A recent Macy’s SMS campaign helped shoppers save big and give back—and for the first time, gave them the option of doing so entirely with their mobile phones.
On the eighth annual Shop for a Cause day, Macy’s shoppers were able to text “Shop” to a short code to donate $5 to a local charity or the March of Dimes. Once the customer confirmed their donation, they received a text with a link for a 25% off coupon, valid that day at any Macy’s store.
Previously, the event still exchanged coupons for donations, but without the mobile element. Mobile Commerce Daily talked to Holly Thomas, vice president of national media relations and cause marketing at Macy’s, New York, about this change:
“As we continue to focus on helping our customers participate in our charity events in a way that is convenient and natural for her, offering the Shop for a Cause pass via mobile is a perfect complement to how we aim to engage and serve our customers across all channels… We hope this approach encourages our customers to participate in this charity event in a new way.”
The non-mobile shopping pass option was still available, so whether you were sporting a smart phone or preferred to do things the old fashioned way, your donation could reach one of over six thousand charities nationwide.
The flexibility of the mobile option was a tremendous success: customers contributed almost four million dollars this year. The campaign has raised over forty-eight million dollars for charity since its inception.