SMS for ecommerce

Add a modern communication channel to connect with your customers. Text messaging can power an increase in sales, brand awareness, and customer satisfaction. Get started with Textline’s SMS platform today.
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What is ecommerce SMS?

SMS for ecommerce allows online stores to text their customers directly. It’s a great way to cut through the noise and get your message read. With SMS, you can send order confirmations, shipping updates, discounts, and more to your customer's mobile phone. Ecommerce text messaging can improve customer satisfaction and boost sales.

<span class="text-center">The power of ecommerce SMS</span>

Gain a competitive edge

SMS is a modern and convenient way for businesses to reach customers. In fact, 61 percent of customers want the ability to text with businesses. SMS for ecommerce gives you the ability to meet customer preferences and gain a competitive edge. Texting allows you to reach your customers directly on their mobile phones to cut through the noise, quickly answer questions, and promote your products and services. 

By implementing SMS you can stand out from the competitors to encourage customers to purchase your products, keep them informed about shipments, or quickly respond to customer questions. This can lead to higher sales and enhanced customer satisfaction.

Strengthen communication with customers 

SMS for ecommerce can help you enhance communication with customers. By sending timely updates and reminders, you can keep your customers informed about their purchase. This can reduce customer churn and encourage loyalty. 

Improve marketing campaigns

SMS marketing campaigns perform well. In fact, they generate a higher order rate than email campaigns. That’s because SMS has a 98 percent open rate and you can build a really engaged SMS subscriber list.  

Additionally, running marketing campaigns on social media can be expensive, and you have little to no control over who sees your ads. You have complete control over who receives your SMS messages, so you can target your marketing efforts accordingly. This can lead to higher sales and profits for your ecommerce business. 

Enhance timing of promotional messages 

With SMS, you can send timely alerts, updates, and promotions to your customers. That’s because the majority of text messages are read within five minutes. By sending SMS messages at the perfect time, you can encourage more customers to purchase your products and services. SMS is great for sending new product drops, discounts, and abandoned cart reminders.

Amplify customer service 

SMS is also a great communication tool to add to your customer service team. Let customers text in questions about your product, service, or shipment details, and answer them within minutes. This is a convenient way for customers to get the answers they need. Our two-way messaging service lets your support team engage in one-on-one conversations with customers.

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How ecommerce messaging works

Ecommerce text messaging is a communication tool. It allows ecommerce companies to reach customers on their mobile phones.There are many use cases for ecommerce SMS. This includes sending order confirmations, shipping updates, and special offers.

Textline's ecommerce messaging solution helps businesses manage mobile communication in a single dashboard. Manage channels like Facebook, Instagram and SMS from our platform. Plus, send mass text messages, run surveys, and create groups of contacts with ease.

Key benefits of ecommerce SMS marketing

<span class="text-center">If you're not already leveraging the power of ecommerce SMS, here's why you should start.</span>

Increase sales through text messaging 

SMS for ecommerce helps boost sales. A majority of people check their phones 344 times a day, which makes SMS an effective way to get promotional messages read to drive conversions. 

Build brand awareness 

Ecommerce SMS allows you to reach many contacts at once with targeted messages that promote your brand. SMS helps ecommerce businesses stand out and reach contacts quickly, which can build awareness and create a positive perception. SMS is also a great way to reach new customers and generate leads. 

Cost effective marketing

Costing just pennies per message, SMS marketing is affordable and can result in a great ROI for ecommerce brands. It allows businesses to reach customers with messages that get read.

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Why ecommerce companies should text

70%

of businesses want to add SMS marketing for its high engagement rate. — Forrester

20%

of customers made a purchase after receiving a text from a small business. — Constant Contact

52%

of customers are most likely to opt into texts from retail and ecommerce stores. — SimpleTexting

Simplified phone number registration for ecommerce

Any ecommerce business wanting to text customers or leads must first register their phone number. This is an industry-wide requirement mandated by mobile carriers. To register, ecommerce businesses need to submit information about their brand and texting use case. Mobile carriers verify the information submitted.

While this process may sound like a hassle, Textline makes it easy for all customers. Textline lets users register in app. All businesses need to do is fill out our built-in compliance form. From there, Textline submits the information to the proper parties on your behalf.

Another benefit is that Textline users can access the platform while waiting for carrier approval. You can craft text templates, add your teammates, and set up automations.

SMS marketing for ecommerce use cases

<span class="text-center">Check out a few ways ecommerce brands commonly use SMS.</span>

Order confirmations 

After a customer places an order on your ecommerce site, send them an SMS order confirmation. This is a great way to keep customers informed and reduce customer churn. 

New product launch

Promote new products or service offerings via SMS. Announcing new products to your target market directly on their cellphones can encourage purchases. 

Returns and other customer requests  

If a customer needs to return an item, ecommerce SMS can help you manage the process. You can send updates and reminders via SMS to keep them informed. SMS also allows you to quickly answer customer inquiries. 

Send shipping updates 

Keep customers informed about key shipping and delivery details by sending text message updates. Customers want to know when their packages are arriving, and SMS makes this process easy and convenient. 

Upsell or cross-sell products  

Enhance your ability to upsell or cross-sell with SMS. For example, if a customer buys a dress, send a promotional text suggesting a matching pair of shoes at a discount. 

Customer satisfaction surveys 

Do you want to gather critical feedback from customers about their buying experience? Use SMS surveys to gauge customer satisfaction and find areas to improve as a business.

Abandoned cart reminders

Use SMS to send abandoned cart reminders to customers to encourage them to complete a purchase. These reminders can greatly increase sales.

Request customer reviews

Use SMS to get more customer reviews. The reality is 9 in 10 customers read reviews before purchasing a product. These reviews will help your online store build credibility.

Share exclusive offers

Use SMS marketing to share exclusive offers with your SMS subscribers. Give them a dollar-off coupon, share a limited discount code, and more via SMS.

Restock alerts

Let customers know when a product is back in stock via SMS. This will encourage customers to buy the newly restocked product. 

<span class="text-center">SMS compliance and ecommerce</span>

While SMS for ecommerce is a powerful marketing tool, it's important to comply with the applicable laws and regulations. This includes the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Under the TCPA, businesses must obtain consent from customers before sending them SMS messages and must provide a way for them to opt-out at any time.

Textline helps our customers stay compliant with these laws and regulations.

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Why ecommerce brands can trust Textline

Textline HQ are ALWAYS quick to respond whenever I have a question or need help with anything! I am super grateful and love using this platform to send messages for my company!

— Vanessa P., Trustpilot

Wonderful tool for communication with our clients - not everyone has access to a laptop or computer and our customers love having the ability to check status and ask quick questions.

— Chrisoula F., Trustpilot

I love Textline! They save so much time, everything is so easy and quick. I would totally recommend it!

— Angela T., Trustpilot
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Additional resources for ecommerce stores

Easily integrate ecommerce and SMS

Integrate your ecommerce SMS marketing campaign with the tools you’re already using. We integrate with top CRM and customer support platforms to enhance your texting strategy.

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Why use Textline as your SMS service for ecommerce

When it comes to SMS, Textline is the industry leader. We offer robust SMS solutions that can help you increase sales, improve customer communication, and boost brand awareness. With Textline, you can send mass text messages to your customer base, run surveys to gather customer sentiment, and use two-way texts to build customer relationships. Plus, all text communication can be managed from one centralized dashboard. See firsthand how Textline can help your ecommerce business scale. Start your free 14-day trial today.

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Still have questions? Text us: +1 415-849-4349 or contact us here.