This holiday season will be the first where mobile texting will play a key role in shaping shopping and buying decisions for today’s convenience-seeking, bargain-hunting consumer. For decades, retailers and companies in a variety of industries have relied on loyalty programs and coupon strategies to attract and retain customers.
However, research indicates that most of these programs have proved to be little more than names in a database.
A 2009 study from marketing research firm Colloquy showed:
• A 25 percent increase between 2006 and 2008 in loyalty program memberships within the United States alone.
• Fewer than 44 percent of loyalty program memberships showed any activity last year.
What is the key to reversing this expensive trend of stagnation? Mobile texting
Mobile texting adds a new and powerful dimension to customer loyalty, and coupon programs. Texting can enable companies to get their brand and services in front of customers any time a mobile phone is in use.
Unlike a card sitting unseen in a purse or wallet, and unlike sales offers that come through the mail or email, a mobile loyalty program can deliver incentives to consumers wherever they are, targeting them for timely promotions.
Using mobile texting programs effectively, requires building a good database of names. Now is the time to build the list so by the time the holiday season rolls around you will have a great customer opted-in database to work with.
SMS Message Pros provides both the list building tools and back-end management platform to launch successful text advertising campaigns using customer opt-in lists.
The conclusion is simple – mobile texting is a key to the future success of loyalty programs.
Efficient, simple and clear communications creates a loyal and active customer base.
Mobile texting gives retailers the tools with which to build this kind of loyalty. Those companies that do not utilize texting this holiday season and become early adopters of this technology will be left to figure out why they have been left behind.
