Q. Do consumers respond effectively to SMS/Text-Messaging-based promotions in the U.S. and Canada?
A. Not nearly as much as they do in Europe and Australia, according to IMI International’s latest consumer tracking survey.
In fact, the use of SMS/TM as a consumer response mechanism -- except when it’s tied to the day or date of the event – will typically inhibit the success of a brand promotion, according to IMI Managing Partner Don Mayo dmayo@imi-research.com.
Mayo says that as of January 2006, according to IMI’s latest consumer tracking study, only 19 percent of Canadian and U.S. consumers had ever responded to an SMS/TM promo.
That's not so surprising. “Few of us use ever that feature of our cellphones,"Mayo says. "The challenge for marketers is to find a way to get them to change.”
Promotions in general continue to be strong behavior motivators, consumers admit.
Seven out of 10 North Americans ages 12 to 69 bought a product they normally wouldn’t have purchased last year due to non-discount promotional offers, according to IMI.
Other tracking-study findings:
- Half of everyone in the U.S. and Canada had purchased something in the past 30 days as a result of a promotion.
- Consumers say that they are participating more in promos ‘now’ than they were a year ago. (Consistent across all ages, ethnic backgrounds, geography and income levels.)
- Instant win/lose offers remain the current consumer favorites, while Internet-based promos have been gaining ground over the past 24 months.
