The message that gets read in thirty seconds
Email waits its turn. A text message does not. Recent research suggests 90% of SMS messages are opened within 30 seconds of delivery, and in a country with near-universal smartphone use — an area where Australia leads the world — that makes SMS one of the few channels you can rely on to actually land.
Tower Systems built SMS into our specialist retail software more than ten years ago. It remains one of the facilities independent business owners tell us they value most, because it does four jobs at once.
What retailers use it for
- Targeted marketing straight to shoppers' phones. Not a broadcast to everyone. A message to the people it suits.
- Roster updates and scheduled messages to employees. Shift changes confirmed without a round of phone calls.
- Order pick-up reminders and payment or invoice follow-ups. Fewer items sitting behind the counter, and faster payment on what you are owed.
- Opening hour and public holiday updates. Fewer wasted trips and fewer frustrated customers at a locked door.
Why it works harder than a broadcast
You can embed a link in an SMS knowing it is far more likely to be seen than the same link in an email. That changes what the channel is good for. It is not only a reminder tool — it is a way to move people to a product page, a booking form or an offer.
There is a second effect that is easy to underestimate. SMS reads as personal. Customers respond to it as a message from a business they know rather than a marketing item to be filed. Used with some thought, that is exactly the ground where an independent retailer beats an impersonal big box competitor: familiarity, relevance and a sense of community that scale cannot fake.
Email and your other marketing still matter. SMS is what you reach for when the message is time-sensitive or genuinely worth someone's attention.
Getting set up
Tower Systems recommends partnering with business SMS specialists MessageMedia. The MessageMedia service integrates quickly and simply with our retail software, so all SMS functions are managed in one place. Free trials and a range of plans are available.
Pricing and further detail:
- Australia — https://messagemedia.com/au/pricing/
- New Zealand — https://messagemedia.com/nz/pricing/
Questions? Call 1300 662 957 or email
