Are Store Texts Still Effective? Yes, If You Follow These Tips | Carol Schroeder

A lot has changed since I first noticed text alerts, or mobile offers, while shopping in a Copenhagen department store many years ago. The sign said that shoppers could find a special SMS offer on glassware using their mobile phone.  I didn’t even know at the time that “SMS” stands for short message service, and refers to text messages received on cell phones. Although the term SMS never really caught on in the US, the Danes still use it.

In most of Europe, all text messages for commercial purposes must comply with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This law is designed to protect individuals from unauthorized use of their personal data, and to eliminate spam. It includes the requirement that text message marketing be permission-based, and extends to the explicit question about allowing cookies that is now seen when you engage in almost every commercial European website. (Cookies usually contain personal data like IP addresses or unique identifiers, and get their name from the computing term “magic cookie” – in case you were curious.)

There are those who claim that targeted text messages outperform email as a way of connecting with customers. They certainly have an impressive open rate, especially among those who are in constant contact with their phone. The ideal use is for sending targeted messages that include a special offer or call to action, and are time-limited.

In order to take advantage of this method of engaging with your customers, you need to get permission to use their cell phone number. Many businesses encourage this by having a special offer for those who sign up, or promising to send exclusive offers only to text subscribers. Signs in the store and at the checkout counter are good ways to capture the attention of current shoppers, along with featuring your text option in social media and email blasts.

There are platforms that will create and send text messages for you. Constant Contact, which is the company we use for our email marketing, offers texting as one of its services. I suspect that its competitors do as well.

Another use of texting is to communicate directly with a customer, but I’ve always been reluctant to use my personal phone for this. One of my fellow retailers on Monroe Street shared that she has set up a Google Voice account through Google Workspace. This allows you to send and receive customer text messages, keeping this communication away from your own phone. Smart!

Editor’s note: Carol Schroeder is the owner of Orange Tree Imports in Madison, Wis., author of Specialty Shop Retailing, and is a contributing columnist for GDA. See more of her blogs at Specialty Shop Retailing. This article is an update of a popular blog post from November, 2010.