Mobile Feedback Ltd is offering retailers (online and offline) a powerful platform for managing their customer communication, using the immensely popular cellular SMS (Short Messaging Service) for CRM marketing and mobile CRM. The Mobile Reply mobile CRM direct marketing platform offers retailers to benefit from its web based service (no need for any setup investments), supporting a wide range of SMS communication scenarios, and a strong emphasize on segmentation and analysis of the shoppers population.

Retailers have long acknowledged the importance of marketing – building a communication bridge with their loyal customers. This perception underlies the emergence of database marketing and the heavy investments in shoppers loyalty clubs.

At the same time, SMS communication is receiving high attention in the retail industry. Compared to voice phone communication and direct mailing, SMS is cheaper. Compared to Internet and Email communication, SMS benefits from a much higher response rate (Higher than 10%, and frequently reaching 20% - 30%). It also offers the unique quality of reaching the shopper all days of the week and anytime of the day.

The Mobile Reply platform was designed in view of these recent trends. It is not just an engine for distributing SMS messages to large populations, but is a knowledge based system, enabling to interact with shoppers through two-way SMS communication. It can perform market research studies, and segment the overall shoppers population in order to reach a high level of match between the content of communication, and the individual shopper profile.

The system can support an assortment of one-time promotion campaigns, such as fun games, trivia, contests and more. It is also equipped for managing long-term continuous relationship between the retailer and his shoppers club. Its “Inbound SMS” facility can be used for recruiting shoppers to an SMS loyalty club - a feature handy for retailers which do not manage such a club today, and wish to establish one, or those that do not have in their information database the cell phone numbers of their customers.

For a retailer already managing an active shoppers club, the system offers a text messaging communication center, offering an immediate facility for distributing SMS information, invitations, discount coupons, and more. The two-way abilities can be used for Market research surveys, polls, quizzes and trivia games. The use of SMS Shoppers club software can enhance and substitute the use of other communication technologies (Email, voice, post) for activating the club or part of it. One important application – derivation from the POS database potential “deserters” (shoppers with declining frequency of purchases), and communicate them specific invitations and discount coupons.

For retailers that do not manage their client’s database, the Mobile Reply platform can offer a complete Shoppers club software solution – register clients, manage the database, performs analysis and communicate.

What makes the Mobile Reply solution unique?
The use of bulk SMS by the business sector for marketing, advertising and the distribution of information, is highly popular. Yet, most software applications used today for mass SMS communication are simple one-way SMS broadcast engines.

The concept of the Mobile Reply platform is derived from Market Research, CRM, Direct Marketing and Loyalty clubs management applications. The focus is on “Knowledge Based Interaction” with the system’s user target population (employees, customers, consumers..). Targeting a specific population through continuous two-way communication results in the build up of an immense knowledge about the revealed preferences of individual members of the target population. This knowledge is used to segment the population and to match specific commercial offers to each segment, along the “One on One” marketing concept.

The Mobile Reply system in Operation
The use of the Mobile Reply platform opens the opportunity to generate excitement and entertainment to the shopper’s population, while laying the foundations for continuous operation of a loyalty club, and database loyalty club marketing. What makes this system different from most CRM, shoppers club management and database marketing software applications is its “built in” communication module. Having the ability to communicate directly with shoppers using SMS, adds the delivery mechanism to all activities planned and executed by the retailer, without the need for the use of expensive mail, or ineffective Email.

Establishing the shopper’s database through SMS interaction:
The purpose of using the system is to build the shoppers club database. The retailer chooses a specific keyword (any text including more than 3 letters. Shoppers are encouraged to send the keyword to a specific cellular number, by offering them an attractive prize or other benefits. The system capture and register in a list the source cell phone number of each incoming keyword message.

Case study 1 –
building the shoppers club database (contact list)

The retailer invites his shoppers to send a specific text (keyword) to a specific number (the Mobile Reply inbound cellular number or short code), promising them specific benefits. The invitation, displayed on advertising media, leaflets, billboards in-store ads, or banners for online shops, is in the form: “text MUSICSHOP to the number 8020, and we will text you each month a special offer”. It can also take the form of a game or competition: “Guess how many shoppers we served last weekend, text your answer (number) to 8020, and compete for great prizes”.

Text MUSICSHOP to the number 8020, and we will text you each month a special offer!

Guess how many shoppers we served last weekend, text your answer (number) to 8020, and compete for great prizes!

The cell phone numbers of the thousands who responded to this offer are recorded in the database and serve for continuous marketing activities.

Case study 2 –
Attract shoppers to visit a Sporting equipment store

The retailer target is to attract shoppers to visit his store towards the opening of the new winter season. She/he texts his entire shopper’s population an offer to win immediate prizes by answering the following question: “How many types of snowboards we have on display in our shop?”, “Text us back a number between 1 to 100”. “The 3 most accurate answers will win new ski boots.”. The best way for a shopper to answer right is to visit the store and count, thus this question can induce shoppers to visit the store. Once the winners are elected, the retailer text a second message informing all the game participants about the right answer and the identity of the lucky ones who won the prize.

Case study 3 –
Performing a market research (shoppers satisfaction) study

Once the retailer has established his shopper’s database (including cell phone numbers), and has gained the shoppers trust and willingness to receive text messages, performing a feedback survey become easy. A Typical question can be: “What do you think about the design of our new catalogue?”, “1 – Very good, 2 – Good, 3 – Acceptable, 4 – Bad”. A specific incentive can be offered for those who answers within a specific time range.

The Mobile Reply reporting module, provide an immediate display and analysis of incoming answers. It is also possible to instruct the system using the “Sequence builder” to direct additional questions to each of those who answered “3” or “4”, for further understanding of the source of their negative response. It is possible to derive the list of persons who provided a specific answer, and conduct a specific operation in response. Example – invite all who answered “1” to participate in a special “Bring your friend and earn a prize” promotion.