Viber helps to increase sales and engagement for retailers

As a retailer, you are no doubt looking for ways to boost sales and attract new traffic, be it foot traffic or online visitors. With people spending more time on mobile devices than ever before, both traditional retailers and those running e-commerce stores have been increasingly turning to messengers as a means of communicating with their audience. The advantage of Viber marketing channel is that retailers can connect with their customers through personalized, one-on-one communication but at the same time reach audiences at scale, according to the company.
A messaging app is a versatile tool that offers many formats and types of business messages for various business needs, it said, adding that retailers can make use of these three types: transactional (or service messages), promotional, and conversational (also called as sessions).
Transactional messages are used to send your customers real-time updates on their order status. When a purchase is made online, the buyer receives a confirmation message informing them that their order has been placed and is on its way. Transactional messages are sent automatically based on triggers, such as when a user performs a certain action. You can set as many triggers as you like and keep your buyers updated throughout multiple steps of the purchase journey, it added.
Although SMS can be used for similar purposes, business messages sent via messaging apps are more flexible, functional, and—what is very important—more cost-effective. For example, on Viber brands can see real-time analytics on business messages, pay only for the delivered ones, and set TTL (Time to Live) to cancel or redirect time-sensitive messages that were not delivered within a certain period of time. “If a user doesn’t have Viber or an internet connection, the message will be sent via SMS thanks to SMS fallback function,” It claimed.
Moreover, some messaging apps, like Viber, also allow brands to send different types of files (e.g. warranties, invoices, booking confirmations, etc.) which is very convenient for users who can keep all the important information in a single thread without the need to switch apps, search emails, etc.
Promotional business messages are used to boost sales, advertise new products, guide customer demand, or promote special events, the company said. Messaging apps enable retailers to send one-on-one messages or communicate with whole audience segments. These promotional messages are personal and can be customized to target specific groups of people—for example, those who live in a certain area or have made a purchase in the past. For companies with a CDP or a CRM, messengers often have integration options: for example, Viber offers a powerful API that allows businesses to send personalized rich media messages of up to 1000 characters, tailored to each segment of the target audience. This makes it an ideal tool for retailers who want to reach a specific audience, optimize use of promotional budgets, and—maintain a good relationship with their customer base, thanks to timely and relevant content.
Using business messages for promotion is commonplace, so the industry is teeming with examples. Here’s one that showcases applying audience segmentation in tandem with personalized business messages: QuadX, a retail logistics company that specializes in cross-border digital logistics and e-commerce payment processing. To communicate with their customers through a messaging app, QuadX worked with Promotexter, an official messaging partner of Viber. QuadX’s ShippingCart service allows shoppers across the Philippines to receive orders from online vendors in North America and Europe. To increase the volume of purchases from the UK merchants, QuadX segmented their audience and targeted those who had previously bought from the US sellers but hadn’t yet tried the UK shipping service. Quadx then targeted this specific audience with business messages on Viber, personalized by interests. Results? 25% of those who had shopped in the US and were reached via Viber made a purchase from the UK; 187% KPI achievement, with UK transactions growth reaching 300% YoY.
Another fantastic example comes from Ukraine, where Comfy, a major multichannel retailer of household appliances and electronics, used business messaging to solve their cart abandonment issue. Using Viber business messages, Comfy combined immediate reach, rich media, and compelling CTAs linking to their website or targeted actions—and slashed their rates of cart abandonment. Working with an experienced official messaging partner, Global Message Services, Comfy achieved a 30% higher conversion rate than with SMS—and a 10% turnover increase.
Conversational messages allow businesses to, essentially, have real dialogues with their customers. The retail industry has been through a lot of changes in the past few years, and many of the changes, first brought on by the lockdowns, seem likely to stay. With the growth of online shopping, brick-and-mortar stores have had to work harder than ever to keep up with the competition. But one area where they may have an advantage is in the realm of customer service: while online retailers have the benefit of being able to reach a larger audience, they often lack the personal touch and accessibility that brick-and-mortar stores can provide. Conversely, a brick-and-mortar seller might wish to expand its audience. This is where messengers can prove invaluable for both traditional retailers and online stores. Messaging apps allow businesses to communicate in a more personal way—at scale: they can help retailers connect with large audiences, provide them with customer service, and launch two-way conversations, ultimately leading to increased sales, processes optimization, and improved customer relations.
Conversational messages are a powerful yet versatile tool capable of achieving multiple objectives. An excellent example of application comes from D Express, an express courier service in Serbia. Working with Akton, an official messaging partner of Viber, they sent personalized delivery status updates on Viber—but rather than just being a one-sided tool to inform, these messages also empowered customers giving them more control over the shipment process and communication with the brand: customers could reply directly in Viber to update the delivery schedule or redirect a shipment. It helped optimize both the logistics and communication, while getting 300K messages delivered and improving delivery rate by 15%.