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New data, age-old truth: consumers heart convenience

For consumers, life has never been easier – from one-click online shopping to automated banking, everything feels smooth and frictionless. 

It’s no wonder the same consumers want that seamlessness everywhere, all the time – not just when they’re buying from you, but when they’re getting in touch, too. Deliver that, and you’ll be ahead of the game. 

That was our hunch when we surveyed consumers about what they wanted and expected from businesses messaging. Turns out, we were right. And (lucky, lucky you), you get to read those insights too.

Convenient communication builds trust

Face in phone – that’s the reality for most people these days. It’s part of why texting has become a business-comms essential. Texting your consumers has another bonus. It immediately boosts your likability and trustworthiness. A whopping 82% of consumers said offering an SMS option boosted their confidence in the brand. On top of that, 67% had already subscribed to business texts.

Four tips to make texting a part of every day

1. Make it easy to opt-in and out

Aside from all the regulations, getting permission before texting consumers is just good manners. It protects you from being marked as spam and means you know people will be happy to hear from you. Start by adding a mobile phone number option to web forms and make exclusive offers available to people who subscribe.

Once someone is on your list, you want to keep them there. Just under 40% of the consumers said they’d opt out of business texts if they received too many and 25% are out if the texts were irrelevant. So, this one’s easy. Send messages you know will add value to your consumers – make them useful, entertaining or packed with perks. 

2. Use SMS to be useful

Instead of asking them to call or email you, let consumers schedule appointments, learn about changes to products or get service updates by text. 56% of our survey respondents said they check their phones more than six times a day. 86% said they’d had a delivery reminder through SMS and 58% of those said they’d have missed the delivery otherwise. Texts are useful. Sending text means you can get hold of people quickly, and that they have the info they need right where they’re looking already.

3. Put your marketing where their attention is – their phone

People are on the move. They’re out, checking messages at the bus stop, paying bills while waiting for their flat white and scrolling Instagram in front of Netflix. If you want their attention, it has to be on their phone. 82% of consumers said they’d visited a physical or online store after receiving an SMS and 68% had made a purchase after getting a promotional text. 

Texting is a good start, but think about the other apps your customers are using on their phones. Getting onto Facebook, Google and other platforms like WhatsApp means you can stop the scroll wherever your consumer is. If managing messaging across all those platforms sounds exhausting, we don’t blame you. The good news is that there are tools that let you bring them together into a unified inbox – woo!

4. Use SMS to listen

Your customers know exactly how you could improve what you’re doing – have you asked them? Send out a bulk SMS and watch the responses roll in – 76% said they’d give feedback to a company via SMS. Now all you have to do is decide what to ask.

SMS: So Much Simpler

One thing you can be sure of is that consumers love convenience, and SMS delivers it.  It means they get the information they need straight to their pocket, and you build the trust and attention you need to win hearts and grow your brand.