As a busy online store receiving a bucket load of orders by the hour, you might not have much time to think about how you communicate with your customers once they have ordered from you!
For many businesses, email is the obvious option; it is cheap, everyone else does it and all of your customers have an email address. But that is exactly the problem – because everyone else uses email, your communications get buried meaning that you have no customer service!
According to MailChimp, only 17.35% of eCommerce emails get opened. Ultimately, this means that, if you currently use email for order updates then these communications are potentially reaching less than 1 in 5 customers.
The benefits of SMS order notifications for eCommerce
Using SMS texts for customer service is a brilliant way to add customer value to eCommerce for these 7 reasons:
1. SMS gets seen
If you’re a regular reader of the FireText blog then you’ll probably have seen the following statistic before, but as it is one of our favourites we thought we would remind you! SMS order notifications have a staggering open rate of over 98%. Sending text messages ensures that your customers stay updated at every stage of the ordering and delivery process.
2. SMS is instant
At a time when customers have handed over money and they are eagerly waiting for news on their order, there is no better time to use SMS as a communication tool. Over 90% of texts get read within 5 minutes. Your customers will appreciate the instant updates.
3. Time to get personal
Mobile phones are very personal devices. Using SMS for order updates shows you care and will build deep trust and loyalty. It enables eCommerce businesses to give that human touch with every transaction – just like shopping in store.
4. We hear wedding bells!
SMS is the perfect marriage for mobile commerce. With the growth of mobile commerce more of your delightful consumers are purchasing through their smartphones. Communicating with them through a method that is more smartphone friendly simply makes sense.
5. SMS doesn’t rely on internet access
Some smartphone users turn their internet off in order to save battery. Others simply don’t have 3G or 4G signal. SMS overcomes these techy issues!
6. Be different
SMS order notifications make your brand stand out from the crowd. With so many online stores communicating solely through email, SMS is a great way for your customers to acknowledge you.
7. Opening the door for future marketing opportunities
Once your existing customers have received customer service texts they are more responsive to future promotional texts that add value. For example, you could send a loyalty coupon with an embedded URL code to your online store.
The end result…
SMS gives you a greater ability to keep customers informed in a way that is personal and enables you to engage with them throughout the order process. This not only leads to increased satisfaction – but also increased sales.
If you are interested in using text marketing for your eCommerce store then check out our existing integrations