According to Econsultancy, this year in the UK online retail sales are expected to hit £52.25bn (a massive 16.2% increase on 2014). On top of this, the average UK consumer is predicted to spend £1,174 online in 2015, making us the most frequent online shoppers in Europe.
As more of us are shopping online it’s not just our spending habits that are on the rise, our expectations are too! With this in mind, here’s 4 ways SMS can help retailers to deliver an efficient and hassle-free experience for their customers:
1. Going above and beyond
When people can find everything they would ever want (and more) online, good customer service is not just desirable it’s expected. 94% of consumers who have a hassle-free service experience will buy from that company again (CEB), so not meeting these expectations can have a serious impact on sales.
Let your customers know when their order is being shipped, send delivery confirmations and allow them to change their delivery time via text message. You can also engage in two-way conversations via SMS to resolve any problems quickly and easily.
2. More effective communication
Most retailers use email to communicate with their customers about their order, but why stop there? SMS is the perfect channel to either accompany or replace your email communication.
SMS has near perfect open rates at 98% compared to an open rate of 22% for email (Frost & Sullivan), on top of this 90% of text messages are read within 3 minutes (mobileSQUARED). The instant nature makes text messaging ideal for sending time-sensitive delivery updates and answering customer queries or complaints quickly.
3. Add that personal touch
When a purchase is being done over a computer, tablet or even mobile there is no human interaction. By sending a text message direct to your customers’ phone, personalised with their name and order number, it gives their order that personal touch.
4. The possibilities are endless
Retailers can use SMS in lots of different ways to enhance the online experience they provide – it’s time to get creative! Get customer feedback instantly by using SMS surveys, you could even offer a special discount code once the survey has been completed. Send text messages to boost your sales by sending an automated message once an item is back in stock or encourage customers to complete their purchase by reminding them what is in their basket.
To keep your customers happy you need your communication to be fast and reliable. Here at Esendex, we’ve got direct connections to all the major networks so you can count on us.
