In 90s, back home consumers shorten by products and there were not so much to choose and products to compare. I remember that we used to queueing up for bread an hours and hours… And not so long before, sales and marketing people used to use door-to-door technique to hunt customers and look for an Ad spaces in local newspaper.
Nowadays, users have much broad chooses to compare one with another based on price, features, reviews and other criteria. The more sellers of a similar products, the more competitive the environment in which you compete. There is nothing without “e” and everyone is becoming at. Look at retailers – there are so many to choose from; the competition is high in online and offline. Your grocery shops making an order via online and delivering it door to door at consumers’ convenient time. How efficient is it?
Marketers sending a monthly best-sellers, reminder email to stock-up, alert you to finish abandon products, and even remind your wedding anniversary just on time etc. This all process seems very easy and cheaper than traditional marketing & sales techniques. I’m agree with some point and also would like to remind you how it could be expensive being “e”. Building e-comm website, content, analytics, tracking, promotional emails & SMS, etc. you need specialized consultant, developer, designer and analysts to be a NUMBER 1 in your industry. Even tho you have beautiful e-Comm website but nobody knows what type of products you have, when do you have SALE time and why you are BETTER than your competitors. That’s the place where the Email and SMS or Social Media comes in.
SMS is a powerful, efficient and effective channel to communicate with your customers. Although, there is down side of using it as a main marketing channel such as very short only – 160 characters can present at one-time, can’t really send media & interactive messages and last but not least tracking is very limited.
You may think of Email is already dead. Let me tell you what 2.6 million unique email users and 58% of the online users first check their email at the day. And this number is going to increase by 7% in two years. This explains email is still effective marketing channel compared to social media channel. Since it is effective marketing channel wouldn’t be nicer Retailers make it as e-Comm website and customers buy products by one-click within the email. Just like how Facebook, Twitter and Instagram brought social media to next level?
A native window appears within Twitter with a buy-now button directly within the Twitter app.
Instagram as Install Now, Shop Now and Sign Up
The good news is YES – the time is very close that you click the button and just wait for your product to deliver at your door. We call it “one-click” button or “one-click buying”.
Amazon was one of the first online retailers to try “one-click” button and their one-click payments technology trademark will expire this year. Which is enabling to other retailers to have a similar technology on their websites, apps and emails etc.
Just like Apple Pay – easier for mobile shoppers to complete purchases across a range of brands and e-commerce providers. You can use Touch ID to make Apple Pay purchases in stores, within apps, and on websites in Safari. You can also use Touch ID on your iPhone to complete website purchases from your Mac.
Only the question is now who would be first to try within emails?