Promotional SMS Service That Brings Customers Back to Your Store

When promotional SMS works best

SMS gets read because it lands in the same inbox as bank alerts and OTPs. That makes it useful for short, time-bound offers. Think of a jewellery shop announcing Akshaya Tritiya making charges, a coaching centre opening admissions, a restaurant bringing back its Sunday buffet, or a builder inviting buyers to a weekend site visit.

Put the offer in the first 60 characters, add one whitelisted link or call-back number, and close with your brand name. Three lines that say what, until when and where will outperform a long paragraph.

DND, consent and timing rules

The operator filters anything outside these rules, so a smaller list of consenting customers usually delivers better than a large bought list.

• Send only to non-DND numbers or customers who gave digital consent
• Send only between 10am and 9pm
• Use a header with the -P suffix, for example AD-GOLDKV-P
• Use only whitelisted URLs and call-back numbers, since public shorteners are blocked
• Act on STOP and opt-out requests quickly, as the DPDP Act 2023 expects

Planning a promotional SMS service campaign

Start with segments instead of one big list. Past buyers, enquiries from the last 90 days and walk-in customers each need a different message. Our panel lets you save contact groups, personalise each SMS with {#var#} fields and schedule sends days in advance, so your Pongal or Diwali campaign is ready before the rush.

Test a small batch first. Send version A to 500 numbers and version B to another 500, compare the responses through store calls, website visits or coupon redemptions, then send the better version to the rest of the list.

Writing promotional SMS that people act on

Personalisation helps when it is real. A first name and the customer's nearest branch, pulled from your Excel columns, read naturally. Fake urgency or ALL CAPS reads like spam and gets ignored. A Tamil message for Madurai customers or a Hindi one for Delhi can feel more personal, but remember the 70-character limit per Unicode part.

Track what happens after the send. Ask staff to note when a customer mentions the SMS, use a unique coupon code per campaign, or watch visits to the landing page on your whitelisted domain. These simple signals show which offers are worth repeating.

• Lead with the benefit: '20% off sarees' beats 'Greetings from our store'
• Give a deadline: 'till Sunday' gets more action than an open offer
• Name the place: a branch or area builds local trust
• Use one link or one number, not both crammed in
• Sign off with the brand name customers know

What promotional SMS costs

Starter costs ₹0.20 per SMS for up to 10,000 SMS a month. Business costs ₹0.15 per SMS for up to 1,00,000 a month and adds custom sender IDs and advanced analytics. Enterprise pricing is custom. All prices exclude 18% GST.

As an example, a 10,000-customer Diwali campaign on the Business plan costs ₹1,500 plus GST if every SMS fits in one part. A Hindi or Tamil message longer than 70 characters uses two credits, so count before you send.