How to use SMS and Chat Commerce for Brand Exposure and Sales

“Consumers pick m-commerce again and again as their preferred channel for shopping. By 2024, global retail m-commerce sales are expected to reach nearly $4.5 trillion, and make up 69.9% of total retail e-commerce sales.” Future of Commerce 

Whatever way you look at it, $4.5 trillion is a lot of cash, but retailers looking to get in on the action need to be giving consumers what they want – and that’s mobile shopping. Chat Commerce, which facilitates a complete shopping experience via SMS or WhatsApp, is the best way to accomplish this. Chat Commerce can provide companies with global reach, enable customised marketing and customer interactions, and is a cost-effective solution overall. Here’s how Chat Commerce is giving companies that much-needed head start through its complete retail digital experience. 

Why SMS is great for retail

You might think of SMS as a communication tool from a bygone era, but the statistics indicate that this is still a much-used communication platform. Here are a few statistics to convince you of its prevalence:

• The number of people using mobile phones was almost 5.3 billion in July - 67% of the world's population.

• SMS open rate (how many messages are actually opened): 98%

• Customers who have a positive perception of businesses using SMS: 91%

• Customers who accepted to receive SMS: 55.9%

• Customers become eager to purchase more if they get MMS: 51.1%

• Customers who think SMS marketing is the best way of communication for businesses: 58%

• Retailers who enhanced customer experience or raised profits using SMS: 79%

Sources: www.getponyexpress.com, www.stockapps.com 

How SMS has shifted for business

The reason many people have overlooked SMS as a leading communication platform is that it’s shifted from only being a person-to-person app to being an impactful business-to-customer app. And customers are happy with this. They’d prefer to be contacted by businesses via SMS rather than almost any other channel.

But for a business to individually contact its customers via SMS would be unfeasible, which is where SMS integration comes in. This is a web-based SMS management system that allows you to scale up operations, sending bulk SMS texts at one time. This is most often done through an SMS gateway API (Application Programming Interface) – a software intermediary that allows two applications to communicate.

What are the features of SMS API integration:

• You’re able to send bulk SMS messages online to your customers

• You’re able to email your SMS gateway

• You’re able to send bulk messages from Microsoft Excel

• You can offer toll-free SMS support to your customers

• You can create contact lists for bulk SMS messages

• You can send MMS (multimedia messages)

• You can automate your bulk SMS

• You can send and receive messages to customers in real-time

How does SMS API increase brand exposure and sales?

There are many ways that SMS API is able to drive your sales through increased brand exposure. Here’s a look at some of them. 

1. Learn your audience

One of the most valuable assets in modern business is data, and the SMS gateway connects you directly with your customers’ valuable data. They’re able to communicate with you through 2-way SMS and, through such engagements, you can learn more about them. When they use Chat Commerce for purchases, you gather further data on their product preferences.

2. Use your customer insight

This information you’ve gained about your customers can then be used for more tailored communication, bringing you closer to them via SMS. You can also configure your SMS API to send replies to emails so that no query goes unanswered. Additionally, you can use SMS API to easily create groups and quickly send messages about deals or specials that will interest them. It’s just a case of loading mobile numbers into the software. 

3. Get a bigger audience

You can’t get brand exposure without building your audience, and your SMS gateway allows you to do just this. You don’t have to consider only the local market anymore; SMS API opens up your customer base to the rest of the world using mobile phones – and that’s billions of people! Bulk SMS messaging is an extremely cost-effective way of connecting with international audiences and you can be assured that they will open them, often within 90 seconds of receiving the message. 

4. Enjoy a higher level of engagement

We’ve shown how many people use SMS and how frequently, so when you add brand communication into the mix, you realise the potential for brand exposure. People are checking their mobile phones an average of 80 times a day – that’s a lot of opportunity to get noticed! 

5. Simplicity of setup

SMS and Chat Commerce is also such a great way to gain brand exposure because it’s so simple to set up. SMS API works in combination with other channels so that you can integrate and consolidate operations, targeting customers more effectively. 

Why use Clickatell’s Chat Commerce?

“87% of consumers spend less or completely leave brands that don’t provide great customer service.” – The Future of Commerce

Integrating Clickatell’s Chat Commerce, which includes SMS gateway and SMS API, is enabling customers to connect with you on platforms they want. This is a comprehensive retail digital experience, from product discovery through to purchase, all facilitated on a mobile phone. They’re benefitting from a personalized customer experience that the modern consumer demands. 

The SMS integration service provided by Clickatell allows you to reach and engage with 90% of the world’s population in real time. Clickatell is also able to expand your brand reach to consumers in over 220 territories and over 1 000 networks. This kind of reach is definitely powerful for your business marketing. With Chat Commerce, today’s mobile-first, mobile-always customers enjoy convenient digital customer support, account management, and transaction services from within chat. It’s time to put your brand in the chat apps that your customers know and love.