Are you currently reaching out to your millennial customers? Are you struggling with retaining them through traditional marketing like Paid Advertising, Email or Social Media? Do you feel like these strategies are not enough anymore for breaking through the noise and building lasting customer-brand bonds? 

Well, in this article, the 25-year old millennial in me will show you why SMS marketing is the smartest way to reach, engage, build loyalty and retain your millennial customers. 

As Neil Patel said, SMS is the next big discovery for eCommerce as a means of personalizing its anonymous aspects. Others have even suggested it may finally dethrone email as the tool of choice for merchants and brands. Enjoy!

The Extension Of Our Palm

92% of millennials own smartphones, check them 150 times a day and 33% of their time is spent texting. Undoubtedly, phones have become the extension of our palm.

This year, their spending in the US only is projected to grow to $1.4 trillion. That’s 30% of total retail sales. Millennials having a major economic impact and being the nation’s largest living generation, gives brands one of the strongest reasons to connect with consumers through SMS marketing like never before.

Texting your millennial customers does make more sense now, right?  

To Be or Not To Be Loyal

According to Accenture, almost 40% of retail industry leaders say that the biggest concern they have about millennials is their lack of loyalty.

If you want yours to become loyal, you better have one good reason or more. Millennials crave authenticity, transparency and personalization from the businesses they patronize. By switching the way they see your brand, from providing them with opportunities rather than just sales, offers or one-time deals, they will start looking at your brand as an experience and not just another place to waste money. It takes more than a good sale to bring a millennial to your door. 

Good thing is that when you do make the switch, they have no issue in trading their privacy for anything of value.

Another thing that incentivizes millennials to choose a brand over another is having convenience at the lowest cost. Brands using SMS marketing can keep customers up to date with the best sales, prices, news or updates in a matter of seconds. Reducing the time spent on email replies, tickets or live chat is yet another motive why millennials prefer texting for pretty much everything.

The Priceless Experiences

Unlike previous generations, millennials view the world differently. Their priorities have shifted. Travel and seeing the world was at the top of millennials’ list of aspirations (57%).

According to recent stats, millennials value experiences over financial security. 

When it comes to consumerism, they will be more keen on supporting brands that align with their values.

For example, to celebrate International Women’s Day, Net-a-porter launched a sustainable line that supports local artisans as well as a collection of charitable T-shirts with all profits being donated to a charity that helps survivors of war rebuild their lives. 

By occasionally committing to a number of ethical and environmental causes like supporting charities, local businesses or nonprofits, you’ll create a trustworthy brand reputation, incentivize millennials and strengthen your bonds.

Millennials vs Traditional Media

Recent studies show how much the trust in traditional media has lowered among millennials.

If you think about it, they started adopting technology more quickly than past generations, and they expect brands not only to keep up, but do it while aligning with their values. 

According to eMarketer, 85.9% of millennials in the US are estimated to be digital buyers this year. Among 25- to 29-year-olds, 50% said at least half of their shopping occurs online, including 27% who said that’s where “all or almost all” of their shopping takes place. The figures were similar for those ages 30 to 34. The SMS opportunity lies in these numbers.

Having a profile, some likes and comments on social media doesn’t cut it anymore. Most of the time, millennials follow brands on social media only to stay aware of deals and coupons. When asked how they communicate with others about a service, product, or a brand, 44% of millennials replied via text messaging and only 38% via social media.

Moreover, 30% of millennials are doing their grocery shopping online. This number is expected to grow rapidly due to the rise in delivery software options that help save the time and budget required to drive to the grocery stores, think about what’s needed, always ending up buying more and then driving to other grocery stores who have different products and maybe only after that driving back home. This is what millennials like to call it, dead time. Everything that has to do with reducing dead time will almost always be a winning product for them. With SMS marketing you not only remove the dead time spent while shopping online, but also let customers reply at their own convenience. Your text won’t get lost in the inbox.

Can I Get A Discount

According to Fluent, 70% of respondents with ages between 25-34 said they prefer using their phone to redeem coupons and rebates. Compared to 90% of Gen X and 89% of Boomers, 94% of millennials use coupons. 

Also, over 53% of millennials prefer to seek out details online rather than talk to store staff when they are in a physical shop and 61% find it easier to chat to a retailer via digital communication channels such as text, online chat or messaging applications as opposed to visiting a physical location. 

Now it’s becoming obvious SMS marketing can help you give your millennial audience what they want. 

Moreover, 89% said having access to real-time product availability information would influence their shopping choices in terms of which stores they would frequent.

SMS marketing platforms like Cartloop enables merchants to create a frictionless shopping experience for their customers by letting them reply with any question or request in real-time. They get their desired discounts or deals within seconds, while you achieve satisfaction, trust and loyalty.

Does It Have My Name On It

According to Accenture, 68% of all millennials demand an integrated, seamless experience regardless of the channel. They demand a customer-centric shopping experience—one tailored to their wants and needs as valued customers. As a price to their loyalty, they seek brands which deliver personalized, targeted messages across all channels. That’s why sending Welcome Messages or offering discounts on their Birthdays own such high conversion rates. Even including just their own name in a text makes a huge impact on their shopping behaviour. 

By adopting personalization strategies, brands can deeply understand millennials’ journey, drive long-term relationships and build authenticity.

Key Takeaways

As Neil Patel said, SMS provides a competitive edge. Having the option to reach out to your customers through SMS could give you a step-up over competitors who aren’t SMS-enabled.

Remember that if you better understand your millennial target, create unique experiences, add value every time you reach out and personalize their entire journey, you’re on the path to a successful SMS marketing strategy.

Want to launch your SMS marketing strategy, but don’t know where to begin? Sign-up for a 7-day free trial at Cartloop and start connecting with your customers like never before.