Important SMS marketing trends in 2024

With new technological innovations and content strategies evolving each year, there are some interesting new SMS marketing trends at play in 2024. In this dynamic and exciting environment, independent retailers are well-advised to stay ahead of current trends to maximize customer impact and remain relevant. 

From interactive chats to artificial intelligence (AI), this article by RareCircles explores the top SMS marketing trends of 2024 for independent retailers. By understanding best practices, new technologies, and data insights, you will develop highly successful SMS campaigns for retail customers this year.

Integrations with Your Marketing Stack  

By integrating SMS messaging with the rest of your marketing stack, you can create a robust ecosystem where past consumer actions and rich data sets inform one another for highly targeted campaigns. 

By implementing custom relationship management (CRM) software like RareCircles, you can simultaneously track customer interactions across a variety of mediums - including SMS, email, and in-store visits. In turn, you will avoid repetitive and off-target SMS messaging. CRM integrations also allow for endless automation in your marketing stack, including triggers for store visits, payment reminders, and shipping updates.

Transactional Applications for SMS   

Across the digital marketing industry, experts agree that transactional texts will take precedence over promotional texts in 2024. That being said, in today’s digital age where generic AI messages are the new norm, customers seek personalized and instantly beneficial information. Moreover, people want to feel like they are seen and recognized by retail store operators. 

Given that the typical individual in the United States dedicates 4.5 hours daily to their smartphone, facilitating appointments and reservations via SMS is remarkably convenient for both businesses and consumers. Simply put, people love the detailed, personalized attention that comes with transactional SMS campaigns.

SMS Customer Service & Interactive Chat 

Another emerging trend in SMS marketing is the utilization of text messages as a customer service channel. Instead of waiting on hold for hours to speak with a customer service representative, customers can usually get SMS responses for issues like equipment troubleshooting within minutes. 

Offering live customer support through SMS is a great alternative to call centers. According to the Verizon website, “Callers prefer not to be tied up while waiting to reach a human who can answer their questions. If customers can submit a question by text, neither they nor the contact center representatives are tied up during the exchange. Customers can go about their day until a response comes, and contact center staffers can manage several chat conversations simultaneously.”

Use of AI in SMS Messaging 

As seen in just about every other realm of digital marketing, AI is also making a huge impact on SMS practices in 2024. While AI can handle a wide variety of tasks, the technology is only as good as the information it receives. As such, you must design your AI SMS campaigns using actionable metrics taken from real consumer interactions. Otherwise, you run the risk of your messaging being received as off-target and generic. 

When used correctly, AI can tailor messages based on consumer behavior, preferences, and demographics - while also helping send texts at scale. Moreover, predictive analytics anticipates optimal sending times, so you can be sure your SMS campaigns are always well received. With the right data at play, AI is capable of drastically improving ROI on SMS spending for independent retailers.