As U.S. cell phones and mobile devices are increasingly used more for data and less for voice calls, the message to businesses is coming through loud and clear: consumers prefer multiple channel options as they interact with businesses.
Short Message Service, or SMS, is now the most widely used data application across the globe. Businesses that actively incorporate SMS messaging into their consumer communication models are able to reach a wider number of consumers with a variety of useful and timely messages, including appointment reminders, payment notifications, coupons, and more.
The break-through effect of text messaging has proven to be an exceptionally effective communication channel for businesses who wish to communicate quickly and directly with their customers. This method of customer communication has the near immediate effect of increasing customer loyalty as well as driving fresh brand awareness.
Business owners across the U.S. are lagging behind those in the U.K. with respect to adopting text messaging services as a method of consumer communication. Recent consumer research on payment reminder methods shows that one in three consumers choose SMS as their preferred communication channel in the U.K, but only one in 10 chose the same channel in the U.S. Partly, this is due to the fact that text messaging is not yet a service offered by most U.S. companies but that’s rapidly changing – and for good reason.
While consumer research indicates that three quarters of all consumers use coupons to determine shopping decisions, it also revealed that a very high percentage of mobile users would be interested in receiving coupons, special offers, or promotions on their mobiles while shopping. In addition, many businesses are noticing that mobile coupon redemption rates are as high as 25 percent. With coupons delivered in seconds via text messaging software and redeemed by the consumer quickly after, no other advertising channel is currently as effective at reaching interested consumers in a specific context.
E-mails are often lost or overlooked in stuffed inboxes, and with the high level of mobile phone penetration in the U.S., business-to-consumer text messaging is increasingly becoming the most effective method of consumer communication. SMS has the power to help you reach customers with highly effective results, so how are you engaging your customers today?
