Retail and Marketing say Ahoy to Mobile Communications Services

Using mobile communications in the retail industry is not a new phenomenon and is fast becoming common place. Customers are quickly embracing mobile as part of their shopping experience to research products and services, find reviews and even check prices whilst in store to see if they can buy it cheaper elsewhere.  

 

As a result, strengthening customer relationships and loyalty is becoming even more difficult in a world where customers are able to find an abundance of information at the touch of a button and search for the best deals around. 

However, mobile communications also opens up the possibilities of developing and nurturing relationships with customers. Retailers can keep in touch with customers via updates about new product ranges, special promotions, developing apps to enhance the shopping experience and so on.

In 2006 one of the leading companies who specialise in advertising boats for sale decided to utilise SMS for mobile marketing and developing customer relationships. They launched a new innovative service to enable visitors to describe what type of boat they were looking for and to then be notified of any potential matches by SMS. The company has a long history of being the first to offer new services to their sector. From used fishing boats to new power cruisers, the company pride themselves with helping members, individuals and businesses to buy or sell boats quickly, easily and cost-effectively.

The company decided that whilst it was feasibly possible for them to build an SMS system that could integrate with their existing systems, it would be to their advantage to instead use an established supplier with worldwide knowledge and agreements for sending SMS.

HSL fit the bill for what they were looking for. We have been providing mobile services to enterprises worldwide since 1999, giving the client peace of mind. With our competitive pricing and ease of integration the decision to select HSL as their SMS supplier was made even more simple. The client began using us purely to alert visitors of product matches but this has extended to also using our services for keeping in contact with their clients.

With SMS services suitable for all enterprise types, HSL's robust technology, coupled with their creative and flexible approach to enterprise requirements, positions HSL uniquely within the industry as a highly reliable, reputable and forward thinking SMS service provider. As a direct result of using HSL's outbound SMS services and continuing to keep their visitors informed with up-to-date boat availability, the company has enhanced their relationships with visitors and potential customers which means that when visitors next need to search for a boat, they are likely to be their first port of call.

Alternatively, visit us at:

http://www.linkedin.com/company/hay-systems-ltd

follow us on Twitter @HSLSMS

or call us on +44 (0)1506 605260

or email us at sales@haysystems.com

How can SMS help agricultural growth?

One of the biggest challenges facing agriculture today is changeable weather conditions. An extreme case was experienced recently in the UK where drought was declared in many of the UK's largest wheat growing regions in England. Then just a few weeks later this was followed by one of the wettest months on record and even led to a number of flood warnings.

Changes in weather conditions like this can have a huge impact on crops, pricing and wildlife and ultimately curb agricultural growth. With weather conditions becoming more extreme and varied these days, it is becoming more apparent that we need more accurate and timely information.

SMS alerts are proving to be a very useful tool to overcome these challenges within agriculture. For example, Makerere University illustrates how farmers in Uganda have dealt with problems of drought by developing a mobile-based early warning system and sending SMS alerts about the availability of water. This is expected to help farmers reduce lost cattle and increase milk production. Elsewhere, SMS message alerts are being used to send information on current weather conditions to improve crop yields.These types of alerts can send much needed information instantly, accurately and reliably which can significantly help farmers to plan ahead and respond to changing conditions much more quickly and effectively.

Fluctuating pricing is also causing havoc as farmers find it more and more difficult to get the best price in different markets. However, text alerts can give farmers current pricing information straight to their mobile handset. The International Telecommunication Union reports that farmers in India and Ghana are already using message alerts for these purposes and are achieving better pricing as a result.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations have also reported that fishermen are using SMS not only for pricing information but also for information on supply and demand within markets. This is allowing them to reduce waste substantially and even sell supplies whilst still out at sea! SMS text alerts are clearly proving to be a really valuable communication tool for farmers and fishermen as they are able to receive the crucial information they need quickly and reliably.

Given all the benefits of using SMS within agriculture, it is surprising that it is being adopted by the UK at a considerably slower pace than overseas markets, especially considering some of the extreme weather we have been witnessing recently. A survey conducted by Farmers Weekly concluded that 56% of farmers could not live without their mobile phones, which again highlights the enormous potential for SMS communications to be used widely within this sector.

At HSL, we have been providing SMS services since 1999 and agriculture is one of the many sectors which we serve. For further information on how HSL’s mobile messaging services can help you, please visit our website at http://www.hslsms.com/sectors/agriculture/.

Alternatively, visit us at:

http://www.linkedin.com/company/hay-systems-ltd

follow us on Twitter @HSLSMS

or call us on +44 (0)1506 605260

or email us at sales@haysystems.com