Should You Add Text Messaging Campaigns to Your Programs & Services?
By RDBA Executive Director, Annette Maggi, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Phones are the accessory continuously within arm’s reach for the majority of consumers. They check the weather while pumping gas. They make a purchase while in the waiting room at the doctor or dentist. They clean up emails when on the treadmill. They watch TikTok videos on the sidelines of a kid’s sports practice. The sound of a ping has them reaching for their phone during meetings and calls to see who texted.
In their report The Retail Marketer’s Guide to Personalized Texting, Bluecore suggests that retailers are positioned to take advantage of consumers’ constant phone access, specifically related to texting. When you meet someone new, after all, you exchange phone numbers when you’re ready to take the relationship to the next level. It’s an indication of trust and interest in ongoing dialogue in a closer way than email or social media allows.
Shoppers are indicating they’re ready for this deeper step into their relationship with grocers. According to Bluecore’s report, 58 percent of shoppers indicate texting is an ideal way for brands to communicate and that shoppers open 98 percent of the texts they receive, with 59% of people opening the messages within five minutes of receipt. These response rates are significantly higher than from email campaigns.
Retailers are using text campaigns in a variety of ways, including:
- Sending mobile coupons to shoppers.
- Brief surveys, even those with just one question.
- Thanking them for buying a product, being a frequent shoper, or using a service.
- Loyalty programs, as their easier to use when attached to a phone number without a card or rewards account number to remember.
- Announce one-of-a-kind promotions or “text only” offers.
Text messaging can be an effective way for retail RDs to market programs and services, provide relevant content, link to e-commerce health promotions, and feature better-for-you products at the right time.
Stay tuned for next week’s article on how to most effectively leverage this shopper communication tool.
