In the digital landscape of today, businesses strive to stay ahead of the competition by embracing innovative marketing strategies. While email campaigns and social media advertising have long dominated the digital marketing platforms, SMS marketing has been overlooked as a marketing campaign . SMS marketing presents a unique opportunity for businesses to connect with their target audience directly through text messages. These text messages can be used to drive traffic to a business’s website. Businesses can include a link to their website in their text  messages. This will allow customers to easily visit the website, learn more about the business, and play a pivotal role in driving organic traffic, improving website visibility, and ultimately boosting your online presence.

Why text marketing?

According to the following statistics, for every 100 text messages sent:

• The average open rate for SMS marketing is 98%. customers are more likely to see your text messages than they are to see emails or other forms of marketing.
• The average click-through rate for SMS marketing is 19%. Customers are more likely to click on the links in text messages as it’s easy and convenient.
• The average conversion rate for SMS marketing is 12%. conversion rates are higher as the promotional offers are sent directly to the mobile device and are personal.
• 96% of consumers say they are satisfied with SMS marketing for businesses, and can do it at their own convenience.

These  statistics are much higher than any other marketing campaigns as SMS marketing is personal, timely ,quick and optional.

Here are the best practices to follow for an effective SMS marketing campaign:

Collect and analyze customer history: to send targeted text messages, retailers  need to know what the customer has purchased in the past  or which store they have visited. This history tells you about the customer preferences to leverage and increase conversion rate.

Opt-in and opt-out options: Give customers the option to opt-in or opt out of receiving SMS messages from your retail business. This empowers them to control their communication preferences and ensures that you’re targeting individuals who genuinely want to hear from you. Make the opt-in process seamless and straightforward, and respect customers’ choices to foster trust and loyalty.

Keep your messages precise and include a CTA(call to action): text messages with CTA should short, precise to encourage customer engagement an example of CTA will be “ Limited time offer- shop today and get 10% off on your purchase”

Use a variety of messages: SMS marketing is not  just about promotional offers but these messages can be reminders to use up loyalty points, birthday wishes or just a hello message to remind customers about your business.

Track your results: It is important to track the results of your SMS marketing campaigns so that you can see what is working and what is not. This will help you improve your campaigns over time to increase engagement and conversion rates.

Why Using Customer History to Do Targeted Messaging is More Effective

Customer history can be used to create more targeted and personalized SMS marketing campaigns. By understanding what the customers’ preferences are. Retailers can  send them more relevant suggestions and timely messages that are more likely to be opened, clicked on, and converted. 

For example, if a customer has previously purchased a dress from your store, you could send them a text message with a special offer on a new dress or matching shoes  that you just received in stock. Or, if a customer has recently viewed a product on your website, you could send them a text message with a reminder to complete their purchase. Here are some statistics on why you should use customer history for your text  marketing:

• 80% of consumers say they are more likely to shop with a business that remembers their purchase history.
• 70% of consumers say they are more likely to open a text from a business that remembers their purchase history.
• 65% of consumers say they are more likely to click on a link in a text from a business that remembers their purchase history
• 55% of consumers say they are more likely to make a purchase from a business that remembers their purchase history.

The most effective and sustainable way to collect customer history is by using a cutting-edge Point of Sales solution, retailcloud POS solution offers a SMS marketing platform that can help you create and send effective SMS marketing campaigns. Retailcloud’s SMS marketing platform includes features such as:

• Segmentation: You can segment your customer base so that you can send targeted messages to specific groups of customers.
• Personalization: You can personalize your messages with customer data, such as name, purchase history, and preferences.
• Reporting: You can track the performance of your SMS marketing campaigns so that you can see what is working and what is not.

With  retailcloud solutions you can even personalize text messages further by offering customer loyalty points for their birthday and also have the ability to see customer responses and respond to them to strengthen customer relationships.With Retailcloud, you can create and send effective SMS  marketing campaigns that will help you reach your target audience, increase sales, and boost customer engagement.

Conclusion:

SMS marketing is a powerful tool that can be used to reach a wide audience, increase sales, and boost customer engagement. By leveraging customer preferences and integrating them into your SMS campaigns, you can create highly targeted and personalized messages that are more likely to be successful.

Additionally, SMS marketing campaigns can generate user engagement and social signals. When customers receive a compelling SMS offer, they may share it with friends or on social media platforms, thereby increasing brand visibility and potentially attracting new customers. These social signals can positively influence your SEO rankings, as search engines consider them as indicators of brand authority and popularity.

Introduction

The new rules in Major League Baseball aimed at shortening average game times can have several impacts on merchandising and concession sales at stadiums:  MLB revealed the pitch clocks have shaved an average of 26 minutes a game to 2 hours and 36 minutes.  The following are some of the ways that game day sales have been impacted.

Reduced sales volume: With shorter game times, fans will spend less time in the stadium, which could lead to fewer opportunities for them to purchase merchandise and concessions. This may result in a decrease in overall sales volume.

Shift in spending patterns: As fans adapt to the new game duration, they may alter their spending habits. For example, they might make quicker purchases before the game or during breaks, rather than casually browsing and buying items throughout the game. This could lead to increased sales in specific periods, such as pre-game or between innings.

Focus on efficiency:With a shift in buying habits, stadium operators should  increase the efficiency of their merchandising and concession operations. This could include streamlining product offerings or offering item of the day promotions, optimizing staffing, and adopting technology to speed up transactions. 

Changes in pricing: Stadiums may adjust their pricing strategies to compensate for the potential decrease in sales volume. This could involve offering discounts or promotions to encourage fans to spend more in a shorter time frame, or even increasing prices to maintain revenue levels.

Increased emphasis on fan experience: To keep fans engaged and spending during shorter games, stadiums may invest more in enhancing the overall fan experience. This could include offering unique or limited-edition merchandise, creating innovative food and beverage options, or providing interactive experiences that encourage fans to visit concession stands and merchandise outlets.

Off-stadium sales: Teams and stadiums might also increase their focus on online and off-stadium sales channels to offset potential losses from decreased in-stadium sales. This could involve improving their online stores, offering exclusive online deals, or partnering with local retailers for co-branded merchandise.

Ultimately, the impact of the new rules on merchandising and concession sales at a stadium will depend on how well teams and stadium operators adapt to the changes and implement strategies to maintain or increase sales in the new environment. Improving the fan experience with improved checkout efficiency, allowing fans to return to their seats will be paramount.

Tech for Faster Stadium Sales

To speed up transaction times in merchandising at stadiums and improve the overall fan experience, there are several technologies that can be adopted:

RFID technology: Integrating RFID tags into merchandise and using RFID scanners at the point of sale can expedite the checkout process by instantly updating inventory and allowing for quicker transactions.

Mobile ordering apps: Fans can use their smartphones to pre-order and pay for merchandise, allowing them to skip lines and simply pick up their items at designated locations or have them delivered to their seats.

Self-service kiosks: Equipped with touchscreens and payment processing systems, these kiosks enable fans to quickly place orders and pay for merchandise without waiting in line at traditional counters.

Automated inventory management: Smart inventory systems can help ensure merchandise is always in stock and readily available, reducing wait times for items to be retrieved from storage.

In-seat merchandise: Installing small vending machines or merchandise storage lockers near seating areas can allow fans to quickly purchase items without leaving their seats.

Digital wallets: By creating a digital wallet or a stadium-specific currency, fans can preload money onto their accounts for faster transactions at merchandise stands.

Queue management: Implementing queue management systems, like virtual queuing or line-monitoring apps, can help distribute customers evenly among available service points and reduce wait times. Giving fas access to approximate wait times at different stands can also help them plan their purchasing trips

Augmented reality (AR) shopping: AR can allow fans to virtually try on merchandise and make purchases from their seats, eliminating the need to visit a physical store or stand.

By adopting these technologies, stadiums can create a more efficient merchandising experience for fans, allowing them to spend less time waiting in line and more time enjoying the event.

Item of the Day

Determining the Item of the day sales can be complicated, ideally they should create an urgency for fans to buy a specific item without cannibalizing existing sales, you can follow a systematic approach that leverages data and considers various factors. Here’s an algorithm to help you identify the “Item of the Day” for each game:

Collect data: Gather historical sales data for all items in your inventory. Ideally, you should have data for the past few seasons to better understand sales trends and customer preferences. Also, take note of any special events or promotions that might have influenced sales.

Determine item popularity: Calculate the average sales per game for each item. Rank them according to their popularity. This will help you identify the items that are selling well and those that need a boost.

Identify slow-moving items: From the ranked list, identify items that have a low sales volume per game and could benefit from being the “Item of the Day.”

Factor in seasonality and trends: Consider the time of the year, special events, or other trends that might affect item popularity. For example, if your team has a rivalry game coming up, you might want to promote items related to that rivalry.

Create a non-repeating schedule: Once you have identified a pool of items that can be featured as the “Item of the Day,” create a schedule for the 81 home games that ensures no item is repeated.

Set a discount strategy: Determine the discount percentage or pricing strategy for each “Item of the Day.” You might want to offer a higher discount for slow-moving items or lower discounts for more popular items to avoid cannibalizing sales.

Monitor and adjust: Track the sales performance of the “Item of the Day” and compare it with historical sales data. If you notice any negative impact on overall sales, adjust your strategy accordingly.

Why Choose ZeroPOS over QuickBooks Desktop POS?

retailcloud’s ZeroPOS is an all in one point of sale software that has been designed with today’s retailers in mind. Conduct and manage all aspects of your business with the one, easy to use system. retailcloud gives you less to worry about and more time to spend growing your business.

Key Features of ZeroPOS:

-Processor-agnostic Solution with Dual Pricing Capability

-Multiple Support Channels i.e. Phone, Chat and Email

-Intuitive Cashier Experience

-Multiple Tender Options and Tap Pay

-Robust Inventory Management

-Powerful CRM with In-house Loyalty and Gift Cards

-Dynamic Employee Management

-Muli-location Capabilities

-Insightful Reporting

-Mobile App and Clienteling Toolkit

-Cloud-based Back Office with Real-time Updates

How does ZeroPOS’s QuickBooks Integration Work?

ZeroPOS is a full suite of management tools that streamlines payment processing, inventory management, and other business operations. Integration to QuickBooks Online allows you to manage your finances with ease.

Gain Sales Reporting

ZeroPOS pushes all data to QuickBooks Online as transactions are processed throughout the day. This allows you to view sales activity in QuickBooks and effectively gauge your business’ performance based on accurate financial reconciliation.

Simplify Inventory Management

With ZeroPOS you have a full suite of inventory management in one system. From Purchase Orders, to Receiving, Selling and Adjusting, you can track where your inventory is at all times. Integrated with QuickBooks Online, you can make more informed decisions with your inventory management and increase profits.

Accurately Track Income and Expenses

Tracking your profits and losses as well as your Invoices and House Accounts has never been easier with ZeroPOS and QuickBooks. Streamline your accounting activities and record-keeping!

Embrace the Ideal POS Solution with retailcloud

retailcloud’s integration with QuickBooks Online makes it the ideal POS solution for those who have worked with QuickBooks Desktop POS. As QuickBooks moves to discontinue their POS, retailcloud is proud to offer a turnkey solution that allows merchants to gain sales reporting, simplify inventory management, and accurately track income and expenses: allowing them to take advantage of the accounting and financial management tools in QuickBooks Online.