There used to be a time when retailers relied on the popularity of credit cards to assist with their business. Card swiping was addictive. Consumers would reach into their wallets without hesitation and buy whatever it is they were looking at. That still happens to some degree, but in today's economic climate many people are more careful about how they spend money than they once were, which has slowed growth in many sectors of the retail industry.
However, we still have addictive personalities. It's part of human nature. And while many people no longer automatically reach for their wallets, we still like to put our hands in our pockets and pull out the next best thing for retailers – the mobile phone. Walk down any mall and you'll see hundreds of people staring at the screens of their smartphones rather than the people they are with or their surrounding environment.
Individuals have become so reliant on their devices that communicating to them via their smartphones can sometimes be a more successful venture than conducting a face-to-face conversation. While there are plenty of people with qualms regarding the mobile device's impact on social interactivity, there is no denying that our attraction to them is a powerful force.
"Cell phones are a part of our consumer culture," said Dr. James Roberts, professor of marketing at Baylor's Hankamer School of Business, to the online publication Red Orbit. "They are not just a consumer tool, but are used as a status symbol."
As for retailers, the mobile device craze is an advantage. Text message marketing is becoming increasingly valuable as a business practice because more people are using cell phones.
The fact is, people still want to reach into their pockets and they still want to spend money. As long as they are reaching for their phones, companies might as well send them an incentive to spend their money. Swift SMS Gateway offers tools needed to launch successful SMS marketing campaigns.
