6 TIPS on how to use SMS reminders in e-commerce
According to e-commerce experts, the top 7 reasons why shoppers abandon their shopping carts include:
- High shipping costs or unexpected checkout charges
- No guest registration/checkout option
- Long and/or confusing checkout process
- Website errors and crashes
- Payment security concerns
- Not being ready to make a purchase
- Want to save products for later consideration
But as a retailer, the frustration of having a customer so close to the checkout (only to back out at the last minute) is real. While the above reasons provide clarity, they don’t tell you how to cut to the root of the issue. There’s only so much you can do about shipping costs and website bugs. But you can always push the customers by sending them time-to-time reminders to complete their check-out process. The most cost effective way of doing so, is Bulk SMS service.
Abandoned cart text messages are a great way to encourage customers to complete their orders. Text reminders are standard practice across industries, but they’ve found their perfect match in e-commerce. There are a few ways you can use texts to help your abandoned cart recovery strategy.
1. Send Friendly Reminders
There’s a chance that carts are abandoned because your customers simply forgot about it. In this case, all they need is a gentle reminder to revisit your site. You can use SMS messages as a tool to send these reminders. If you include a link to your checkout page, you can be sure to track it to follow through and tier your responses accordingly to who did or did not take action!
2. Provide Customers With Coupons or Discount Codes
While you may not know why a customer abandoned their cart, approaching the situation with a benefit is a safe way to serve the situation. Offering coupons or free shipping can cut costs, alleviate tension, and create a sense of urgency for a buyer who might be on the fence! It will also do wonders for your conversion rates.
3. Ask Them if They Have Any Questions?
A customer may love a product, but their lingering questions can cause them to pause on purchasing. Questions tend to result in inaction. Help give your customers the nudge they need by proactively asking them in you can answer any questions about the products in their cart.
In addition to these strategies, here are some other abandoned cart best practices to keep in mind when you’re writing your texts:
- Have a clear call to action (CTA)– The heart of your message should always give customers an explicit action to take (click this, call this, reply this….)
- Promote scarcity– Customers abandoning carts implies that they’re okay with the risk of an item disappearing on them. You want to ensure that customers feel a little bit of that pressure by letting them know the item won’t last forever. Come at your customer with an act now approach. Words like “items going fast” and “your cart is expiring” are non-confrontational ways to inspire scarcity.
- Keep it simple– Your abandoned cart text message isn’t the time to push your other sales agendas. You want to keep your customers focused on their one purpose: the abandoned cart.
Learn more about the benefits of Bulk SMS Services can provide to your business. Contact us at +91 9727010583 for adding SMS Campaigns and IVR solutions to your portfolio.
