Last month we explored the top five benefits of text marketing and why your business needs to get in on the SMS act. For those that missed it, we looked at the vast reach text marketing serves up, how it boosts conversion rates, the cost being low, maintaining in control and why it’s a valuable business tool.
This month continues the conversation on text marketing as we look at some key examples of putting it into practice, as well as next steps through RetailSystem’s very own text marketing service – it’s really easy to use, really simple to get going and really fast at getting results.
But before we dive into all that, here’s a quick reminder of the key stats behind the strategy. Around 72% of UK consumers made online purchases via a smartphone in Q3 2024, with 40% of consumers finding it convenient for mobile purchases, while according to the World Economic Forum, SMS has a 98% open rate and a 45% response rate – compared to email which is around 20% or 6%.
Around 90% of users open a text within three minutes of receiving it and 94% of consumers prefer SMS above any other communications channel including email, letter and phone call. The data also outlines that 79% of consumers would consider purchasing a product from a marketing message received via SMS (or WhatsApp), and 90% say personalised messages encourage them to act.
This brings us nicely to the main focal point of this article. What types of text marketing messages are there? The quick answer – there are various formats for a text marketing strategy and we’re going to explore these right now. Here’s eight examples to get the cogs turning and light bulbs brightening.
- The flash sale message
This type of short and sweet text is a great way to promote one-off flash sales or promotional events – think ‘Summer Sale’, ‘Black Friday’, ‘Bank Holiday Bonanza’ – you get the idea. Keep it snappy, concise and creative with an actionable link to seize the moment.
- The hype-up message
Perhaps this should be point one as you need to generate some hype before firing off a promotional event – right? Right. It’s good practice to create a few text promos of said ‘flash sale event’ in the build up to the moment. This generates an appetite and can help with conversions. It also allows customers to think a little before being star-struck by your mega sales opportunity. This means it will become a considered purchase.
- The feedback message
Just like generating a buzz for a promo event, text marketing can also be a useful tool for gathering feedback, engaging with your audience to better serve them. Find out what worked, what they like or don’t like, then implement it into your next campaign.
- The back-in-stock message
We’ve all been there, right? Looking for a product, deciding you want that product but then finding out it’s not in stock. Capture those customers with specific requirements and alert them when everything aligns. It can even work if a certain product has a longer than usual lead time – if it improves, notify your audience. It’s a gentle yet effective way to re-engage past visitors.
- The giveaway message
This is straightforward enough. Create giveaway campaign via text marketing to engage with customers. It could link in with a promotion or sale event, or perhaps with another local store to create a bit of community camaraderie. Offering something for free usually gets customers on the hook, then while you’re reeling them in, find out what other products best fit their needs.
- The welcome message
Again, another one that could be first on the list, but with this type of marketing message, it’s all about creating a good first impression when a customer signs up for your list. Think about what to include in your welcome message and how often you would like to send it – it could one aimed at a general welcome, a second on some current deals on offer and potentially a third notifying them about any upcoming events – which links into the building the hype as we discussed earlier. Whatever you do, don’t just send a simple ‘Hi, thanks for signing up’ bore-fest message. It will get forgotten pretty quickly.
- The abandoned cart message
This one is for customers who have added items to their cart online but not complete the transaction. There could be a number of reasons for this, so creating an abandoned cart message that acts as a gentle reminder of products still ready to purchase can help customers react and actually complete the sale.
- The bundle message
Another fun way of text marketing is by cross-selling products to boost strategic upselling. For customers that have recently purchased, this is all about maintaining that engagement and interaction, identifying similar products that fit their original purchase as a suggestion. Furthermore, it also allows an opportunity to bundle items of the same nature into the conversation – raising awareness of other products that the customer may not have thought about or forgotten.
What next? Send a text!
Sending a text couldn’t be easier through FurnitureTexts, powered by RetailSystem. Here’s why:
Rapid Setup: With RetailSystem’s intuitive interface and setup guide, your campaign can be live within minutes — including scheduling by time zone and targeted customer filters.
Fully GDPR Compliant: FurnitureTexts includes built-in tools for list management, opt-outs, and consent logging, so your customer data stays compliant and clean.
Flexible & Cost-Efficient: Campaign creation is free. You’re only charged when a message is sent — keeping your marketing spend lean and targeted.
Exceptional Engagement: SMS campaigns consistently outperform other channels, with open rates above 90% and significantly higher response rates than email or social media promotions.
To setup a Text Campaign only takes a few moments with the RetailSystem ‘step by step’ guide. What’s more, setting up a promotion is completely free and you will only be charged once a promotion is sent out. It’s time to text and supercharge your summer sales.