According to recent research from selz.com, online sales during the first quarter of 2014 were up 13% compared to the same period in 2013, and mobile ecommerce was up an impressive 35%. If anything like that growth happens again this year, 2015 looks set to be a record-breaking year for cyber shopping.

Knowing the numbers and taking advantage of them, however, are two different things. If you’ve never thought about sending a group sms message, or even considered how to go about encouraging people to opt in to a group sms text list, this year is a good time to look into the advantages of doing so. If you want to avoid getting left in the dust during 2015, check out some of these ideas for engaging digital shoppers this year: 

1) Dynamic Advertising

Canny fashion retailers are creating marketing campaigns which allow consumers to click through ads to gain access to the latest clothing collections. This may include browsing a brand’s entire catalog, viewing prices and watching embedded videos, but the only limitations to dynamic ads are your imagination. Dynamic clothing catalogs are also capable of automatically updating with new offers, so there’s no need to constantly adjust the interface. You can even include a link within the ads to encourage viewers to sign up for future group sms message alerts. These ads provide consumers with a window on your brand’s ethos, as well as an easy-to-use online shopping option. 

2) Apps

Mobile apps are an incredibly powerful tool for retailers, as more and more digital consumers rely on a good app to engage with brands. Good examples in the retail world include Victoria’s Secret, H&M and Kohl’s.

3) Sweepstakes

Running a sweepstakes on social media is a good way to keep consumers engaged in between shopping. Most people check their social media almost as often as they check their text messages; used in tandem with sending group sms messages to those who have opted in, a sweepstakes can keep the conversation going long after people have stopped thinking about your products. Plus, it’ll encourage more people to sign up for future group SMS message alerts. After all, who doesn’t want free stuff or big discounts?

4) Gift Guides

Online gift guides work brilliantly as a supplement to catalogs because so many people use their mobile devices to browse products prior to shopping. An attractive gift guide is one of the better uses of the oft-maligned QR code, so consider adding a QR code to your print ads, sending customers directly to a gift guide.

5) Content-Powered Commerce

Forrester Research coined the phrase ‘Two-Site Syndrome’ to describe a tendency for brands to use one site for engaging content - videos, industry information etc - and another to host the product catalog. The trouble with this approach is that it creates a disjointed user experience. So while it might seem easier to split your marketing content from your commercial interface, it’s better in the long run to create an integrated, one-site solution, where social media and blog posts serve the function of driving consumers to your catalog.

6) Geo-Targeting Technology

A retailer may wish to connect their online presence with their physical location via location-targeting tactics such as offering time-limited discount deals directly to mobile devices the moment it enters a retail store, or to customers who live (or travel) within a certain distance of the retailer. You can even send SMS to groups of people with the same shopping habits as soon as they find themselves nearby. Used in conjunction with mobile coupons and other text messaging strategies, geo-targeting promises to be one of the most powerful tools in the marketers arsenal this year.