One of the most essential strategies for increasing revenue for e-commerce brands is increasing SMS subscriptions and boosting your subscriber LTV (lifetime value). Consumers are making more purchases online, which provides a huge opportunity for brands. However, there is a lot of competition, and you need to ensure that your brand stands out. When you increase your subscribers and boost your subscriber LTV, you will have greater conversions and higher revenue. 

The E-commerce Subscription Explosion

Technology has brought with it an explosion in subscription-based e-commerce. It has grown by 800% since 2017. When customers know what they want, they will purchase from brands that make the experience simple and convenient. Brands aim to increase subscribers and decrease the number of subscribers who opt out of their messaging campaign. 

Customers enjoy the simplicity of subscribing to a brand and receiving personalized notifications via SMS. When you use this strategy, they no longer need to go to your website, search for the products they want, add them to a shopping cart, and checkout. You can send them personalized offers directly via SMS, and they can respond with "Buy" and make the purchase in two steps. 

Increasing the Number of Subscribers

The first part of this strategy is to increase your subscribers. There are several effective ways to accomplish this, including the following:

1. Promotional Incentives

One of the best ways to increase your SMS subscribers is by offering promotional incentives. These offers grab the customer's attention right away. You can offer first-time customers a discount or a welcome gift to persuade them to opt-in. 

Offering free shipping is still effective. One of the primary reasons customers abandon their shopping carts is unexpected fees. They may not have considered shipping when they added the item and often hesitate when shipping increases the cost. 

2. Value Your Subscribers

Once you capture subscribers, you need to retain them. The best way to do this is by showing them that you value them. Your new subscribers are critical to your future revenue, as repeat customers spend as much as 33% more than your first-timers. 

Ensure you are sending them relevant messages that celebrate their loyalty to your brand. Make them feel like they are part of an exclusive community by sending them early access to new products or special offers that are exclusive to them. 

3. Welcome Subscribers with an Offer

One of the most effective ways to grow your revenue is by welcoming your subscribers with an offer. When you send the offer, provide them with options and personalization. They can click on a coupon for a product they favor, click on the product link, or reply to questions that can help you better tailor notifications for the types and styles of products that are most interesting to them. This shows subscribers that customer communication can improve their experience with your brand.

4. Add SMS Subscribers at Checkout

Another place to increase your subscriber list is at checkout. They are already filling out forms, and it is customary for them to include their phone numbers. Make sure that they are incentivized to opt-in to future messaging so that you are compliant. Have a clear CTA in your checkout where you ask them to opt-in to SMS messaging. You can incentivize them by offering free shipping or another offer in exchange for their subscription. 

5. Increase SMS Subscribers Through Email

You can also grow your SMS subscribers through your emails. Email and SMS marketing are very different, and converting your email subscribers to SMS subscribers is a great way to build brand loyalty and increase revenue. You need to send out an email that gets your email subscribers excited about receiving your offers via text. 

One way is to use conversational messaging and let customers know that by subscribing, they can receive purchase products from you from their mobile device and right within the message itself.

6. Leverage Social Media for New Subscribers

Make sure that you include SMS opt-in on your social media pages. If visitors are on your page, they have taken a step towards engaging with your brand. This is a great place to incentivize them to subscribe. You can tell them they will have direct access to your brand for support of any kind; this will grow your subscribers and your social media followers.

Let them know the benefits, offers, opportunities, or updates they will receive once they subscribe. 

How Increasing Subscribers Leads to Revenue Growth

Once you increase your subscribers, you have an incredible opportunity to watch your revenue grow. The first step is ensuring you employ SMS strategies that resonate with your subscribers. 

Customers want relevant messages, and they don't want to be overwhelmed with multiple texts. Tools like Radiance Commerce help brands collect data on their customers so that they can personalize their shopping experiences. The following strategies will help boost your revenue:

• Exclusive offers: send coupons that are exclusive to SMS subscribers, such as "View the upcoming collection."
• Time-Limited Promotions: ask subscribers to reply with "yes" to receive an exclusive coupon; specifically, the offer is only valid and will expire after X date.
• Alerts for Upcoming Sales: let subscribers know when and how to participate, and offer rewards for their participation.
• Ask for Feedback: Not only does this give you insight into your business, but you learn more about each subscriber when you ask for feedback.
• Personalized Messages: Send birthday congratulations with a special birthday offer or an offer celebrating the customer's one-year anniversary of purchasing from your brand.
• Upsell with Relevant Products and Services: Once your subscriber makes a purchase, you can make recommendations on complementary products or services. 
• Request Testimonials: Positive reviews are beneficial to your brand, so be sure to encourage subscribers to leave them. Include a link in your message, making it easy for them to leave a new review or update an old review.

Final Words

Brands that want to grow their revenue need to start by increasing their SMS subscribers. The majority of online shopping occurs on mobile devices, and customers want a simple, relevant, and personalized experience from brands. Once you increase your subscribers, you can employ SMS strategies to increase your revenues substantially.