SMS Marketing for the Domestic Pets Market
As a nation, we are well known for our attachment to animals and many of us share our homes with beloved pets. According to the Pet Food Manufacturers Association, in 2016 40% of British households are home to at least one pet and the estimated total pet population was some 57 million animals, although that covers all types and species, including fish, reptiles, birds, rodents as well as cats and dogs. With 24% of households estimated to own dogs, they remain the most popular pets in Britain, closely followed by cats who reside in approximately 17% of households.
For many of us, our pets are considered to be members of our family and we will happily spend money on them to ensure they have happy healthy lives. There is a trend referred to as ‘humanising’ pets, especially dogs and cats, which means people are spending more on accessories and non-food gifts for their pets such as grooming, holidays, day care, toys and clothes. This trend appears to be driving the increase in consumer spending on pets, with the Telegraph reporting in 2015 that spending in this market was set to surpass $7 billion (or 4.6 million GDP).
So with the growth in this market expected to continue not just in the UK but globally, how can businesses selling pet products and services capitalise through SMS text messaging marketing?
SMS Marketing for Pet Products
The obvious product that all pets need is food, which is a huge market in itself, with trends developing in specialist, natural ingredient and organic diets. Then each species of animal requires its own basic accessories such as homes, bedding, bowls and medication, while current trends are creating demand for more luxury items such as designer clothing and ‘beauty’ products. If you run a business selling pet related items then you want to be maximising your sales which is where SMS text messaging marketing can help you. Here are five promotion ideas which could be used in text message campaigns:
- Start a loyalty scheme operated through text messages to encourage return custom. Shoppers tend to be more loyal if they feel they are being rewarded, even if the type of product they buy is something they have to purchase regularly anyway, like pet food.
- Create an exclusive ‘club’ where customers can sign up to receive special discounts or privileges. This could be focussed on higher spending customers who tend to buy more premium or luxury brands to encourage them to buy other related items.
- Update customers on new ranges and give selected ones first choice or exclusive discounts on new items. This will tap into those who like to have the latest fashions or must-have items first.
- Send care or well-being tips, referring the customers back to your phone number or your website for more information and related products. Serves as a reminder to customers of things that might be useful to buy for their pet and of how helpful your business is.
- Offer discounts and promotions by text. This can be planned for specific times to maximise response; for example sending offers on paydays at the end of the month when people are more likely to have disposable income to spend on treats for their pets.
SMS Marketing for Pet Services
Another area that has seen massive growth in recent years is services for pets. From the more traditional services such as vets, dog walking and animal sitting services to grooming, there is now a much wider variety of newer services that can encompass anything from special dog exercise classes to pet weddings. Whatever your own opinion of this may be, they exist because people are prepared to pay for them! Running a pet services business will keep you busy so SMS text messaging marketing is a time and cost efficient way to market your business to the right people. Here are five ideas for promoting your brand through SMS text messaging:
- Promote great customer service and repeat bookings by reminding customers in good time of their animal’s health or well-being needs and inviting them to make appointments.
- Confirm appointments 24-48 hours in advance. This will help reduce wasted time and expense through customer no shows.
- Offer discounts on block bookings or regular bookings, for example; if you offer dog grooming services you could offer a 10% discount if the customer books another 5 regularly spaced appointments.
- Send ‘introduce a friend’ promotions to increase your customer base.
- Advertise other related services or products that you may offer through relevant and targeted care or well-being tips for animals.
These are just some ideas to get you started, your own expertise, a little imagination and SMS text message marketing combined can create successful yet simple and effective ways of improving customer satisfaction, reaching new customers and increasing sales revenue. Don’t forget that you can use SMS text messaging marketing as a quick and efficient way to ask for reviews or feedback on your goods or services. There’s a lot of pets out there with owners willing to spend on them, make sure your business reaches them.
Here at Fastsms, we know exactly what businesses like yours need in order to profit from the power of SMS Marketing. Our low price business bulk messaging packages offer a versatile solution that is fully flexible, highly scalable and can be integrated with all standard CRM systems. To talk to a specialist now, call us on 0800 954 5305 and our award winning customer services team will be happy to help.
Related Articles
Attention! The mCommerce Summit is Happening Now
Mobile Marketer is holding the mCommerce Summit: State of Mobile Commerce 2016 today in New York City. And you'll get to find out what happens when I get back and write about it next week. But today, I'm going to give you a sneak peak at what I'm seeing in New York at this moment. Before I do though, be sure to check our fastsms Twitter feed throughout the day. I'll be sharing the best tidbits as they come up in each session as they happen.
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.
Do This One Thing and You’ll Improve Your SMS Marketing ROI
SMS marketing is not quite like most other marketing. You have such a limited space to get your point across, just 160 characters, more or less. It’s not unlike having to create a print advert for a small space, but somehow it can seem more intimidating. That’s why sometimes it seems like marketers forget one basic rule about writing offers: Always lead with the offer! Sounds simple, right?
SMS Marketing for Garden Centres
Two Companies Using SMS in Surprising Ways
In many ways, SMS messaging is so commonplace people don’t think about it. They just do it. For example, using SMS for mobile marketing in retail is a fairly standard use case whether you’re a company or the consumer. But there are always exceptions – those who innovate when it seems there’s nothing new to be had. Here are two examples of companies from the US using SMS in ways no one else is – yet.
How Text Messages Help Small Shop Owners Build Business
If you are the owner-manager of a UK retail business, then you will know that it’s vital to use every weapon you have available to battle with the big guns on the high street and online. That must include embracing all the advantages modern technology provides, including a communications campaign based on the Short Message Service (SMS) – better known as text messages. Not sure what SMS is about and how it will work for your shop? Then read on, because you are missing a golden opportunity to give your small shop a much bigger presence and outreach.
SMS Marketing for Home Shopping in the Mobile Age
Out-Of-The-Box Thinking in SMS Marketing
Do you know what your customer’s want? Would you ever offer something other than coupons, discounts, or other deals in your SMS marketing? At least one company is giving it a try, and differentiating themselves from the competition. Read the blog for details.
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.
How to use SMS for Highly Targeted Marketing
While brevity might be one of the keys to good advertising, perhaps the most important is to make sure your message reaches the right people. The goal of targeted marketing is not to bombard so many people that some will inevitably listen, but rather to target and nail down your core demographic.