You can make countless changes on product pages to optimize your conversion rate. Yet often, all it needs is a simple nudge—a quick reminder text to customers that the product they left in the cart is about to go out of stock or the sale they were waiting for is now live.
Oksana Tsvigun, an eCommerce expert, says, "When executed effectively, nudge marketing can significantly influence purchase behavior across various channels."
In this post, we will explore the type of SMS reminders eCommerce businesses can send and how they can send.
Types of SMS reminders eCommerce businesses can send
Here are some of the must-have SMS reminders for your online store:
1. Abandoned cart SMS reminder
Abandoned cart reminders are a no-nonsense strategy for winning back sales from customers who left their shopping cart in the middle for some reason.
Sending quick abandoned cart reminder texts is effective as they are direct and encourage immediate action. Studies show a well-crafted text can recover up to 58% of these carts, potentially bringing back nearly two out of three lost sales. This means many customers who abandon their carts may return after a text reminder.
Further, high open rates of SMS pose another promising metric.
Sample abandoned cart SMS reminder:
Hi [Customer Name], [Product name] is waiting in your cart. Complete the purchase now and get free shipping! [Link to Cart]
2. Payment SMS reminder
Around 11% of online transactions among eCommerce sites failed in 2023. This failure can significantly impact revenue as customers usually step away from the site after a failure, thinking to try later, and may ultimately forget about the item itself.
A quick reminder text nudges them to complete the purchase in such cases.
Sample payment SMS reminder:
Hi [Customer Name], There was a technical glitch when completing your order payment. Please retry payment now : [Link to payment page].
3. Product restock SMS reminder
Product restock reminders are another great way to increase sales by sending messages to customers who previously expressed interest in an out-of-stock product. It's a proven tactic to regain lost sales due to supply chain issues.
Sample product restock SMS reminder:
Hi [Customer Name], The [Product Name] you were waiting for is back in stock. Order now: [Link to Product Page]
4. Order confirmation SMS reminder
Order confirmation reminders help improve customer experience and gain their trust. It ensures customers get an instant confirmation message with a hint of shipping and further tracking details.
Customers are never left wondering whether the payment they just made resulted in a successful order or not.
Sample order confirmation SMS reminder:
Hi [Customer name], Thank you for purchasing from [Site name], Your order [Order number] is confirmed. We will send a tracking link as soon as the order is shipped.
5. Shipping/Delivery SMS reminder
83% of shoppers look for text updates about their order shipping status. Timely shipping updates are crucial for maintaining customer satisfaction.
A short text message with a tracking link and delivery details goes a long way to win customer trust in the current cluttered market.
Sample shipping/delivery SMS reminder:
Hey [Customer name]: Wohooo! Your order [Order Id] is on the way and expected to arrive by [Tentative delivery date]. Track it here: [Shipping tracking link]
6. Feedback/Review SMS reminder
77% of shoppers specifically seek out websites with ratings and reviews. Having reviews on the website brings more credibility to your store.
Therefore, feedback/review requests are messages customers get after they have received the product. The message contains a link to drop a review on the product/delivery experience.
Sample feedback/review SMS reminder:
Hi [Customer], We hope you are loving your recent purchase. Tap this link [Review link] to drop a review and collect loyalty points
7. Event/Sale SMS reminder
Event/sale SMS reminders are text messages sent to customers to notify them about upcoming events, flash sales, holiday promotions, or special offers.
These reminders are pivotal in increasing the engagement of these promotions and generating more sales.
Sample event/sale SMS reminder:
[Holiday name] Offers Alert! Exciting sales start at [Promotion start date]. Get up to 50% off your favorite products. Start wishlisting now.
8. VIP/Exclusive offer SMS reminder
VIP/Exclusive offers are usually for customers who are part of loyalty programs. These are text messages containing special discounts or early access to some products.
Sample VIP/Exclusive offer SMS reminder:
Hey [Customer name], [Brand name] Summer collection is going to be live soon. As a [Loyalty program ] member, you can access it early here [Collection link]. Get your hands on it before it goes live.
9. Subscription renewal SMS reminder
Some eCommerce brands also offer subscriptions in return for exclusive perks.
One typical example is the famous Amazon Prime program, which provides customers with free shipping. If you offer such subscriptions, you can send text message reminders to customers for renewals.
Sample Subscription renewal SMS reminder:
Hey [Customer name], Your [Subscription program] subscription is about to expire. Renew it now to keep enjoying the perks-> [Payment link]
How to send reminder SMS to eCommerce consumers
For brands seeking to maximize customer engagement, follow this six-step process to create a robust SMS reminder system:
1. Choose an SMS marketing software
The first step is to choose an SMS marketing software that will enable you to send reminders.
Key features to look for in an SMS marketing platform are:
- Supporting segmenting users based on demographics, user activity, and order history
- Allowing to send automated messages based on user actions
- Allowing to send ad-hoc messages when required
- Providing inbuilt reports to draw campaign insights.
2. Integrate SMS marketing software with your eCommerce platform
When you have identified the SMS marketing software, you can integrate it with your Shopify store/eCommerce platform. After integration, the marketing software gets the base customer data to begin sending any reminders.
Further, marketing software also offers customizable sign-up forms to make it easy for customers to subscribe to reminders.
3. Segment your audience
To send effective reminders, you have to segment your SMS list based on user activity, purchase history, location, and more.
When you have well-defined segments, you can send relevant reminders to specific segments.
4. Set up automated SMS triggers
There are two types of reminders. First, there are automated reminders, where you set up a user action to trigger an automated reminder, such as cart abandonment.
In this case, an SMS marketing software tool allows you to set up triggers and automated messages for those triggers.
5. Setup ad-hoc campaigns
The second type of reminder is ad-hoc, which is sent on a need basis.
For instance, reminders for events/flash sales/exclusive offers are ad-hoc whenever these campaigns are planned. For these campaigns, you can send scheduled ad-hoc messages targeting a specific segment of users in the marketing software.
6. Test and optimize
Lastly, don't forget to track key KPIs of reminders, such as open rate, click rate, converted rate, and revenue. This information will help you identify what's working and what's not for sending more effective reminders.
Benefits of sending SMS reminders for eCommerce businesses
Now, let us discover the powerful impact of SMS messaging on your brand's bottom line. Here are the key advantages outlined below:
1. Reduce cart abandonment
Sending cart abandonment reminders is a simple tactic to regain lost sales. For instance, Southwestern outfitters Boot Barn observed a 12% lift in captured revenue through such campaigns.
2. Faster resolution of payment issues
Automated payment reminders can bring back the customers who left the cart due to payment issues.
For instance, businesses using automated reminders achieved up to a 50% increase in payment rates compared to those who did not utilize such reminders.
3. Boost sales and revenue
Most types of reminders (abandoned cart, product restock, offers, etc.) are a simple way to gain sales. Every conversion increases the overall revenue of the business.
4. Improve customer experience
Regular reminders on orders and shipping status improve the customer experience. Customers who receive SMS delivery notifications report a 97% satisfaction rate, as it keeps them informed in real time.
Customers do not have to wonder where their product is or have to go back to the app/website again and again to check the status. They can stay assured that the brand will keep them posted.
5. Enhance retention and loyalty
SMS reminders help in running effective loyalty programs. To build long-term brand loyalists, you can send text messages to keep customers posted on updates (increase in points, exclusive offers, etc).
Plus, note that 75% of customers like receiving personalized SMS offers from brands they’ve purchased from before.
6. Encourage reviews and feedback
Sending reminder texts gives quick nudges to customers to drop feedback. People are more likely to leave reviews immediately after a positive experience, especially if incentivized. The nudge provides that little push or perk required.
Automate SMS reminders and alerts with Plivo CX
Plivo CX is a cloud-based, omnichannel marketing automation platform that can help you send timely alerts/SMS reminders.
We offer no-code Journeys, where you can drag and drop to set automated SMS. Set up the trigger, define the SMS, and let the system run on autopilot.
Apart from the convenient journey creation, Plivo CX also supports:
✅Getting customers to opt-in
✅Segmenting subscribers for personalized reminder texts
✅Creating SMS reminder content for campaigns using in-built templates and AI copywriter
✅Scheduling ad-hoc SMS reminders with AI assistance
✅Launching campaigns with ease
✅Building reports to track open rates, click rates, and conversion rates of SMS reminders
Further, we do not rely on external carriers; instead, we use our own premium carrier network. This enables you to send high-volume SMS reminders to over 220 countries/territories with higher deliverability for as little as $0.0054.
You can also cut down your SMS marketing campaign costs by 70%!
Want to automate SMS reminders?
Sign up today to explore the powerful features of Plivo CX.
