1. A sector in structural difficulty
A persistent drop in visitor numbers
The trend is clear: physical retail outlets are struggling to regain pre-crisis traffic levels. According to a study by the Procos federation, store traffic fell by 1.6% in 2024, with a more pronounced impact in city centers. The decline is even more marked in certain segments, such as ready-to-wear and specialized superstores.
A weakened commercial fabric
Many retailers have been forced to downsize their networks or restructure their business models. While some local initiatives are showing positive signs, the general trend remains one of downsizing physical retailing. At the same time, pressure on costs, particularly energy and logistics costs, is weighing heavily on retailers’ margins.
Changing buying patterns
Consumers aren’t just deserting stores for economic reasons. They are moving towards more selective practices: online shopping, short circuits, second-hand goods, more reasoned consumption.
Above all, they expect retailers to deliver a smoother, more personalized experience, more in tune with their digital expectations.
2. An urgent need to reinvent customer relations
Traditional marketing shows its limits
Faced with over-solicited and volatile consumers, traditional marketing levers are losing their effectiveness. Email campaigns are seeing their open rates plateau at around 15-20%, media campaigns suffer from a lack of targeting and relevance, and traditional promotional devices struggle to generate qualified in-store traffic. All too often, communication is seen as generic, non-contextual, and without any real added value for the customer.
Recreating attention and value in interaction
In an environment where attention is a scarce resource, brands need to refocus on the essentials: establishing an authentic, personalized relationship with their customers. This means favoring short, direct and relevant formats, capable of eliciting an immediate reaction. Cell phones, and messaging in particular, are the perfect answer to this need.
Digitizing for the human experience
Digitization, yes, but not at any price. What customers are looking for today is not more technology, but better use of technology. Digitization that is more human, more contextual, that values individual relationships. With this in mind, mobile messaging has emerged as the ideal interface between brand and customer: simple, fast, efficient, but above all personalized and conversational.
Conversational messaging: the key to customer satisfaction
3. Mobile messaging, an agile, high-performance channel
A direct, personal and omnipresent channel
Today, the cell phone is the main point of contact between a brand and its customer. In France, over 91% of adults own a smartphone, which is consulted an average of 200 times a day. Mobile messaging (SMS, RCS, push notifications) makes it possible to reach customers where they are, at the right time, with a targeted, useful and non-intrusive message.
Unlike e-mail or digital advertising, mobile messages don’t go unnoticed. They are displayed directly on the locked screen, with a read rate approaching 100%. It’s a high-impact channel that triggers concrete action.
Record engagement rates
The figures speak for themselves:
- 98% open rate for SMS marketing
- 95% of messages read within 3 minutes
- 26% average click-through rate, with peaks of over 35% for personalized campaigns
- 19% average conversion rate, well above that of e-mail or display campaigns
In other words, mobile messaging isn’t just a communication channel: it’s a real lever for conversion and loyalty, which can be measured and acted upon.
Drive-to-store, loyalty, reminders: concrete use cases
Mobile messaging covers a wide range of marketing objectives:
- Drive-to-store: geolocated promotions, in-store event notifications, reminders for unfinished checkouts.
- Relationship animation: birthday messages, loyalty benefits, personalized news.
- Reactivation: revive inactive customers with targeted offers, exclusive content or temporary incentives.
Unlike other channels, messaging enables fine-tuned, real-time management, with the ability to adapt to customer reactions or non-reactions. It’s a proximity tool for performance.
4. Measurable results and verified ROI
Concrete, traceable performance
In a context where every euro invested in marketing has to be “justified”, mobile messaging stands out for its ability to generate immediate, measurable results. Unlike more diffuse channels, every message sent can be tracked with precision: read rate, click rate, action taken.
Well-targeted campaigns achieve response rates well above the digital marketing average, with visible ROI from the very first operations. By way of example, some brands have seen in-store footfall peaks of +25% to +30% in the hours following the sending of a geo-targeted campaign.
Traffic generation and customer activation
Used in “drive-to-store” mode, messaging brings traffic back into stores with simple messages: exclusive offers, local events, loyalty reminders. It integrates perfectly with retargeting or follow-up campaigns, with a high reactivation rate for dormant customers.
This lever is just as well suited to one-off operations (private sales, sales, destocking) as it is to more relational scenarios (customer birthdays, recalls after abandoned baskets, local weather, etc.).
A strategic asset in the marketing mix
Far from being an isolated channel, mobile messaging is becoming a central element of a successful omnichannel strategy. It acts as a trigger for action: it alerts, reminds, incites, creates urgency… Its effectiveness lies in its simplicity, but above all in its ability to integrate with existing customer paths (email, CRM, mobile app, web).
For brands looking for performance and responsiveness, it represents a sure bet in an environment where attention is scarce and loyalty volatile.
M Target, mobile messaging expert
for French retailers
A platform designed for performance in the field
M Target offers a mobile messaging platform designed to meet the specific challenges of physical retail. Simple to use, robust and interconnectable with CRM or e-commerce tools, it enables SMS, RCS or notification campaigns to be managed with precision, whether to follow up on inactive customers, drive loyalty programs or generate in-store traffic.
Customized strategic support
M Target supports its customers in the technical implementation of its solutions, with dedicated CSM support during integration. The team helps to set up flows, connect databases, optimize the first mailings and ensure rapid autonomy. A few tips are also shared to guide campaigns towards best practices in terms of targeting, frequency or content.
The 1st 100% French messaging hub!
A recognized player in mobile messaging in France, M Target works with a large number of retailers who are looking for a reliable, responsive and sovereign partner. In a changing market, where retailers need efficient, easy-to-operate and well-integrated solutions, M Target is setting the standard.
6. Conclusion: towards more agile retailing
The brands that do best are those that know how to stay close to their customers, while managing their actions rigorously. Thanks to its simplicity, responsiveness and efficiency, mobile messaging ticks all the right boxes: it lets you speak at the right time, to the right person, with the right message.
Without promising to solve everything, it provides an immediate, concrete response to the current challenges facing retail: recreating traffic, stimulating sales and building loyalty intelligently. And in this dynamic, M Target, with its local expertise and reliable solution, is a natural ally to support this revival.