Drive Footfall and Sales with SMS
98% open rates, read within three minutes — SMS is the most effective channel for retail promotions, loyalty communications, and customer notifications. Reach your customers when it matters most.
Promotional SMS
Retail promotional SMS cuts through the inbox noise that email campaigns struggle with. With open rates exceeding 98% and most messages read within three minutes, SMS is the most effective channel for time-sensitive retail promotions — flash sales, seasonal sale announcements, new collection launches, and exclusive offers for opted-in customers.
Our promotional SMS platform gives retail marketers the tools to run high-volume campaigns with precise targeting, personalised content, and real-time performance reporting. Campaign scheduling allows messages to be timed for maximum impact — lunchtime flash sales, weekend promotions, and pre-opening exclusives all deliver better results when sent at the right moment.
Discuss RequirementsKey Capabilities
- Campaign scheduling and time-zone delivery
- Audience segmentation by purchase history or location
- Personalisation with customer name and offer details
- Link shortening and click-through tracking
- Opt-out management and suppression lists
- A/B message testing
- Real-time campaign performance reporting
- Unicode and emoji support for modern retail messaging
Loyalty & CRM
Loyalty programme SMS keeps customers engaged between purchases and drives repeat visits. Points balance updates, reward milestone notifications, and birthday offers all create a personalised experience that strengthens customer relationships. SMS loyalty communications consistently outperform email equivalents in open and redemption rates.
Re-engagement campaigns target lapsed customers who have not purchased in a defined period — a personalised offer or points expiry reminder at the right moment can recover customers who would otherwise be lost. CRM-integrated sends allow you to personalise loyalty messages with customer name, points balance, tier status, and tailored recommendations.
Discuss RequirementsKey Capabilities
- Loyalty points balance and expiry notifications
- Reward milestone and tier upgrade messages
- Birthday and anniversary personalised offers
- Lapsed customer re-engagement campaigns
- CRM integration for personalised sends
- Opt-in and opt-out management
- Multi-brand loyalty programme support
- Delivery and redemption reporting
Order & Click & Collect
Click & collect SMS notifications improve collection rates and reduce the cost of uncollected orders. An instant "your order is ready to collect" message brings customers in store at their convenience — and increases the likelihood of additional in-store purchases. Collection reminder sequences for uncollected orders reduce waste and improve stock management.
Online order confirmation, dispatch, and delivery notifications keep customers informed throughout the fulfilment journey. Return confirmation SMS provides reassurance at a moment when customers are waiting to see their refund processed, reducing customer service contacts and improving satisfaction scores.
Discuss RequirementsKey Capabilities
- Instant order ready to collect notification
- Collection reminder sequences for uncollected orders
- Online order confirmation and dispatch alerts
- Delivery and proof-of-delivery notifications
- Return receipt and refund update confirmations
- API integration with your OMS or EPOS system
- Delivery receipt per notification
- Personalisation with order and customer details
Built for Retail
From independent retailers to national chains, SBS TELECOM provides the SMS infrastructure that drives footfall, builds loyalty, and keeps customers coming back.
Retail SMS — FAQs
What consent do I need to send promotional retail SMS?
Under UK GDPR and PECR, you need explicit prior consent from customers before sending marketing SMS. Consent must be freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous — typically collected via a tick box at point of sale, online checkout, or loyalty programme sign-up. SBS TELECOM provides opt-out management tools to ensure customers who withdraw consent are immediately suppressed from future campaigns. We recommend your legal team reviews your consent collection process against ICO guidance.
How effective is SMS for retail promotions compared to email?
SMS consistently outperforms email for retail promotions across every key metric. SMS achieves open rates of 95–98% versus email open rates typically in the 20–30% range. SMS read times average under three minutes versus several hours for email. For time-sensitive promotions like flash sales and one-day offers, the immediacy advantage of SMS directly translates to higher conversion rates and revenue uplift.
Can I personalise SMS messages with customer names and purchase history?
Yes. Our platform supports dynamic merge fields that allow you to include customer-specific data — name, loyalty points balance, tier status, last purchase details, personalised offer codes — in every message. Personalisation data is passed from your CRM or loyalty platform via API or file upload. Personalised SMS consistently outperforms generic broadcast messages in open and redemption rates.
Can I target specific customer segments with SMS campaigns?
Yes. Our platform supports audience segmentation so you can target different customer groups with different messages — for example, VIP loyalty tier members receive an early access offer, while standard members receive the general sale announcement. Segmentation data can be passed via API integration with your CRM, or uploaded as separate contact lists for each campaign.
How does click & collect SMS work with our EPOS or OMS?
Click & collect notifications are triggered automatically when your EPOS or order management system updates the order status to "ready to collect". Your system makes an API call to SBS TELECOM, which sends the notification to the customer immediately. If the order is not collected within a set period, automated reminder sequences can be configured. Our REST API integrates with any EPOS, OMS, or retail platform.
Drive Sales and Loyalty with Retail SMS.
Our team will help you build an SMS programme that drives footfall, increases repeat purchases, and keeps your customers engaged between visits.