The countdown has begun – Black Friday, the most anticipated day in retail, is almost here. During Cyber Week 2022 , we saw just how important SMS is for retail communications. In fact, at Sinch we saw a 30% increase in SMS traffic from brands during this crucial period, with the number of SMS sent doubling in over 50 countries. As we get closer to Black Friday 2023, our expectations for…, Principles for using SMS during Black Friday, There are a few essential points to consider for any retail enterprise looking to successfully use messaging to communicate with their customers around Black Friday. Here are a few things we recommend for planning a great holiday marketing campaign. , Know your audience, Truly knowing your audience involves not only spelling their names right and sending timezone-sensitive messages, but also recognizing that different holidays have different significance for people. Whether you're offering “Christmas” or “holiday” promotions, always take a moment to consider the diverse backgrounds and beliefs of your audience. Understanding these differences shows a genuine…, Consider message frequency, Finding the right message frequency around Black Friday is crucial for maintaining good relationships with your customers. Bombarding customers with an excessive number of messages can quickly lead to annoyance and unsubscribe requests. That’s why we recommend sending a maximum of one to three messages a week to keep people engaged without overwhelming them. If you’re ever in doubt about whether…, Automate messages to keep costs down, There are key transactional messages that need to be sent from e-commerce retailers during Black Friday, like order confirmations, inventory alerts, payment confirmations, and post-purchase feedback requests. SMS is a powerful tool for these purposes – and automating these messages (rather than relying on manual triggers) will save time and ensure that your customers receive the right information…, Automation of routine messages, sent to subscribers along their customer journey will help keep them informed and enhance their overall customer experience with your brand during the critical Black Friday period. , Go omnichannel, SMS is incredibly effective for certain types of Black Friday marketing campaigns , like flash sales, limited-time deals, and exclusive promotions. And there’s no doubting why retailers use SMS messages: They’re delivered immediately, read by 98% of people in the first three minutes, and have an average response rate of just 90 seconds. But realistically, the retailers that get ahead are the…, Working with your SMS provider to achieve Black Friday success, Leading up to and around Black Friday, SMS providers play a key role in enabling effective communication. At Sinch, we recognize the importance of building lasting business-customer relationships during the busiest shopping week of the year. When you’re searching for a messaging partner, it’s critical to find one who offers a few essentials to meet your specific Black Friday needs. , Scalability, Black Friday necessitates timely, efficient communications. That’s why businesses need to look for a messaging provider offering exceptional message deliverability and guaranteed throughput , especially for time-sensitive and critical messages. To avoid unexpected issues during peak sending times, enterprises should look for a provider with a strong history of, successfully managing high-volume message sends, , smart routing capabilities, and direct connections to mobile operators worldwide. At Sinch, our 600+ direct relationships to global network operators are at the core of our business, ensuring there’s no middleman aggregating traffic. We know how important Black Friday is for businesses, so we focus on eliminating unnecessary layers in the process to offer brands the unmatched quality, pricing…, API customization, For a retail enterprise, having a customizable SMS API in place is one of the most beneficial steps to take to get ready for Black Friday. It means that businesses can tailor their messaging campaigns to the unique demands of the day, offering a level of flexibility and control that’s crucial in the frenzy. With a customizable API, businesses can create highly relevant SMS messages that align…, comprehensive APIs, including REST & SMPP, . These providers should also offer fully developed documentation and personalized support to assist you during set-up and through any technical hiccups that might occur in the lead up to Black Friday. This developer-first mentality is key for technical teams in the lead up to the holiday season. Partnering with a provider like Sinch helps ensure your campaigns are correctly synced with other…, Optimized service quality, When we talk about service optimization for SMS and other messaging channels, we’re referring to the configuring and managing of connections and routing in a network. This process is critical to ensure the infrastructure can handle the volume and demands of increased message traffic. As you prepare for Black Friday and other high-demand events, you should be looking for SMS infrastructure…, Security and compliance, Black Friday is a time when businesses interact with an influx of customers, making it essential to prioritize customer data security. You need to make sure that your SMS are being sent securely to protect customer data and ensure legal compliance with GDPR and CCPA., Security and compliance are non-negotiable, as any mishandling of customer data or failure to comply with regulations can lead to severe legal consequences and reputational damage., Equally important is the trust of your customers. McKinsey reports that 87% of people wouldn’t do business with a company if they had concerns about its security practices. That’s why, when it comes to Black Friday messaging, you need to look for a partner that upholds the highest security and compliance standards. Choose a messaging provider who prioritizes compliance with local laws and…, Sinch helps drive Black Friday success, With Black Friday and Cyber Week right around the corner, the partnership between messaging providers and enterprises will take center stage to truly unlock a new era of customer engagement. Together, we’re positioned to create experiences that will resonate with customers worldwide, building stronger connections and trust between businesses and their customers. To learn more about how Sinch can…
Type: Blog Article
Innovative customer engagement strategies are transforming how businesses achieve success. Communications platform as a service (CPaaS) is at the forefront of this evolution, reshaping the customer engagement landscape. CPaaS is a cloud-based solution which seamlessly integrates communication services into business applications. This vital bridge ensures meaningful connections with customers…, Trend #1: The continued growth of O2O, According to research conducted by Marketing Week, 50% of consumers regularly use more than four touchpoints with a brand before purchase. That’s not news, as the omnichannel customer journey has always prioritized a seamless, connected customer experience over all the channels they use . What is news is how customers are adapting the omnichannel experience to shop differently. One such…, Trend #2: Conversational AI would like a word , Conversational AI-powered chatbots can successfully handle up to 70% of frequently asked questions, improving the customer experience in the process. According to data from Uberall, 80% of users find well-designed chatbots helpful. AI chatbots have evolved significantly, now offering enhanced personalization. Gone are the days when chatbots merely answered basic queries. They now excel in the…, Trend #3: Personalized, just for you , Nowadays, customers are bombarded with messages from all channels 24/7. It can be a lot to wade through and is the main cause of “banner blindness”, whereby customers learn to disregard or even gloss over banner ads. The solution, of course, is to leverage data to create a personalized experience. Now, while the concept of personalization is nothing new , the evolution of customer-company…, Future-proof your customer engagement strategy , These key trends and innovations in customer engagement are reshaping the business landscape, with CPaaS solutions taking center stage. Adapting to these trends will be key for businesses looking to drive differentiation and sustainable growth in today’s hyper-competitive environment. The right CPaaS provider will help you deliver consistent, customized experiences, enhance customer satisfaction…
Type: Blog Article
Do you use WhatsApp? How about Facebook Messenger, or WeChat, or Apple iMessage? We’re pretty sure you answered “Yes” – at least to one of these, but probably to several. This is the way we interact with each other – with our friends and family. It’s also the way we want to interact with companies. We’re tired of pushy, dull, one-way communications. Instead, we want to have engaging, two-way…, Are you as eager as we are to get to know MessengerPeople? Check out their website here . A warm welcome to the team at MessengerPeople – #WeAreSinch!
Type: Blog Article
STOCKHOLM, Sweden — November 6th, 2023 —, Sinch, which powers meaningful conversations between businesses and their customers through its Customer Communications Cloud, today announced that it will deliver a digital transformation project for Beyond ONE in the growing Latin American market. Beyond ONE, a digital services provider headquartered in the Middle East, with MVNO operations under the Virgin Mobile brand in LATAM and Middle East…
Type: News Article
Type: Component Page
The world of A2P messaging is complex. It involves various actors, gateways, and protocols, all set up to ensure users receive communications intended for them. Navigating such a complex ecosystem isn’t easy and leaves room for fraudsters to take advantage. One fraudulent scheme, called Artificially Inflated Traffic (AIT), has been gaining momentum under the radar without apparent cause for…, What is Artificial Inflation of Traffic (AIT)? , AIT is a type of SMS fraud that generates high volumes of fake traffic via mobile applications or websites. According to recent Mobilesquared findings presented at the MEF Global Forum , the biggest threats to messaging in 2022 were grey routes, AIT, and SMS phishing – with AIT projected to take the lead in 2023. A common AIT scenario looks something like this: A fraudster designs a bot to…, Why is AIT on the rise? , There are three main factors explaining the rise of AIT fraud: With increased A2P SMS costs, the profit potential of AIT is more and more attractive to fraudsters. And since the cost of SMS can be high, some will choose to use profits from AIT schemes to pay for legitimate SMS traffic. AIT is difficult to identify as it’s not regulated under common SMS agreements and regulations. This means…, What’s the real impact of AIT? , The primary impact is financial. There are significant profit losses associated with AIT fraud for enterprises. Twitter, for instance, is reported to have lost $60 million per year to AIT . AIT fraud could go on completely undetected and become apparent only after comparing message volume delivery to projected returns. Brand reputation could also be at risk as businesses could be…, What can be done? , Although there isn’t a specific playbook on fighting AIT, businesses can implement a few prevention and detection methods that can significantly reduce the number of fraudulent attacks: Monitor very large volumes of “out-of-place” outgoing messages: Add additional checks on IP, user, or device identifiers when a new user creates an account. This can help identify suspicious behaviors and take…, How can Sinch help you address AIT? , As a cloud communications leader, Sinch is committed to following the highest standards for transparency and accountability. That’s why we work with customers to reduce the risk of AIT: We monitor traffic to identify abnormal usage and inform clients if we detect it. We block detected AIT fraud on destination network level and MSISDN range level. We offer AIT detection as a part of Sinch…
Type: Blog Article
Challenge: Educating and engaging banking customers in a spring giveaway campaign. , Group BPCE , the second largest banking group in France (Banque Populaire, Caisse D'Epargne), pursues a full range of banking and insurance activities. The group serves 35 million customers around the world, including individuals, professionals, companies, investors, and local government bodies. It also pursues its activities worldwide with the asset and wealth management services provided by…, Solution: Distributing a fun, interactive and competitive campaign using the power of Rich SMS and email , Every spring, BPCE Financement sends its customers a giveaway campaign. This year, our teams set up a Rich SMS and email contest to maximize participation by BPCE Financement customers. The customer had to find coins in three different life journey stages echoing the spring season changing. They were also presented with explanations about revolving credit between each stage with the aim of…, Results: Increased engagement over Rich SMS – and validated financing! , The contest was a great success! In fact, 70% of all customers contacted ended up participating and completing the activity. And even though the primary objective of the contest was not conversion, customers that were engaged via Rich SMS converted 2.7x more often compared to customers contacted by email. "Sinch gave us the best advice to implement our educational highlight in the form of a…
Type: Customer Story
Type: Product
Type: Product
Type: Product