SMS is one of the most direct and highest-converting channels available to CPG brands during Black Friday/Cyber Monday BFCM. Many brands make the mistake of copying their email campaigns for SMS, treating it as a smaller version of email. But it’s actually a different channel that should be treated with different approaches.
Here's how to use it with intention this Cyber Week.
SMS works best for what it does uniquely well: urgency and directness. Use it for early access alerts, shipping cutoff reminders, and deadline nudges that need to be seen right away.
The most effective SMS flows feel like a one-to-one conversation, not a broadcast. A message like "still deciding? Text back for help" invites a response for a more engaging conversation, instead of just delivering a notice.
Flash sale alerts and escalating urgency messaging should go to subscribers who are actively engaged, not your entire list. Overusing SMS for subscribers who haven't opted into that level of contact fatigues the channel fast.
Unique links, early access codes, and personal check-ins sent by text feel more exclusive than the same message sent by email. Use that to your advantage with your highest-value segments.
SMS drives urgency, but urgency only converts if the shopper lands on a page that loads fast, communicates clearly, and checks out without friction. If your site can't support a spike in high-intent traffic, your SMS strategy is doing work your site experience can't convert.
That's the kind of gap Val Geisler, our Director of Strategy, and Christine Carforo, our Director of Design, look for during our live user experience (UX) teardowns. Submit your site for consideration ahead of the BFCM code freeze, and if you're not selected for the live session, you'll still be eligible for a paid UX Audit and BFCM Roadmap.
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