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How will you apply SMS marketing lessons from the holidays of 2022 to 2023? (Credit: Emmanuel Ikwuegbu on Unsplash)
The use of SMS marketing is steadily increasing, but what role does it play in generating sales for the holiday shopping season? This is the question ecommerce brands have been asking themselves. .
Faced with an uncertain consumer spending outlook this year due to inflation, fluctuating costs, and the performance of trusted marketing channels such as paid social, brands will increase their marketing spend to effectively capture and maximize sales. I was in an unstable situation because I tried to optimize the profit.
After the chaos of November’s holiday shopping season subsided, we found that brands were relying heavily and successfully on email and SMS marketing to boost sales compared to previous years. And while email marketing did a great job during the holiday season, it was SMS marketing that really stood out.
According to data from Omnisend’s 80,000 brand clients, SMS marketing grew 94% year-over-year in 2021 and 47% in the first six months of 2022. We are in a “take the train or get left behind” moment for SMS.
SMS marketing takes hold during the holidays
Our data shows that brands gained momentum in terms of SMS marketing campaigns scheduled in November, sending 64.5% more messages compared to November 2021. Brands doubled as the best shopping days arrived, with Black Friday and Cyber Weekend (Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday) up 47%. This resulted in a 57% and 23% increase in orders, respectively. Overall, SMS orders increased 29% year over year in November.
Black Friday was one of the best performing days in November, with conversion rates 29% higher than the monthly average and generating 136% more orders than the second closest day (the day after Black Friday). Overall, Black Friday accounted for 23.2% of all SMS orders in November.
Automated, behavior-based SMS tells a similar success story. 258% increase in automated messages in 2021. That number has decreased this year as brands use SMS more strategically within automated workflows, such as abandoned cart messages. But the effectiveness of marketing automation is unparalleled.
Automated SMS sends dropped 34% in November, but still saw a 1,600% increase in orders compared to last year. Brands are finding that sending timely and relevant messages based on consumer behavior is well received by shoppers and can have a significant impact on sales.
Toward 2023
We’ve seen SMS marketing evolve over the past few years, and there are no signs of slowing growth. What was once an up-and-coming channel is now a must-have for ecommerce brands. Even as it grows, there are still plenty of opportunities for brands to capitalize on it, especially when combined with an email marketing program.
Here are five benefits that will help brands fully embrace SMS in 2023 and turn new holiday shoppers into loyal customers.
give consumers choice
Shoppers want to choose how and where they interact with brands. Email her marketing is very effective and attractive because consumers choose to receive messages. The same applies to SMS. Only consumers who want to receive them will receive them. Because of this, they tend to respond to messages.
improve your shopping journey
When used with behavioral-based automation, it empowers shoppers with relevant and timely messages. Keep shoppers engaged and lead them to purchase by using SMS with the same workflows as email, such as shopping cart abandonment, welcome messages, and browse abandonment automation.
Improve post-purchase experience
Customers want to know about their orders. Transactional SMS, such as order and shipping confirmation messages, provide transparency and strengthen consumer trust in your brand. Of course, sending a thank-you and first check-in SMS goes a long way too.
Lower retargeting costs
Using SMS and email subscriber data in your retargeting strategy can lower your paid retargeting costs.
Using SMS and email subscriber data in your retargeting strategy can lower your paid retargeting costs. Knowing that shoppers have recently completed purchases or are actively engaging with email and SMS messages (particularly automated messages) can help brands target them in the segments that make up their retargeting ad audience. You can strategically target or exclude shoppers.
Replace email unsubscribe
Email unsubscribe is the nature of business. But just because someone unsubscribes doesn’t mean they don’t want to hear from you again. SMS could become the new preferred opt-in channel. And of course, this direct communication eliminates the need to spend a lot of money on paid reacquisition campaigns on third-party sites.
final thoughts
The rise of SMS marketing is one of them. Brand use and effectiveness during the holiday shopping season are two different things. It is becoming clear by the day that consumers are turning to SMS to make purchasing decisions. SMS he is expected to accelerate further in 2023.
The train is leaving the station and can no longer turn back.
Greg Zakowicz is a Senior Expert in eCommerce. OmniSend
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