Sms marketing for fashion retailers: How to get started

With SMS marketing, you can send tempting offers and promotions straight to your customers’ phones. Here’s how fashion retailers can get started.

We’re rarely without our mobile phones, and, when a text arrives, we rush to see who it’s from. That’s why SMS marketing might just be the best way for fashion retailers to cut through the noise and reach customers wherever they are.

A study found that 78% OF AUSTRALIANS always read their texts—so customers are unlikely to ignore your messages.

You can use SMS marketing to tell your customers about upcoming sales and promotions, send exclusive discount codes, promote new collections and much more. 

In this article, we’ll go through everything you need to know about getting started with SMS marketing and making it work for your clothing store.

WHAT IS SMS MARKETING?

SMS marketing is when you send promotional text messages directly to your customers’ mobile phones. You must obtain your customers’ consent and mobile phone number before you can send them marketing messages.

You can use SMS to inform your customers about special offers, sales or news. Often, messages promote time-sensitive offers, such as an upcoming promotion or flash sale. 

Sending text messages to hundreds of potential customers manually would take forever.  But with SMS automation tools, you can save time by sending messages to all your customers at once, which is known as bulk SMS marketing.

WHY SHOULD YOU CONSIDER USING SMS MARKETING FOR YOUR CLOTHING STORE?

If you need convincing, here are some reasons why SMS is a key marketing channel for your clothing store:

• Mobile phones are always with us. 94% OF AUSTRALIANS take their mobile phone every time they leave the house, and they spend 3 HOURS A DAY on average checking their device. So, SMS is a sure-fire way to reach your customers. 
• There’s no junk folder for SMS. EMAIL MARKETING is essential for fashion retailers but promotional emails can get lost in junk folders. A STUDY BY MAILCHIMP found that the average open rate for email was only 21.33% 
• You can achieve a good ROI. Thanks to bulk SMS, you can save time and money by sending messages to all your customers at once. Automation tools are affordable and generally set their prices according to the size of your contact list.
• It’s convenient for customers. People are comfortable browsing and shopping on their mobiles. If you provide a link in your SMS, customers can easily check out your promotion or deal, and they’ll never miss a bargain.
• You can track the results. With an SMS automation tool, you can see exactly how many people have redeemed discount codes or replied to your messages. This makes it easier to calculate your ROI. 

WHAT TYPES OF SMS MARKETING SHOULD YOU SEND TO YOUR CUSTOMERS?

If you’re wondering what kind of messages to send to your customers, look no further. 

We’ve put together some of the most effective ways to communicate with your customers via text message.

1. FLASH SALES

If you have old, out-of-season stock lying around, you can use SMS to announce a flash sale.

Tempt customers with phrases like “everything must go”, “prices slashed” or “last chance to buy”, and include a time limit to ramp up the pressure.

End your message with a CTA linking to the offers to make the shopping experience as seamless as possible.

2. DISCOUNTS AND PROMOTIONS

Let your customers know when an end-of-season sale or special promotion is approaching. 

You could advertise a percentage discount or an offer on a certain selection of items. For example:

 “Black Friday: 20% off everything in-store this weekend” 

“Buy one get one half price on shoes and bags!”

3. LOYALTY AND REFERRAL PROGRAMMES

SMS is a personal channel, so you can use it to make your customers feel special and valued. 

When someone signs up for your loyalty programme, you can send them a welcome message over SMS. 

You can then create a segmented group of loyal customers, and send them exclusive offers and promo codes via SMS. Make it clear in your message that the offer is only for VIP customers!

Another way to get more sign-ups to your loyalty programme is to offer a special discount for referrals. For example:

“Earn $20 to spend in-store when you refer a friend to our loyalty programme”

4. COMPETITIONS

Competitions are a great way to gain new followers and contacts to add to your marketing list. 

To run a competition on SMS, you can first advertise the competition online, in your store, and via SMS. If you’re already doing FASHION INFLUENCER MARKETING, you could get influencers to promote your competition across social media.

Tell people to “text to win,” then choose your winner from all the responses. 

A competition SMS could look something like this:

“WIN an exclusive bundle of pieces from our just-dropped summer styles. Text SUMMER to 0135 for a chance to win.” 

Make sure people know that by entering the competition, they are opting into your SMS marketing list.

5. NEWS AND ALERTS

Hot new pieces about to land in your store? Let customers know all about it with a text message.

Use SMS to keep customers in the loop about what’s going on in-store, whether there’s a new label added to your collection, a sold-out item back in stock or extended Christmas opening hours.

Though it’s not strictly marketing, you can use SMS to send order confirmation, and alert customers when you’ve shipped their items.

HOW CAN YOU MAKE SMS MARKETING WORK FOR YOUR FASHION BUSINESS?

These are our guidelines to make sure SMS marketing is successful for your clothing store. 

1. GET PERMISSION FROM YOUR CUSTOMERS

In Australia, all SMS marketing messages must comply with the 2003 SPAM ACT. 

There are three main requirements to bear in mind:

• Ask for permission. It’s against the law to send SMS marketing messages without permission from the recipient. To avoid a hefty fine, obtain your customer’s consent before adding them to your list.
• Allow people to unsubscribe. Every message should contain an option to opt out.
• Identify yourself. Marketing messages must contain clear identification of the sender. Use your company name as the sender ID, or state your name at the beginning of the message. This will also help increase your open rates, as people don’t like to open messages from unidentified senders.

2. STRUCTURE YOUR MESSAGES STRATEGICALLY

Text messages are limited to 160 characters, so you must get to the point right away.

Use the BLUF or “bottom line up front” tactic and start your text message with the most important piece of information.

You could structure your message as follows:

• Company name (if you don’t have a sender ID.)
• The offer, or the benefit for customers.
  “20% off everything, today only”
  “Don’t miss our end of season sale starting Friday”
  “Shop our all-new winter collection now”

• Time limit. This will increase urgency and encourage customers to reach for their wallets.
• Conditions. Explain if the customer has to do something to qualify for the offer, like copy and paste a promo code, or spend $50.
• Call-to-action. Tell your customers what to do next. Do you want them to click a link, or visit your store? 
• Opt-out. This could be a link to click or a word to reply to stop receiving messages.

Here are a couple of examples:

(your store name) Black Friday: 20% off EVERYTHING in-store, this weekend only. Use promo code BLACK at checkout. Click to shop now. Reply NO to stop receiving these msgs.

(Store name)’s end of season sale starts this Saturday. Up to 70% off all styles! Visit our store or shop online. Text END to stop receiving texts from us.

3. CHOOSE THE RIGHT TIME TO SEND MESSAGES

Your SMS messages could be more or less effective, depending on what time of day you send them.

According to research from REACH INTERACTIVE, the best time for retail stores to send SMS marketing messages is from 10 am to 1 pm on Saturdays or 3 pm to 7 pm on Sundays.  

This is because consumers were more relaxed at these times, and spent more money at the weekend than during the week. They also found that campaigns sent at the end of the month performed better, most likely because that’s when most people get paid. 

As a general rule, avoid sending messages early in the morning, or late at night. 

Your timing will also depend on the content of the message. If you’re promoting a flash sale, your message should go out close to the start date, giving people just enough time to prepare.

However, in the lead up to Christmas people might want more time to prepare, so you could build momentum with a series of messages that begin a month in advance.

4. USE SMS MARKETING AUTOMATION TOOLS

An SMS marketing automation tool allows you to compose and send text messages to lots of people at the same time. You can launch campaigns, write and schedule personalised messages, and segment your contact list into categories to send different messages.

KLAVIYO is one tool that’s popular with store owners in Australia. It can automate email and SMS marketing and so is a great option for integrating both of these campaigns in one platform. Klaviyo integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce and other popular e-commerce platforms.

The tool will guide you through the whole process, from getting your SMS sender number to growing your contact list, obtaining consent and setting up your automated message campaigns.

Klaviyo is free for up to 250 contacts. 

There are plenty of others on the market, such as TWILIO, TEXTMAGIC and CLICKSEND.

5. GROW YOUR DATABASE OF SMS CONTACTS

Growing your contact list should be a priority. The more customers you can reach via SMS, the more success you’re likely to have with your campaigns.

Incentivise people to opt-in to receive texts by offering them a discount or access to exclusive offers at the checkout, either in-store, or online. You might be surprised how many agree to hand over their details!

USE SMS MARKETING TO REACH CUSTOMERS WHEREVER THEY ARE

SMS marketing is just one aspect of your clothing store’s overall marketing strategy, that should include email, content marketing, SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGIES and more. 

That said, SMS is the most direct and personal way to reach your customers.

In summary, here are some key pointers to remember when it comes to creating successful SMS campaigns:

• Always obtain permission from your customers before adding them to your list, and make sure you comply with the Spam Act 2003.
• Tell customers about sales, discounts, promotions, VIP offers over SMS. You can also run competitions and send alerts and updates regarding orders.
• Use your 160 characters wisely. Offer value upfront, make sure your message is clear and concise.
• Experiment with timing of your messages to find the best moment to contact customers. 
• An SMS marketing tool is essential. Klaviyo is one good option but there are others.
• Keep growing your list to increase ROI and conversions!

FAQS ABOUT SMS MARKETING FOR RETAILERS

IS SMS MARKETING EFFECTIVE?

Yes, SMS marketing works because it allows you to reach your customers wherever they are.

Text messages feel personal. They help your brand stand out and open rates for texts are over 90%.

WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF SMS MARKETING?

SMS marketing includes all kinds of information and promotional material that you send to your customers via text messages. This could be notifications about upcoming promotions and sales, discount codes, competitions, news and updates, and more.

HOW DO I START SMS MARKETING?

Incentivise your customers to opt-in to receive text messages from you in exchange for a discount or special offer. Then, get yourself an SMS marketing tool that you can use to create your SMS unique number, compose messages, launch campaigns and track the results. 

What if you could triple your business in less than 3 months? We’ve launched a marketing course for boutique owners who want to learn how to build a DIY marketing strategy that works. SIGN UP NOW.