Now that 2011’s holiday retail sales figures are in, it’s clear that last minute shoppers, deals and discounts (along with SMS services to help spread the word) are all part of the secret brew for healthy year-end profits.
According to ShopperTrak research, consumers spent approximately $44 billion in retail sales for the week ending December 24, a 37.8 percent increase over the previous week and a 14.8 percent gain over the same week last year.
While this is good news for the economy in general – not to mention retailers who now can look forward to starting 2012 off on good financial footing, it also demonstrates people’s mindset. Yes, people love a good deal. But they especially jump at the chance to grab those last minute discounts.
Waiting until absolutely the last minute seems to come with believing you’re really getting bottom of the barrel prices. It’s a perception that every business can keep in mind any time of year to make the most of their text message marketing campaigns.
Considering the popularity of sites like Groupon and shows like TLC’s Extreme Couponing, there’s no need to question the high response rates of SMS marketing and multi-channel marketing campaigns that offer mobile coupons and huge incentives. These are magnets for procrastinating holiday shoppers or your very best customers who are likely able and willing to help you increase sales during a slow day.
For example, one Trumpia retail customer realized 30 percent of its average monthly revenues in just two days – without the extensive pre-planning activities and expenditures required of traditional advertising campaigns. These results came in after using Trumpia’s SMS marketing solution the day before each one-day sale, offering discounts of up to 70 percent to VIP customers.
Twitter, Facebook and today’s instantaneous and fast-paced digital lifestyle has definitely transformed people’s focus from next week to the next minute. While there is still a huge value in conducting highly integrated, coordinated campaigns over time, there is also something to be said for the last-ditch effort. It’s comforting to know that just-in-time SMS marketing campaigns are now not only viable for helping you to achieve your sales goals -- they can even sometimes even prove to be the MVP of all your marketing efforts.
