SMS for E-commerce: How Online Retailers Use Ping in Africa

In Africa, SMS remains the most reliable channel for reaching customers. Unlike email, which many consumers check infrequently, or push notifications, which require an app install, SMS reaches any mobile phone, including feature phones. For e-commerce businesses, this makes SMS indispensable for order lifecycle communication.

Order Confirmation

The moment a customer places an order, an SMS confirmation provides immediate reassurance. In markets where trust in online shopping is still developing, this instant acknowledgment significantly reduces order cancellations and support queries. A simple message like "Hi Tatenda, your order #4521 for $45.00 has been received. We will notify you when it ships." goes a long way.

Delivery Tracking

African logistics networks do not always integrate with real-time tracking platforms. SMS bridges this gap. Sending status updates at key milestones (order packed, out for delivery, delivered) keeps customers informed without requiring them to visit a tracking page. This is especially valuable for cash-on-delivery orders where the customer needs to be available to receive the package.

Abandoned Cart Recovery

Cart abandonment rates in African e-commerce hover around 70-80%. An SMS sent 1-2 hours after abandonment, with a direct link back to the cart, can recover a significant percentage of these lost sales. The key is timing and brevity: a short message with a clear call to action outperforms lengthy promotional texts.

# Abandoned cart recovery SMS
requests.post(
    "https://api.ping.co.zw/api/sms/send",
    headers={"x-api-key": "pk_live_your_key_here"},
    json={
        "to": "+263771234567",
        "message": "Hi Tatenda, you left items in your cart! Complete your order now: https://myshop.co.zw/cart/resume/abc123",
        "senderId": "MyShop",
    },
)

Promotional Campaigns

Flash sales, holiday promotions, and new product launches all benefit from SMS. The open rate for SMS in Africa exceeds 95%, with most messages read within 3 minutes of delivery. Combine this with Ping bulk SMS to reach your entire customer base simultaneously during peak shopping moments.