SMS

With increasing emphasis on omnichannel strategy when engaging customers, real-time communication becomes essential as more and more consumers prefer brands to communicate with them via SMS. Consider the following data: 8 percent of Americans opt for SMS as their preferred communication channel to receive transactional updates; and 3 percent of American consumers wish to receive…

Papa Bear violated the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) and is now embroiled in a class-action lawsuit. Build-A-Bear-Workshop, a chain retailer that enables buyers to adorn their stuffed animal with accessories of their choice, allegedly sent multiple text messages to consumers whose numbers are listed on the National Do-Not-Call Registry. Bad bear. Perhaps Papa Bear…

E-commerce brands faced a holiday shopping season filled with uncertainty — uncertainty around when the shopping season would start in earnest, inflation’s impact on consumer spending, and the costs and performance of paid marketing channels. And with good reason. Throughout the year, the cost and performance on channels such as paid social and paid search…

While we know retailers could be utilizing text messages more as part of their everyday communications strategy, those that are using this mode of communication may have noticed some changes lately. If your brand has incurred higher bills and more blocked messages, know this: it isn't alone. It’s due to some major changes from a…

A pullback on consumer spending, high inflation, and an uncertain holiday season. Toss in paid social’s cost and targeting effectiveness being in a state of perpetual fluctuation and retailers find themselves faced with a myriad of challenges in trying to increase sales and maximize return on investment. To maximize sales and profits, brands need to…

Planning for Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) is already top of mind for many e-commerce brands, and includes the usual channels like email marketing, paid search, paid social, and marketplace ads. But as the cost and effectiveness of channels like paid social continue to fluctuate, brands are continuously searching for ways to maximize return…

This episode was recorded live at CRMC 2022 in Chicago. In episode 364 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Isabelle Darby, director of marketing at Paper Source, the premier paper store for unique gifts, crafts, stationery and more. Darby discusses her current role and career background (0:47), why Paper Source is investing in…

Cross-channel marketing enables online brands and retailers to blend different communication channels to reach customers and create cohesive shopping experiences. In this article, we’ll look at the role of SMS in cross-channel marketing, and why it’s important in a holistic e-commerce strategy. Cross-Channel Marketing and the Use of SMS in E-Commerce From email inboxes to…

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Joe Keenan and Marie Albiges discuss an article recently published by Total Retail titled, “Not Prioritizing SMS Marketing? One Metric Will Change Your Mind,” authored by Jeff Haws, senior manager at MessageGears. SMS is a powerful tool for marketers as virtually every message gets opened (and quickly).…

SMS messaging is indelibly woven into the fabric of everyday life for many people. Which makes sense because we’ve been texting — the more commonly used term for SMS — since long before the iPhone even existed. In fact, the first SMS message was sent 30 years ago. (Seriously.) If you’re a marketer in your…