Why is SMS Marketing still the cheapest and most effective method for your eCommerce business?

In 2022, the world has around 15 billion active mobile devices. To accompany these devices, there are more than 7.9 billion sim-cards on earth today, which is 103% of the world's population. Globally, 6.4 billion people own smartphones. 

That means an eCommerce Business has the potential to reach a population of 6.48 billion easily, and convert them from prospects to customers while saving up time and effort at the same time. 

That's the power of SMS Marketing. 

SMS Marketing is a 2 decade-old marketing channel that is still as relevant as it was in 1992. It is a growing multi-channel marketing strategy because it's time-saving, scalable, cost-effective and relevant.

SMS marketing or text marketing is the most preferred channel by customers to engage with eCommerce businesses. About 34% of people read their messages within three to five minutes of receiving them. In fact, text messages have a 209% higher response rate than telephones, emails, or Facebook. 

That's not it, there is more to why SMS marketing is still the cheapest and most effective method for your eCommerce. Read on.

What is SMS Marketing?

But first, let's understand, what exactly is SMS marketing?

SMS Marketing is a type of digital marketing channel which helps eCommerce businesses to send information, reminders, updates, and promotional content to their customers or prospects via text message.

It is a hidden gem in the advertising world. However, there's a thin line between Spam marketing and SMS marketing and you would want to make sure you're rightly in the SMS Marketing space.

A study shows that 91% of consumers opt-in for text messages from brands. And that's the key to SMS marketing too - getting permission from the customers. 

eCommerce Businesses send short, precise, and engrossing texts to customers to:

• Boost their Engagement
• Increase brand awareness
• Improve Conversion and upscale revenue

SMS Marketing has great advantages for eCommerce Businesses, especially for B2C businesses. Wait for the best part. 

SMS Marketing is suitable for every scale of business, from small business owners to big MNCs, everyone can utilize its benefits. 

6 reasons why SMS marketing is the best method for eCommerce Business

Here are 6 reasons that make SMS marketing an all-round channel for eCommerce Businesses - 

1. Wider Reach - 

SMS marketing works in favor of businesses of all sizes and scales. This no-bar feature of SMS marketing gets it the most attention. Every business can utilize the perks of such a marketing channel.

We have looked at the number related to phones and sim cards, there is one thing to grasp from it, no matter how many people own smartphones, there is no guarantee of an active internet connection. 

That's when SMS marketing takes over. People may not be able to check emails or online texts timely but they do have a habit of checking text notifications over the mobile network.

A study also shows that approximately 92% of smartphone users still text even after having access to Instant Messaging apps. From Boomers to GenZ, SMS is relevant to everyone.

2. Lightning Fast Delivery - 

Text messages can literally be sent in the blink of an eye. There is no designing required, no printing, and no extra prep time. All you need is a great message that is relatable and personalized for your customer and a click will send it right away to the correct recipients. 

3. Cost-Effective - 

SMS marketing is great for putting marketing strategies in place, and saves time too but how does it affect your finances? 

Positively, for sure. SMS marketing is a happy tale for your ROI. That means, it is relatively inexpensive and generates a lot more than the investment it requires. 

It is much more affordable than compared to other marketing options like Facebook ads etc. 

Bulk SMS alternatives are also available from cloud providers via SMS API or their platform, allowing businesses to reach out to thousands of customers in a few simple clicks. 

4. High Open and Engagement Rate - 

One of the strongest values of SMS marketing is its high open-rate. Once you send your message, it's likely that the customer will open it within 3 minutes. In fact, when received by the customer, text messages are opened 98% of the time. 

Emails can easily be lost in the spam, or in case of no internet connection, can be delivered late. The telephonic intimation also isn't always met as people now prefer text over calls. Despite the challenges faced by other mediums, SMS marketing holds its strong spot. 

Why is that? Well, firstly, people are more habitual to talking over texts now. Secondly, the smart devices instantly pop up the notification which attracts consumers' attention rather quickly. Plus, if the text message is short, direct, and catchy, people are more likely to open it and engage. 

SMS marketing has proven to be cost-effective and result-driven. As per a study, 96% of marketers using text messages said it helped them drive revenue.

5. Efficient for customer service -

Solving queries for your customers over text messages means fewer customer service calls which in turn means less investment in the customer service team. 

That's exactly why SMS marketing is the cheapest and most effective method for eCommerce Businesses. 

It also enables you to offer an amazing customer experience by making their journey smooth. 

You can also utilize the channel to get customer feedback and improve the service with customer suggestions.

6. Mobile Friendly - 

People including you and I, spend most of our time on mobile phones. Sure, we use laptops and other gadgets but mobile phones tops the list always. 

Similarly, people are more likely to browse, engage and purchase via their mobile phones. 

We can see that more than 60% of Google's search traffic is via mobile searches. Hence, catering to a vast audience using mobile phones is crucial, SMS marketing does that for you. 

Using SMS marketing send promotions, updates, links, abandoned cart updates, and tracking details, all on the user's mobile phone and increase your engagement rates and hence conversions. 

Wrapping up - 

Along with the above-mentioned benefits, SMS marketing is also flexible and customizable, strengthens customer engagement, and works well with other types of marketing. The perfect blend of easy usability and pocket-friendly or cost-effective nature is what makes SMS marketing the best method for eCommerce Businesses. 

The success of SMS marketing is claimed by many marketers over the years, Join them today and let us know in the comments how did SMS Marketing work for you.