Q3 Email, SMS, and Push Marketing Stats Show Retailers How to Increase Sales

The holidays are here and e-commerce marketers are mapping out how to cope with the increased demand and competition this year will bring. To compound the seasonal rush, e-commerce continues to accelerate, and businesses are trying to plan ahead to jump-start their 2021 e-commerce sales. As they do, retailers are looking toward omnichannel strategies for targeted, personalized marketing to increase sales. But which channels and messages are proving to be the most engaging and effective sales drivers?

Omnisend, an e-commerce marketing automation platform, recently released its Q3 stats report, highlighting the latest trends in marketing automation and channels like email, SMS and web push messages. From the report, one thing is clear: e-commerce businesses that can attract the right customers at the right time with the right message will thrive.

Here are the four most important takeaways for online retailers:

1. Marketing Automation is the Key to Increasing Sales

Thirty-two percent of all marketing email conversions in Q3 came from less than 2 percent of the emails sent. This should speak volumes to online retailers. Because automated messages are triggered based on consumer action, they're naturally relevant and segmented, resulting in higher open, click and conversion rates.

Brands can easily increase their email marketing sales by implementing revenue-driving automated messages, such as welcome, cart abandonment and browse abandonment messages. These messages saw conversion rates of 52 percent, 43 percent and 25 percent, respectively. Not implementing these messages costs e-commerce retailers sales.

2. SMS is Rapidly Gaining Traction as a Premier Marketing Channel

Online businesses are discovering the effectiveness of SMS, making the once underutilized channel more popular than ever. Expect to see SMS used heavily during the holidays, and become a mainstay next year. There were 97 percent more SMS messages sent in Q3 than in Q2, and 237 percent more than during Q3 2019. And with conversion rates increasing nearly 100 percent year-over-year, SMS is quickly becoming a go-to marketing channel for consumers and businesses alike — likely becoming a major source of revenue for online retailers this holiday season and beyond.

3. Email, SMS, and Push Messages Work Very Well Together

Omnichannel marketing is designed to help the customer along their journey by delivering the right messages in the right channels, tailored to previous customer interactions. While email and SMS are commonly combined in messaging workflows (e.g., abandoned cart), there's also increased adoption of web push notifications into these same automations.

There was a nearly 1700 percent lift in push notifications sent year-over-year, and brands that use them are seeing consumers respond favorably. These messages registered an impressive 53 percent view rate and a 30 percent conversion rate in Q3, making them a perfect addition to automated messaging workflows — providing consumers with an engaged and multichannel shopping experience. While push messages may still be in their relative infancy, e-commerce businesses that adopt them now will be able to capitalize upon consumers’ willingness to shop from them.

4. Email, SMS, and Push Marketing Are Trusted Channels

Part of what makes each of these channels so attractive is that unlike search and social media, they are opt-in channels, meaning a consumer has consciously made a decision to sign up for them. In today’s environment, where channels are nearly limitless and often come with a high acquisition cost, companies that allow consumers to choose their preferred channel of communication will be rewarded with lower costs and higher sales. Opt-in channels will almost always outperform other paid channels. Don’t understate the importance of growing these trusted opt-in channels.

As e-commerce businesses look to increase sales during the holidays and in 2021, those that focus on relevant, revenue-driving automated messages via opt-in channels will be the ones that ultimately win out over their competition. The stats don’t lie — e-commerce retailers are generating more than 30 percent of their sales without lifting a finger, and any business, small or large, can do it.

To view the full report, click here.

Greg Zakowicz is director of content at Omnisend, the all-in-one e-commerce marketing automation platform.