Text M@rketing

Oftentimes, when you visit a retailer or their website you are often asked to opt-in to receiving text messages. As a consumer, I will tell you that initially I did not give my cell phone number out. I envisioned salesmen calling me on the phone and hounding me to buy products from across the spectrum. Nowadays I find myself opting in to everywhere I like to shop.

Over the past weekend, I've received texts from Kohl's (offering a mystery coupon), JoAnn Fabrics (50% off), VS Pink (Get an Outfit for $40), Express ($25 off $100), and Gap (25% off Purchase). Of these five text message, three elicited actions from me and one an unplanned purchase. Kohl's mystery coupon brought me to their website to see if they had anything I wanted to buy today as the coupon is limited to 12/12 only. JoAnn's 50% off one item coupon was too good to pass up. Especially since I had been eyeing a Silhouette Cameo 3 machine and 50% off would bring my machine to $150 at the most. Sadly, when I read the coupon's fine print I discovered 2 things, 1) The coupon could not be applied to machines, and 2) the coupon is only available for use in store (where my machine wasn't sold.) VS Pink yielded my one purchase thus far. The $40 outfit was more than 50% off and was on y daughter's Christmas list. As a result, I couldn't pass that deal up.

 The other coupons were good and useful if I was planning to make a purchase from that store but the deals weren't "can't be missed" deals. Leveraging potential sales with the revenue "lost" from the value of the coupon is something businesses must decide whether it works for them. Since the text messages came to my phone they were much more effective than email marketing.