How to Increase Retail Foot Traffic with SMS Marketing
A printed voucher for 10 pounds off any purchase – valid in store one month from now.
That’s what I found in my shopping bag after purchasing some clothing for my daughter. Great! I thought, but that’s so far away I’ll never remember to go back to the store.
Then I read the voucher again, just to double check the dates it was valid, and I saw the retailer had added a “text redemption code”.
If I send a text message to the retailer with the 12 digit code on the voucher, they will send me, by text, up to two “Supercash redemption alerts” during the week of the sale.
Brilliant! Now I will be sure to get back into the store during the week of the sale thanks to a couple of text reminders.
What They're Doing Right
This retailer is doing everything right (well almost) when it comes to using SMS marketing to drive people back into the local retail store. Let’s look at how they did it:
- Gave out printed vouchers at the store for a future event. They know customers responding to this offer are already people who visit the local store in person.
- On the voucher they boldly printed the code and instructions to receive text alerts about the sale. Anyone reading the voucher would have a hard time missing the opportunity.
- They clearly stated how many times a person that opts in would receive text messages. By letting people know that they are signing up for a limited number of texts they will be more likely to sign up. No one likes the unknown, or wants to be spammed about other sales in the future they may not want to know about.
What They Could Be Doing Better
If I could suggest one thing to their SMS marketing team it would be to make the redemption code something easier to type in. The random mix of 12 digits and numbers printed on the voucher could be difficult to type in correctly. How would someone know if they typed it in wrong? A verification, or error message from the retailer would help, but why make it difficult for your customers?
Next time you’re looking to increase foot traffic to your store, why not try this approach – only use a simple text keyword code to help your customers (especially those who might be typing on a small keyboard!).
Related Articles
Why Your Startup Needs to be Using SMS Marketing
Are startups afraid of using SMS marketing? Is it because they’re afraid of annoying customers and breaking the regulations? I don’t think so. If your startup isn’t using SMS marketing already, it’s probably because you don’t know all the facts. Find out why SMS is actually perfect for startups.
SMS Remarketing: What It’s All About
You’ve seen or heard about remarketing online. But did you know you can use SMS to remarket to visitors who abandon their cart in your ecommerce store? According to one study, using it can double your conversion rates. Check out the blog to see the details.
5 Reasons to Receive SMS Online
How to Avoid Failing at SMS Marketing
For many businesses it's often a knee-jerk reaction to create an app, or to run mobile ads, or to start an SMS list. But without really understanding what it’s all about, you can waste a lot of time and money before realising what you actually need to do.
Use All The Data You Can When Personalising Your SMS Messages
It’s said over and over that SMS is one of the most personal forms of communications today. That’s mainly because people guard their mobile numbers and only give them out to those they think worthy of them. So anyone who has opted into your SMS messaging has indeed invited you into their personal world.
Proof SMS Messaging Gets Results: Increase Sales
Can SMS marketing increase sales numbers? In the next entry of our Results Series you’ll see the kinds of results that real companies achieved. We’ve rounded up sales numbers and timelines to show you how well, and how fast, SMS marketing can improve your sales.
When the Internet Goes Down, SMS Messaging Can Save the Day
At the end of February, Amazon’s S3 servers went down. And so did much of the Internet. What can we learn from the experience about communicating with customers during an online disaster? According to experts, having a plan that includes SMS messaging is key.
5 Ways to Use SMS to Save Money and Improve Your Retail Business
Every good retail business owner knows that the key to success is keeping his or her customers happy. Your level of customer service should be all encompassing to succeed and should consist of more than just being polite to the customer at the till.
More People Prefer SMS Loyalty Programmes
Loyalty and rewards programs can help your business retain your best customers. But they only work if customers see your messages and can check their reward status. A new survey shows most people prefer companies use to SMS for loyalty programs. Find out why in this blog.
How 2017 Will Change SMS Marketing
Setting New Year's resolutions for your business can be risky since it feels like you're only really setting yourself up to fail. It's much better instead to try and focus on one achievable goal and do everything to succeed and improve in that area. With its meteoric rise to popularity and outstanding success in 2016, businesses should be using 2017's welcome reprise to integrate SMS marketing into their business development strategy.