SMS Marketing for Outdoor Furniture Manufacturers & Suppliers

With the cold and snow finally behind us and the clocks an hour forward, most would agree that spring really is upon us. After months of inclement weather, we can finally get back outside and make the most of our gardens and patios. For businesses too, such as bars, restaurants and cafes, it is high time to get that outdoor area spruced up and ready for some sunshine. Whether you manufacture or supply outdoor furniture for the domestic market, the commercial market or even both, SMS Marketing can be a great way to boost sales now that the outdoor season is beginning. Read on for some top tips from our experts.

SMS Marketing for new product notifications

Many companies rely on emails to distribute bulletins and updates about new additions to their ranges. However, with the ever-increasing levels of emails – including spam – that go through the average user’s inbox, there is a greater and greater chance of your marketing efforts being completely missed. In addition, habits are changing and people are now checking their inboxes much less frequently than in the past – meaning that even if they do come across your mailshot, it may be too late for you to beat your competitors.

SMS messaging, on the other hand, is read in almost 100% of cases and usually within just three minutes – meaning not only that your efforts will not be wasted, but they will give you a serious advantage over the competition.

It’s incredibly simple to share information about new products by SMS – all it takes is a message along the lines of:

“Have you seen the new Monaco patio range now available from GardenDining4U? View this set and all the latest products now at gardendining4u.co.uk…”

SMS Marketing allows for clickable links which are supported by the vast majority of mobiles now in circulation, meaning that your customers can instantly view products in your online catalogue from the comfort of the palm – and even take your catalogue outside for a better feel of how your offerings might fit.

Order updates by SMS

Whether you are supplying from stock or manufacturing bespoke furniture to order, SMS Marketing is a great way to make sure your customers know exactly what is happening with their order at any particular time.

First, send a confirmation message as soon as an order is placed. This will reassure customers that everything is in order, as well as help to open them to the idea of receiving messages from you by SMS. Be sure to include an explicit opt-in for SMS Marketing when a new customer to ensure compliance with legislation.

Then, as the order progresses, you can inform the customer. If you are supplying from stock, notifications might typically include when the order is ready for despatch, when it is despatched and confirmation that it has been delivered if appropriate.

As outdoor furniture is both bulky and costly, the likelihood is that the customer will want to make preparations for receiving it; in any case, it is good practice with any kind of business to confirm the delivery date and time slot in advance. SMS Marketing is ideal for this as all it takes is a single message to make sure the customer is fully informed, and you can all but guarantee that it will be seen straight away.

A standard message might read along the lines of:

“Dear Mr Jenkins, your order from GardenDining4U is scheduled for delivery on Monday 9th April 2018 between 7:00 -12:00. Not convenient? Call us on 03333 463 367 to rearrange…”

For manufacturers with higher levels of orders, it is worth considering adding a Virtual Mobile Number to your account to allow message replies, which can make it easier to manage delivery allocations and also improve customer service.

SMS Shortcode/Keyword combinations for mass marketing

If you are planning to allocate budget to a mass marketing with TV, newspaper, online or billboard campaigns, then you can increase conversion rates substantially using a shortcode/keyword combination.

Essentially, this allows customers to respond to a call to action (CTA) that features within the creative such as:

“Get 10% off our spring collection now – text SPRING10 to 87007 to get your voucher code now!”

Alternatively, your intention might be to get customers to request a brochure/catalogue. In this case, the wording might be something like:

“Text SPRING to 87007 to get your spring catalogue now!”

With two-way messaging enabled, SMS could then be used to complete the process by collecting the customer details by text.

The same system can also be used to run a text-to-win competition, which is a great way to increase engagement with the brand.

Customer satisfaction surveys by SMS

Once your customers have made their purchase and received their orders, it is important for the conscientious company to collect feedback and make sure that everything is in order. Although this can be done by online methods or even by telephone, SMS Marketing is by far the easiest way.

The most common way to do this is to devise a questionnaire comprising of up to 5 questions, the answer to which can be ranked on a numerical scale, for example:

“On a scale of 1-5, where 5 is the best, how would you rate the quality of construction?”

Because customers almost always have their mobiles on them and do not have to switch to another device to respond to this kind of survey, it tends to get higher response rates than other approaches. The same is true for both B2C and B2B customers.

Whether you are a bespoke outdoor furniture manufacturer, a retailer or a commercial supplier, SMS Marketing has many applications and offers ease of use and exceptional return on investment. To get started now, call our team of experts on 0800 954 5305.