Recently we’ve seen loads of customers using Web SMS to communicate with customers to encourage customer loyalty and retention. Here is just one example of how SMS has been used to build this loyalty.HopShopper has unveiled an iphone application that provides consumers with a convenient way to manage their loyalty cards. This will replace the old card and stamp system that has been used for many years. The mobile revelation in loyalty programs is to lead the way as a technologically advanced solution.Through the incorporation of the Esendex 2-way SMS service, HopShopper can send notifications and offers to users, and users can ‘share’ offers, receive download instructions and also submit feedback.Consumers can download the HopShopper application free to their iPhone, and when they next buy a coffee at a participating café, they can collect a virtual ‘stamp’ by using their iPhone’s camera to register the HopShopper QR code shown on a countertop display. They can then show the redemption screen to collect their free coffee.Consumers can manage all of their coffee and loyalty cards on the iPhone application, providing a convenient alternative to carrying around multiple cards and cluttering up their wallets.HopShopper identified that offering a Web SMS service as part of the iphone application would be crucial at the outset.With the fast adoption of 3G smart phones within Australia, and the meteoric rise of mobile application use, (400% application traffic increase between 2008 and 2009 in Australia and Oceania – AdMob 2009) SMS marketing is expected to grab an increasingly larger share of overall advertising spend.Web SMS is an inexpensive and important tool for customer loyalty and promotional advertising and adds considerable value to HopShopper’s service offering.If you would like to try Web SMS please sign-up for a free trial now – we’d love to hear what you think!
