SMS

Untapped and Unfiltered: How to Win 2020 With a Solid SMS Marketing Strategy
January 30, 2020 at 9:55 am

Entering the new year, retailers are focused on outperforming competitors and the previous year’s shopper experiences. To maximize marketing spend, retailers need to approach their marketing framework with a cross-channel strategy: beyond tried-and-true email and social towards underutilized channels like push notifications and SMS. I’ll focus on the latter channel in this article. Ignoring SMS…

Why Industry Disruptor Dirty Lemon is Investing in Physical Retail
March 3, 2019 at 11:25 am

In episode 185 of Total Retail Talks, Executive Editor Joe Keenan interviews Zak Normandin, founder and CEO of Iris Nova, parent company of innovative beverage brand Dirty Lemon, which sells it products via a direct-to-consumer conversational commerce model. Normandin addresses retail and grocery/CPG industry disruption, the future of text messaging as a commerce channel, and…

Vera Bradley Uses Text Messaging to Improve Customer Service
January 28, 2019 at 10:57 am

Women's handbag and accessories brand Vera Bradley recently opened a new line of communication with its customers: text messaging. The company is using text messaging to provide speedier and more personalized customer service. Prior to implementing the contact-center solution that enabled texting, Vera Bradley recognized its customers might be trying to send text messages to…

How a Mobile App, Push Notifications Help City Gear Retain Customers
January 14, 2019 at 8:08 am

In episode 178 of Total Retail Talks, Chris Brigham, director of omnichannel, and Michael Wheeler, omnichannel sales analyst, both of City Gear, discuss the urban footwear and apparel retailer's use of its mobile app to generate customer loyalty. In addition, Brigham and Wheeler share how City Gear's use of mobile push notifications has helped to drive…

Walmart Launches Text-Based, Members-Only Shopping Service
June 1, 2018 at 11:46 am

Walmart is rolling out a new service, through its Store No. 8 incubator, where shoppers can order items via text message. Known as Jetblack, the platform has quietly been in beta mode in the New York area. It will now be opened up to more applicants in New York who wish to become members, before expanding…

How Rainbow Shops is Using SMS to Grow its Audience
May 10, 2018 at 3:02 pm

In this special edition of Total Retail Talks, David Cost, vice president of e-commerce and digital marketing at Rainbow Shops, shares how the women's apparel retailer has used SMS to grow its audience and generate customer loyalty. Cost was a speaker on Total Retail's recent webinar, The Roles of SMS and Email in an Omnichannel…

5 New Year’s Resolutions for the Retail Industry
January 15, 2018 at 10:21 pm

Last year marked significant change for the retail industry. We witnessed age-old retailers going bankrupt and names like Alexa surge in popularity. Amidst the turmoil, disruptors like Wal-Mart and Amazon.com dominated investment in emerging technologies, like voice-based ordering and robotics, and completed strategic acquisitions to expand into new markets. In 2018, we expect to see faster change and greater disruption.…