
• You can experiment by running geo-targeted SMS for location-based promotions.

11. Customers are Misusing Your Discount Code

You observed that some customers are using multiple numbers to get repeated discounts. If you want to prevent this SMS coupon fraud, you need to follow the tips and tricks below. These security measures help you protect your business while still offering valuable discounts.

• If you want to prevent repeat use of your discount code, generate a unique discount code that customers can use only once.
• You must set a minimum purchase requirement to qualify for the discount.
• SMS verification should be used before applying the coupon. It will ensure authenticity.
• You can limit promo codes to single users/use to prevent multiple redemptions.

12. Your Flash Sale Campaign is not Driving Enough Traffic

Are your customers ignoring your flash sale announcements? If yes, it’s time to send well-timed and engaging text messages that make the difference between a successful flash sale and a missed opportunity. Here are a few tips and tricks that you can implement to make your flash sale campaign attention-grabbing.

• Create urgency using countdown timers like “Only 2 days left!”
• Send personalized offers according to the purchase history for better engagement.
• You can send reminder SMS before the sale ends as it will encourage last-minute purchases.
• Implement an omnichannel marketing strategy, such as pairing SMS with email and push notifications to maximize reach.

13. Customers Struggle to Remember Their Loyalty Points/Rewards

Often, customers don’t redeem their loyalty points, lowering your loyalty program SMS campaign engagement. If you want to resolve this issue, here are a few tips and tricks to boost loyalty program engagement. When you run a well-crafted and well-executed loyalty program, it keeps your customers coming back.

• Keep your customers informed by sending point balance reminders.
• Send a reminder SMS to your customers about expiring rewards – “Use your 200 points before they expire in 7 days.“
• Want to drive more purchases? Offer double points days.
• To increase engagement, you can personalize messages according to shopping behaviour.

14. Holiday SMS Campaigns are not Performing as Expected

Are your holiday SMS promotion campaigns, like Black Friday, Christmas, etc., often get ignored? Don’t worry! Implement the following tips and tricks to run high-performing holiday text marketing campaigns.

• You can make your VIP customers feel special by sending them early access to your sales/discounts.
• While crafting text messages, use festive and engaging emojis. It will make your text message visually appealing.
• If your goal is to increase conversions, offer limited-time holiday bundles and exclusive deals.
• Send personalized holiday greetings and discounts for loyal customers.

15. You’re Getting a Low Response Rate for Review Requests

If your customers are not leaving reviews, you’ll struggle to build credibility and trust for your future customers. By following the tips and tricks below, you can resolve this issue.

• You should send a review request when the experience is fresh. Send it within 48 hours.
• Give a discount or reward to customers who leave a review.
• Make the review leaving process super simple using the one-click link.
• Send personalized messages like “Hope you loved your new dress, [customer name]! Share your thoughts with us.”

Skyrocket Sales With Textdrip’s eCommerce SMS Marketing Solution.

SMS marketing is backed by many statistics which prove its effectiveness. Undoubtedly, it can improve brand awareness, sales, and customer satisfaction. So, start small, measure your results, and scale up to enjoy improved customer engagement and achieve eCommerce SMS marketing success. Our AI-powered SMS marketing platform, Textdrip, offers impressive features like AI text message generator,  spam message checker, AI intent-based automation, drip SMS campaigns, SMS automation, reminder drip, quick response, etc. Integrate it with your existing marketing tools and turn SMS marketing into your no.1 sales channel. Book a demo or take a FREE trial to experience how it revolutionizes your eCommerce business.