A quick online search for the words ‘SMS marketing apps’ will show you thousands of options as of today. The sheer number of SMS marketing apps out there is going to leave you overwhelmed and confused.
And their number is multiplying like rabbits.
Thanks to the almost magical potential of SMS, everyone wants a bite from the same pie. With a 90% open rate, more than 45% click through rate and almost instant open time of 1 to 3 minutes, it’s obvious SMS marketing is one of the most effective communication channels to tap into in 2022.
But that’s only happening if you choose the best Shopify SMS marketing app for your store.
Having worked with thousands of online stores in the last year, TxtCart has risen up the ranks of an SMS marketing app that not just ‘works’ but delivers real results in terms of customer engagement, conversions and sales.
Here are eight reasons to consider TxtCart for your store.
8 reasons to consider TxtCart for Shopify SMS marketing
1. Follow up on abandoned checkouts.
Hundreds of online stores. Thousands of products for consumers to choose from. Marketing efforts slipping through the cracks. Increasing number of cart abandonments. (The average rate: 69-80%)
For many online stores, this is a regular story. And it’s stressful. It affects revenue generation, profits, and the overall performance.
SMS having the highest open rate, it’s no surprise that it has found a key role to play in reviving abandoned cart sales.
As SMS became a must-have for eCommerce, one tool that became synonymous with cart recovery is TxtCart.
The app’s features are built keeping in mind cart recovery goals of online stores.
- TxtCart’s cart recovery flows send follow-up messages to eligible SMS subscribers based on your configured timing and settings.
- With two-way SMS marketing, shoppers can reply to a recovery message and ask questions before returning to buy.
- When AI responses are enabled, the AI Agent uses your knowledge base and enabled skills to answer shopper questions.
- Next, the app lets you offer incentives to entice shoppers back to your site. This incentive is of course based on what you want to offer
- When a conversation needs human attention, the AI Agent hands it to your team and stops responding so a person can take over.
2. Two-way SMS marketing campaigns
A study by Gartner says, “By 2022, 70% of customer interactions will involve technology, apps, chatbots, and mobile messaging.”
Consider this: You sent out promotional messages for a new collection you added on your Shopify store. And? That’s it. Your marketing strategy ended on that one-way track.
In today’s day and age of advanced technology and multiple communication tools, you might come across as arrogant or too salesy if you only speak at your customers and don’t allow them to say something back.
TxtCart lets shoppers reply to your messages and ask questions. Where AI responses are enabled, the AI Agent can answer supported questions, with your team taking over when human attention is needed.
Here’s what you can do with a two-way campaign with TxtCart:
- Use the AI Agent to answer supported shopper questions when AI responses are enabled.
- Your team can take over conversations that need a person.
- Customers get to ask questions, clear their doubts, gain more information
- More conversations mean more persuasion, conversions and sales
Ta-da!
3. Segmentation
Personalization of SMSes to your customers is important.
Let’s back this up: A study conducted by the University of Texas reveals that people prefer personalized marketing messages because it makes them feel more in control. Moreover, in this age of information overload, it means they only receive relevant information. No fluff.
This brings us to one of the first steps to begin personalization – segmentation. And here’s where the real beauty of TxtCart lies.
The app lets you upload segmented lists of shoppers based on different factors:
- The stage at which they are in their journey with your brand
- The interaction they’ve had with your brand
- Their past purchase behavior
- Their preferences for personalization
You can then send targeted and personalized messages to the different segments, which increases the chances of conversions on your SMS marketing campaigns.
That said, the app is built with an understanding that marketing SMSes aren’t only about conversions as soon as possible; they’re equally about communicating more effectively and offering a good customer experience.
4. Powerful analytics
No matter what strategy and method you use for your marketing campaigns, there’s one aspect marketers swear by… analytics.
Analytics help you understand what is working for you, and what is not. Based on that, you would either continue with your strategy or make changes.
TxtCart’s powerful analytics system makes it easy.
- The dashboard is easy to understand
- It enables you to keep a tab on customer opt-ins
- You can review shopper conversations and your team’s replies in Conversations.
- Track the orders placed through SMS campaigns
Here’s a peek into its minimal, clear design:
5. Generate one-time discounts
So you’re all set with your Shopify store SMS marketing campaign, and your Shopify agency has everything running smoothly? Great!
Customers start trickling in. Add products to their carts. Some buy. Many abandon it. Oops!
What do you do? To entice them, you offer them a discount on the item.
But wait a second…
You forgot to figure out how you’ll generate unique promo codes.
Don’t fret. TxtCart has you covered.
Here’s what all the app is designed to do for you:
- Generates unique one-time promo codes
- Maintains branding with custom cart short URLs
- Keeps an eye on real-time conversations with the customers
- Shares in-depth insights from conversions
Here’s how it happens:
6. Integrations for your Shopify setup
It goes without saying that none of your marketing campaigns have to work in silos. In this advanced technological age, integration is key. How well your tools and systems integrate can make or break your business. TxtCart supports Shopify and Shopify Plus, with specific technical integrations documented in its Help Center.
The advantages of TxtCart integration are immediate:
- The app offers a plug and play solution for SMS marketing for Shopify stores
- Integration compatibility depends on your checkout setup. Confirm your requirements with TxtCart support before relying on a third-party connection.
- TxtCart’s Help Center lists technical integrations with CartHook and Zipify. It identifies third-party apps that redirect customers during checkout as unsupported integrations.
7. Tools to support SMS compliance
Here’s a scenario – you send out marketing SMSes to a list you “found” somewhere. Next thing you know you’re slapped with a hefty fine. Why? Because you can’t just send marketing messages to people.
The right method to go about SMS marketing is to comply with privacy and security rules and stay with the legal guidelines laid down to protect customers’ data and privacy. SMS marketing compliance is an absolute must. TxtCart provides tools to support compliance, but using the platform does not guarantee legal compliance.
- Merchants remain responsible for meeting the laws and messaging requirements that apply to their SMS programs.
- TxtCart provides opt-out handling and quiet-hours settings to support your messaging program.
- Your store must obtain appropriate consent, maintain consent records and configure its messaging correctly.
8. Send reminders and win back texts
If you’re a growing Shopify store, you know how stressful growth can get. From just a couple of customers, you now have hundreds, and more. Your work keeps compounding and you need a better system to make it manageable.
If you fail to manage your workstreams, it will directly affect your customers’ experience and you might start losing them. Customer retention is important. For every business.
61% of retail companies cite customer retention as their biggest challenge.
How can you boost customer retention for your Shopify store?
In comes TxtCart to change the game for you!
- The app lets you send reminder and win-back texts to eligible subscribers
- You can set up reminders and win back texts based on different customer segments
- The app enables you to send texts instantly or schedule them for later
- It makes customer retention activities less stressful and more manageable
Wrap-up
We’ve just scratched the surface of how TxtCart can help you create a more robust and effective SMS marketing strategy for your Shopify store.
And we’re always improving, every day.
Install the TxtCart app for your Shopify store SMS marketing and set the ball rolling for success.