Given today’s high adoption of SMS marketing, leveraging text messages or a cross-channel combination of email and SMS is a best-in-class post-purchase strategy all marketers should use. As the name implies, post-purchase messages are sent to customers after they have made a purchase – when they are most active with the retailer or brand. Its purpose is to encourage repeat purchases and lock in customer loyalty. 

But how do we know SMS is a good fit for post-purchase communications? The following SMS marketing statistics gathered by G2 support the benefits of this strategy. 

Post-purchase messages have a critical time window.

1. SMS messaging is one of the fastest ways to reach consumers directly.
2. 62% of marketers say the speed of delivery is the biggest benefit of SMS marketing.

Consumers are highly engaged with the SMS channel.

1. 82% say they open every text message they receive.
2. 60% of consumers say they read a text within 5 minutes of receiving it. 

SMS is an effective revenue channel.

1. Marketers using a cross-channel strategy see a purchase and engagement rate 250% higher than marketers using single-channel campaigns.
2. 50% of consumers say they would opt into an SMS loyalty program if offered flash sales, deals, or coupons in return.

Lastly, according to Listrak’s 2021 Ecommerce Email Benchmarks, post-purchase emails are heavily engaged with and create a highly compelling campaign. Per the benchmarks, post-purchase emails earned a nearly 160% higher conversion rate and 680% higher revenue per send than standard broadcast emails. When you integrate channels and add SMS steps into those conversations you offer your customers a convenient and flexible way to interact with you and capture and hold the attention of even more customers. When you further acknowledge a customer’s channel preference you meet them where they are with a personalized customer experience. 

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The Post-Purchase Flow

The campaign cadence and messages are the same whether you use email, SMS, or a combination of both.

Listrak's Workflow tool easily creates post-purchase, cross-channel automated messages that deliver coupons, cross-sell additional products, ask for reviews, and more. All of these features are standard elements in our post-purchase messages to maximize overall campaign performance and revenue.

1. The Thank You:

The campaign generally starts with a simple “thank you” message within a day of the purchase. Remember to allow the order to be processed and your transactional message to trigger before you send it. Then, share your thanks and appreciation with a heartfelt post-purchase message. This communication alone contributes heavily towards building loyalty. Include a link back to additional products, ask them to share the love on social, see how other customers are enjoying similar products and more.

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2. Loyalty & Rewards plus Review Request:

The second message in the campaign should be personalized based on purchase history and then segmented with a customized thread – i.e., based on order count or customer lifetime value. Make your loyal customers feel special with an offer to purchase again and introduce more of your brand to your first-time purchasers. This is also a perfect time to promote your loyalty program and remind customers of the additional benefits of purchasing from you at this point in the conversation. You also can request a review for social proof.

3. Reactivation and Win-back efforts:

When customers become less engaged or fail to purchase again, send follow-up reactivation and win-back messages based on your business’ vertical and buying cycle. (Generally, this is 30 and 90 days after the order.) Start with a non-promotional message or a soft offer, followed by your best-of-the-best incentive. Additionally, encourage purchases by promoting your best-sellers, sharing what’s new on your site, and providing social proof. Show them what they’ve been missing since they were last engaged. 

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Conclusion

In summary, the post-purchase campaign automates ongoing conversations with customers as they cycle in and out of engagement. In today's retail landscape, consumers welcome SMS communications. Executing an SMS only or a cross-channel post-purchase campaign that targets each customer with personalized content based on where they are in the journey will encourage them to purchase again and lock them in as loyal customers.

Learn more about SMS marketing with Listrak. 

Learn more about reaching your customers throughout the customer journey with Listrak’s behavioral-based triggered campaigns.