5 Great Ways to Use A2P SMS for E-commerce

Want to conduct effective promotional campaigns, increase customer loyalty, and bolster support? Consider A2P SMS for e-commerce. With an extraordinary array of features and functionalities, there’s no better route for communication than SMS.

There are innumerable opportunities for e-commerce companies to leverage SMS. For newcomers, the possibilities are overwhelming. In this guide, we’re presenting a few use cases popular for E-commerces to get the creative juices flowing. Feel free to get inventive and plan your own unique SMS campaigns.

1) Promote Sales, Products, and Deals

SMS makes it easy to update return customers about new products and services. Due to the high read and open rate of SMS, senders can be certain that their subscribers will read them. Compare this to emails, and it’s easy to see why SMS campaigns are more valuable for brands and their subscribers.

For example, say a customer is an active porcelain doll collector and wants to expand their collection. They love Clayzy Clay’s Porcelain because of the brand’s unique offerings. This enthusiasm makes them a prime target for a well-tuned SMS campaign. Once the customer opt-ins at checkout, they’ll get more texts about Clayzy Clay’s newest products. Now an eager SMS subscriber, they head to Clazy Clay’s website and order more figurines to add to the collection.

On the business side, all Clazy Clay must do is set up the opt-in, verify their number, and send the SMS using Sakari. It’s even easier for customers.

2) Support and Solve Problems

Customers have problems, especially when shipping is involved. The remote nature of e-commerce necessitates a robust and efficient support network, and SMS is a great addition to the support toolset. Allowing for personalized support anytime, e-commerce companies can leverage SMS in many ways.

Say a customer’s porcelain dall is damaged during shipping. With SMS, Clazy Clay has many ways to address the problem. The customer texts Clazy Clay’s phone number. Clazy Clay can use an autoresponder that looks for keywords and is programmed with appropriate responses, such as offering refunds or sending more figurines. If they want to get more personal, they can implement two-way texting to speak directly with the customer.

With integrations, the sky is the limit with support.

3) Create and Complement Loyalty Programs with SMS Messages

Rewarding return customers is a proven route to increasing retention. SMS can work alongside preexisting loyalty programs to provide a unique and engaging rewards experience.

There are several clever ways to get customers involved. Clayzy Clay uses a HubSpot integration to send high-rewards customers discount codes that act as exclusive flash sales. Their customers love it. It’s a cost-effective way to make things a little more interesting for customers and ensure they stay involved.

4) Q&As

Q&A can be automated using SMS. Doing so frees up employee time while helping customers.

For example, say a customer has questions about whether or not the figurines are made by hand. They text the business’ support number, as they’re close to making a purchase, so time is of the essence. The autoresponder looks for the keyword “hand” and informs the prospective customer that they are made by hand by master figure makers.

Should the customer have any more questions, they can also use two-way texting. Employees can use Sakari to answer more complex questions than their autoresponder is programmed to handle. It’s fast, easy, and has a nice personal touch.

5) Ask for Feedback and Surveys to Learn Market Trends

Customer surveys are vital for improving growth and streamlining any business. They allow businesses to directly read into subscribers’ experiences and fix the company’s weak links.

Clayzy Clay Figurines sends an SMS link to an online survey and requests its audience to fill it out. This method is thorough and allows for extensive feedback. Some companies pursue the simplest way, asking subscribers to text back a number between 1-5. Either is perfectly valid and effective.

Use A2P SMS for E-commerce with Sakari

SMS presents a multitude of opportunities for the e-commerce industry, and there’s no better way to take advantage of them than with Sakari. Our exceptional texting platform grants everyone from small businesses to vast enterprises the ability to text customers. Features like two-way messaging, MMS, and app integrations allow for a plethora of A2P SMS functionalities. Roughly 60% of businesses don’t have a plan for SMS mobile marketing, so there’s no better time than the present to get ahead of the competition.

Want to know more about Sakari? Book a demo with us today for a hands-on tour of A2P SMS.